Terrifying attack was third raid on Bayston Hill store
A Shropshire convenience store at the centre of a terrifying raid by three masked men has been targeted several times in recent years, shopkeepers revealed today.
Workers were locked in a side room as the masked intruders carried out the robbery at the Spar shop in Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury, in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The men forced their way into the store on Lansdowne Road shortly after 6am as staff were opening up.
Two male workers were attacked by the gang, who stole a large quantity of cigarettes from the store.
It is believed the robbers are likely to have escaped the scene in a getaway vehicle.
The store remained closed until just before 11am, with paper signs hung outside the shop to inform customers that it was closed.
One of the victims, thought to be the manager, was attacked during the robbery and suffered a slight facial injury.
Local shop workers today said the store had been hit by a spate of robberies since January 2008 when £6,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen in a ram-raid which saw a Vauxhall Nova used to smash through the store's front window.
And in December 2011 thieves fled empty-handed after attempting to break into the shop, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to a window.
Eisha Croft, of Ensdon Farm Butchers, said the back of the shop had been taped off by detectives as investigations continue.
The 20-year-old added: "There was just one police car outside by the time we got in but what we've heard is that the manager was making his way in at about 6am when he was threatened and physically attacked before handing over the keys for his own safety.
"This is now the third or fourth time the Spar shop has been targeted – the last time was about 12 months ago and it is always cigarettes they are after.
"They've had to install wooden bollards outside the shop because the one time it got ram-raided by a vehicle. This is the first time anyone has been physically attacked."
Yvonne Evans, who has worked at the Shropshire Oven, next to the Spar shop, for the past 14 years and arrived at work less than an hour after the robbery, said: "It is quite frightening really especially as we are only a little village so this kind of thing is pretty rare."
Police are hunting the men and have urged people to come forward with information connected to the incident. Call police on 101.
