Armed gang raid post office

An armed gang has escaped with £40,000 in a post office raid in County Durham.

Three men wearing ski masks stormed into the Belmont Post Office, east of Durham city on Thursday.

They were armed with hand guns and baseball bats.

Police say the men threatened to kill the postmaster and two other members of staff.

A Durham Police spokesman said: "They took the cash in £5, £10 and £20 notes from the safe.

"The men then made their getaway in a silver or light blue Audi A3 driven by a fourth person."

Eight adult customers were in the Post Office and an elderly woman with a heart complaint was taken to hospital suffering from shock.

The raid happened shortly after cash was delivered to the post office.

The spokesman added: "The attackers may have been seen in the area in the hours or days before the raid.

"Two baseball bats have been recovered, but the car is yet to be traced."