THREE teenagers were being questioned today after a defiant shop assistant forced armed raiders to flee when she struck out with a plastic bottle.The suspects who are all from London include two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy.

THREE teenagers were being questioned today after a defiant shop assistant forced armed raiders to flee when she struck out with a plastic bottle.

The suspects who are all from London include two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy.

P&G Stores in Orford Street, became the latest in a string of four Ipswich shops to be targeted by robbers carrying guns, crowbars and knives this week.

The female cashier fought back when she was confronted by two raiders, she described to police as teenagers, who threatened her with a knife, at about 5.45pm yesterday.

The woman hit the two raiders with a plastic bottle, and they ran away.

Around an hour later a car fitting the description of the getaway vehicle was spotted and stopped by a traffic officer on the A12 at Marlesford, at about 7pm.

The three youths currently in custody were arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery, and were being questioned today at Ipswich and Felixstowe police stations.

Shop assistant Alvin Henderson, who was not in the shop at the time of the attempted-armed robbery, said: "They ran off without taking anything but they did have a knife.

"I think, from what I have seen on the shop's video, that two men came into the store and asked for money from the till. I have been told there was another white man in a car.

"We were closed for a couple of hours while the police took statements but we are now open as usual. It is marvellous if the police have already caught the people they think did it."

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said: "There is no suggestion of any links to other cases, although it is still very early stages."

On Monday a masked robber threatened a teenage shop assistant with a gun in a night-time raid at Bourne End store in Wherstead Road, before escaping with money.

At Victoria Wine in Meredith Road, staff were threatened with a crowbar on Monday evening before the man stole cash from the till.

Unwins Wine Shop in Woodbridge Road East was also targeted by two young men with a knife on Sunday night.

Officers are not linking Monday night's raids, which happened within an hour-and-a-half of each other.

Anyone with information on the raids should call Suffolk police on 01473 613500.