Detectives today issued descriptions of the three men who carried out a robbery at the One Stop shop in Claydon.

The hold-up occurred at around 5.35am yesterday when three masked men forced their way into the store in Ipswich Road.

During the raid two workers were told to sit on the floor where they were tied-up.

One of the suspects implied that he had a knife, although no weapon was seen during the incident.

The robbers then stole a quantity of cash before leaving the building at around 6am.

Although the members of staff were left shaken as a result of their ordeal, police have said the employees were not injured.

One of the suspects is described as white with a tanned complexion, around 5ft 8in tall, with a thin black moustache and very small tattoos on either sides of his eyes.

The tattoos either looked like either crosses or stars and were in faded blue ink.

The man was wearing a dark blue/grey zipped fleece, black balaclava, and dark-coloured bottoms.

He also wore a navy blue baseball cap with a large peak.

The second suspect is said to be black, also around 5ft 8in tall, of average build, and was wearing a black balaclava.

He was also wearing a dark grey/blue fleece zipped jumper and navy jogging bottoms.

The third man is described as white and was wearing a balaclava.

Detective Superintendent Andy Smith said: “Robberies of this nature are rare in Suffolk – especially with victims being tied-up – so this was a particularly distressing incident for the staff members involved.

“I am appealing for anyone who witnessed any suspicious persons or vehicles in the area prior to this incident to come forward.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area of the shops in Ipswich Road between 5am and 6am in the days leading-up to the robbery.

“Any piece of information, however insignificant it may seem, could provide us with a vital clue in this investigation.”

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Bury St Edmunds CID on 101 quoting reference 16364/15.

Alternatively anyone who can help catch the perpetrators can telephone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.