POLICE hunting two armed balaclava-clad robbers who raided a Felixstowe town centre store today made a fresh appeal for witnesses.Detectives said “extensive inquiries” were under way - and they want to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity in the road behind the resort's Woolworth shop in the past few days.

POLICE hunting two armed balaclava-clad robbers who raided a Felixstowe town centre store today made a fresh appeal for witnesses.

Detectives said “extensive inquiries” were under way - and they want to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity in the road behind the resort's Woolworth shop in the past few days.

Officers need details of cars and people around the time of the raid yesterday morning, but also if people saw anything out of the ordinary in the previous few days in case the robbers were gathering information in preparation for their attack.

Police are also liaising with officers of other forces to see if there have been similar raids at other locations around the country.

The robbers - one with a knife and the other wielding a baton-type weapon - burst into the Hamilton Road store through its rear delivery entrance in Highfield Road at around 6am. They were wearing dark clothing and balaclavas.

They tied up two members of staff - a woman in her 50s and a man in his 20s - and stole a quantity of cash from the safe.

One of the staff managed to get free and sound the alarm at 6.12am. There was also a cleaner elsewhere in the store who was unaware of the drama unfolding in the back area.

The members of staff were not hurt but were left shaken and are currently off work.

A police spokeswoman said today: “Extensive inquiries are under way and a lot of work is being done.

“We still need to hear from members of the public who may have seen something suspicious, especially in Highfield Road - people hanging around, getting in and out of vehicles, putting on balaclavas.

“Whatever people may have seen, however relevant or small they think it is, we would appeal for them to call us and let us fit it into the bigger picture.

“We would particularly like to hear from anyone who drove along that road or was in the area between 5.30am and 6.05am. Also any activity out of the ordinary in the previous few days.”

Detective Inspector Steve Clabburn, who is leading the inquiry, reassured people they were still safe to go about their business in Felixstowe town centre.

“This is a particularly unusual offence for Felixstowe and indeed for Suffolk as a whole, and we would reassure the public that Suffolk remains one of the safest places in the country,” he said.

Anyone with information about the raid should contact Suffolk Police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Do you know the Woolworth staff involved? Call our Felixstowe Newsdesk on 01394 284109.