POLICE today revealed armed robbers who kidnapped a postmaster and his wife could have been watching their post office for weeks before they struck.

Roger and Marilyn Clarkson, of Newchurch-in-Pendle, returned to work yesterday after their traumatic ordeal. A police spokesman said: "We are still talking to the couple to try to piece together the exact sequence of events, but we do feel that the post office could have been under surveillance for days or possibly weeks before the raid.

Consignia, which runs the Post Office network, reopened the Padiham Post Office, Burnley Road, at lunchtime. The store had been closed since Thursday morning.

Detectives said a gang of at least three masked men tied up the couple after bursting into their home on Wednesday night. They were held overnight before being bundled into their car about 5.30am on Thursday and driven 25 miles away and abandoned at 8.55am in Mill Lane, off Chorley Road, Walton-le-Dale.

Police said the gang raided the post office while the couple were being driven around in the blue Volkswagen Golf, registration A6E WE, for about an hour.