Raiders armed with sledgehammers escaped with a substantial cash haul after robbing a village post office.

The masked pair struck at the Chorley Road post office, Adlington, at 10.30am on Friday, (February 10).

Police believe the robbers watched cash being delivered to the branch before entering wearing balaclavas.

After threatening staff and damaging a security screen, the pair escaped in a green Ford Mondeo car, which was set ablaze minutes later in a nearby alleyway close to The Avenue.

Staff and customers at Bamford and Cohen village chemist, next to the post office, locked themselves inside for around 20 minutes as the robbery took place.

A police spokesman said: "After setting fire to the car we believe raiders escaped in a second vehicle which was parked in the alleyway."

Firecrews were called to the scene ten minutes after the raid and the police cordoned off both crime scenes.

Shirley Meyers, who works at CLS Hair Studio, Chorley Road, noticed the flames coming from the car.

She said: "The flames were seven or eight feet high. I was worried it would spread to the salon or nearby houses."

The suspects were described as wearing dark clothing and spoke with Liverpool accents. One was around 5ft 10ins , the other 6ft.

The robbery is the fifth similar crime to have occurred in the Chorley area in the last four months.

Coppull has been hit twice, with gangs targeting the Spar and the Royal Bank of Scotland, both on Spendmore Lane, late last year.

In January there were armed raids on a post office on Devonshire Road, Chorley and the Asda superstore in Clayton Green.

Inspector Ian Roberts, of Chorley Police, said: "All the crimes are being thoroughly investigated and we have found nothing to link them to the same group of offenders."

Anyone with information should call Chorley CID on 01257 246275.