A MASKED raider held a knife to a counter assistant's throat during a robbery at a Bolton post office.

Two men burst into the post office in St Clare Terrace, off Chorley New Road, Lostock, yesterday.

The knifeman threatened the assistant before another man forced staff to hand over cash. Police said they escaped with £2,000. The assistant, who has not been named, was left badly shaken but unhurt.

Police said three men arrived at the post office in a Mazda car at 9.30am. The driver waited as the other two robbed the post office before they all escaped. The car was later found abandoned nearby. The gang then switched to a burgundy BMW, reg number IIB 9090. It was not known today whether the cars were stolen, but the BMW has not been recovered.

The post office had just opened, but it is thought no customers were inside at the time.

All three men wore balaclavas. One had short cropped brown hair. Another had dark brown untidy hair and wore a blue and white striped T-shirt and dark trousers. A third had thick brown collar-length hair. Witnesses are urged to contact Astley Bridge CID on 0161 856 5740, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.