A travel agent has told how she stepped out of a toilet to find two masked robbers holding staff at gunpoint and ransacking the safe.

The robbers marched into Co-op Travel in London Road, Headington, Oxford, claiming they were armed and demanding cash.

They held three female travel consultants - including the teenage girl who emerged from the toilet in the middle of the raid - in the back office before stealing cash, including foreign currency, from the safe.

Both robbers then covered their faces with scarves and hats before fleeing on foot with the cash in a grey plastic bag.

The teenage travel consultant, who did not want to be named, said: "I came out of the toilet and I saw two men in the office. They didn't see me at first and I didn't know what they were doing.

"Then one of them saw me. He looked a bit shocked and said, Get over by the door'."

The robbers grabbed the safe key and stole foreign currency before demanding English money.

Although police would not reveal how much money was stolen during the raid just before 4pm on Friday, they said it was a 'substantial amount'.

The teenager added: "They ran past me thinking there was a fire exit at the back but there isn't. They pushed past to go to the front door and began whispering about who was going to go out first.

"I was just in shock, it all happened so quickly. I was trying to look at what they were wearing, but I'm still in a bit of a daze.

"Both men had one hand in their front pockets all the time so I think the implication was that they had guns."

Managers at Co-op Travel have offered the three staff members counselling and time off.

Security video footage has been handed over to the police.

Police believe the pair may have used a car and are hoping that, because it is a parking permit area, vigilant householders may have become annoyed by a vehicle parked in their area and taken down its details.

DS Steve Clarke said: "Both men left on foot and I'm hoping that someone may have seen them either leaving or entering the premises. It is possible they made their escape in a car parked nearby. Their car may have been parked in a residential parking bay without a relevant ticket displayed, so I would ask residents who saw any suspicious cars between the hours of 3pm and 5pm to contact police."

Both robbers were black with London accents and were wearing black gloves and beenie hats.

One was described as skinny, in his late 20s, 6ft, wearing a black hooded jacket with a scarf covering his face.

The second man was 6ft 3in, with a stocky or fat build, wearing blue jeans and a white jacket with a chequered scarf covering his face.

Anyone with information should call police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.