Police today appealed for witnesses after an aggravated burglary at Tower News in Carterton.

At about 6am, three men forced their way into the newsagents and threatened the owner, a 72-year-old man, who was working inside the shop.

The men asked where the safe was and when they were told that there wasn’t a safe, they threatened the man with a screwdriver and a spade and stole about £800 of cigarettes from the shelves, and about £80 in cash from the tills.

The thieves then ran off on foot towards the town centre car park.

All three men were white, about 5ft 11in to 6ft tall and were wearing dark clothing and balaclavas.

Police said the first man was carrying a spade, the second man a Phillips screwdriver, and the third was holding 'a tool'.

Det Con Mick Jenks said: “Fortunately the occupant wasn’t seriously injured, but this was still a nasty incident and the burglars used weapons to threaten the occupant.

“It is possible that these thieves could have been opportunists, as they weren’t very prepared to carry the stolen items away.

“Although we are still in the early stages of the investigation, I am keen to speak to anyone who might have any information that could help with my inquiries.

“I’d like to ask residents to keep an eye out for the spade and screwdriver which were used as weapons and check their sheds and outhouses in case these items are missing.

“If you saw any suspicious activity in Carterton in the early hours of yesterday morning, I urge you to contact me.”

Anyone with information which could help police should contact Det Con Jenks at Witney police station via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don’t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.