TERRIFIED shop staff were ordered to lie down on the floor while armed men stole jewellery worth £250,000 from an Oxford city centre shop.

The raid, which happened at Rowell Silversmiths in Turl Street at around 9.20am is one of the biggest to hit the city centre for years.

Police say two men walked into the shop armed with weapons - believed to be handguns - and ordered shop staff to lie on the floor.

The robbers, who were white and in their 30s, grabbed the jewellery and ran from the shop. They escaped in a waiting blue Astra, driven by a third man.

The vehicle, stolen in the Banbury area, was discovered abandoned 20 minutes later in Merton Street.

Oxford Police spokesman Duncan McGraw said that nobody had been hurt in the raid.

But he added: "This was a serious robbery. We are urgently looking for any witnesses in the area who remember seeing two men entering or leaving the shop to come forward and help police with our inquiries."

The shop remained closed this morning while staff were interviewed at St Aldate's Police Station. Police officers were at the scene continuing their investigations.

Today's robbery is the second at the shop in four years.

In December 1994, shoppers and staff managed to foil a raid when three masked man ran into the shop brandishing screwdrivers and sticks. Staff and customers tackled the raiders before sitting on one of the men and forcing the others to flee.

Anyone with information about today's robbery is asked to contact Oxford Police on 01865 266333.

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