A FUEL company is offering a £1,000 reward for anyone who can help catch the robbers who raided one of its petrol stations in west Suffolk.

Will Clarke

A FUEL company is offering a £1,000 reward for anyone who can help catch the robbers who raided one of its petrol stations in west Suffolk.

The owners of Total have put up the cash for any information that leads to the crime, at their garage in Newmarket's High Street in the early hours of yesterday, being solved.

The incident happened after a female cashier was approached by a man asking for a cigarette.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police said: “The female cashier at the Total garage on the High Street was outside the shop on her break at around 12.15am, when a man approached her asking for a cigarette. He grabbed her and was joined by a second man.

“They demanded her keys which the second man took and entered the shop, whilst the first man stayed with her. A few minutes later the second man left the shop and both men ran off along Dullingham Road. A vehicle was then heard to drive away.

“The cashier was not hurt but was extremely shaken and distressed by the incident.”

She added that an unspecified quantity of cash was stolen from the petrol station.

Both robbers had local accents and the first is described as white, 6ft tall, around 22-years-old, of slim build and was wearing a light coloured hooded top.

His accomplice is described as white, 5ft9in tall, around 22-years-old, of slim build and was wearing a dark coloured hooded top with the hood up.

The police spokeswoman said detectives were hopeful to learn of further details from the woman during more interviews.

Kate Munro, corporate communications manager at Total, said: “We are offering this reward to any member of the public who can supply information resulting in the arrest and conviction of those who committed this crime. We will not tolerate incidents of this nature.”

Anyone with any information about the robbery should contact Forest Heath CID on 01284 774100 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.