TWO men who tried to smash their way into a town centre shop at the weekend were foiled by a woman who looked out of her window.

She saw them swinging a heavy object against a large window at the Woolworths store in the market place, in Barnard Castle, County Durham. She opened her window and shouted at them, and they immediately ran to a car and sped off, taking the battering object with them.

The woman called police after the incident, at 3.17am on Saturday, but officers could not find the car, a white saloon that looked fairly new.

Acting Sergeant Tom Vance said: "We can only assume that the men were trying to break in to steal. The object they used was so heavy that it took two of them to swing it against the window.

"The local resident who saw them shouted, and they fled right away, leaving a hole in the glass. They might possibly have been trying to damage the window as an act of vandalism, but it seems unlikely."

Store manager Christine Waldock said it was possible the culprits were trying to get at a large number of CDs on display just inside the 6ft by 10ft window, which was replaced yesterday. She said: "I am grateful to the person who spotted them and made them stop."

The raiders were white and aged 17 to 20, with dark hair.

One wore a dark sweatshirt with a white emblem on the back, and dark trousers. The other had a white or cream sweatshirt and faded jeans.

The car, which the witness thought sounded like an automatic, turned into Newgate and made off towards Bowes Museum.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Acting Sgt Vance on 0845 606 0365.