Shoppers and doorstep salesmen could hold the vital clues detectives need to catch a gang who robbed a village post office.

Three men struck on yesdayday lunch time at the post office and general store in Ebchester, near Consett, County Durham.

They overpowered the postmistress and escaped with several hundred pounds from the cash register.

Police enquiries have established that, earlier in the day, door-to-door salesmen had called on a number of residents in Ebchester, offering them household goods.

Detectives last night stressed the salesmen may be perfectly innocent, with no connection at all to the post office incident, but said they would still like to hear from anyone who had a call from them.

Any householders with a domestic CCTV system are also asked to contact the police, so officers can arrange to view the images. Officers are also keen to trace customers who were in the post office at the time of the raid.

Detective Sergeant Vic Deanes, of Consett CID, said: "The robbery does not appear to have been a well-planned operation, instead it has the hallmarks of an opportunist crime.

"We believe there were four customers on the premises at the time and while one of them has been traced we have yet to speak to the other three.

"If they can get in touch with us their account of the incident, and any descriptions they can give of the suspects, could prove extremely useful."

The raiders struck shortly after 1pm on Thursday. The postmistress, a woman in her fifties, who asked not to be named, was slightly injured when she tried to prevent the men making off with the cash.

The trio, all white men, escaped on foot towards the nearby village of Hamsterley.

The first was in his late 20s or early 30s and was around 5ft 8, with short dark wavy hair and facial stubble. He was wearing a blue coat and dark trousers.

The second man was aged 18 to 20 and had a distinctive cold sore type mark on his face. He had short dark hair and a fair complexion. He was about 5ft 10ins tall, with a broad build and round face, wearing a hip-length jacket and black trousers.

The eldest member of the gang was in his early 40s, 6ft tall and of slim build, with short, dark hair. He was wearing a dark jacket and trousers.

Anyone with information is asked to ring 0845 60 60 365 and ask for Consett CID, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.