A COMMUNITY leader has told how he saw off two knife-wielding masked robbers who were terrorising his family.

Councillor Eric Turner, 70, burst in on the robbers, one of whom was towering over his wife, Enid, with a 12-inch knife, and forced them out of his rural post office with a metal rod.

Mr Turner, his wife and their daughter, Angela, remained in a state of severe shock after the daylight attack on Tuesday, but were otherwise unharmed.

The raiders escaped with a "substantial amount of cash" in the raid at the post office at Victoria Terrace, Hamsterely, near Consett, at about 1pm.

Mr Turner, who is the chairman of both the North Durham Community Health Council and Derwentside District Council's planning committee, said: "I was coming home at about 1pm and my daughter was running towards me screaming, 'me mam, me mam'.

"I opened the door and saw this huge-looking fella up on the counter, threatening my wife with a 12-inch knife. When he saw me, he started chopping bits of wood out of the counter.

"I managed to push him off with a 4ft metal rod which I happened to have under the counter. I reckon he'll be a bit sore today.

"I feel I have done a lot for the local community, so I'm really disappointed they picked on us."

Mr Turner said he and Enid, who is in her mid-50s, and Angela, 34, had been overwhelmed by messages of support from the local community since the raid.

He also revealed he had feared for the safety of his seven-year-old twin grand-daughters - Angela's children Victoria and Rebecca - who were playing in a house next to the post office.

The robbers escaped in a white car, believed to be a five-door Honda Civic, stolen from Gosforth, in Newcastle, over the New Year. The car was found an hour after the robbery at the Dugout area of Hamsterley, near the Derwent Walk.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Consett police on (01207) 504204