POLICE yesterday displayed the forklift truck that was used in a hole-in-the-wall raid on a post office.

Officers leading the investigation into the robbery at Murton post office, in County Durham, hope that publicising the vehicle will prompt witnesses to come forward to reveal how the digger was taken to the crime scene.

Raiders used the forklift to batter down a large section of the rear wall of the office in the early hours of Thursday.

After the attack, in Woods Terrace, the thieves took a safe containing more than £50,000, stamps, postal orders and vehicle tax discs.

It was just after 1.30am that police responding to a 999 call arrived to find the badly damaged rear of the post office and the forklift truck in place with its engine running.

The vehicle was stolen earlier that night from a building site at the Old Vicarage, East Rainton.

Yesterday, Detective Inspector Kevin Langan, who is leading the investigation into the theft, said there had been an encouraging response to the police appeal for help. He said: "One of the thrusts of the investigation is to trace the route which was taken to get the forklift truck from East Rainton.

"It is still unclear whether the digger was driven on the road or was transported to the scene on an another vehicle."

A red pick-up truck, which was stolen from the Crook area and found abandoned on a farm track between South Hetton and Haswell, is believed to have been used to carry the safe.

The post office remains closed because of the damage. The nearest offices are at Murton Station, Easington Lane and Seaham.

Anyone with information on the raid is asked to call 0845 60 60 365 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.