Axe-wielding gang in £100k shop raid

The four robbers, who were also armed with taser stun gun, bundled a worker into the toilet and threatened the owner before emptying the safe at Bilston Cash Centre. Owner Mrs Tonia Dunn, her 59-year-old old former police officer husband Frank and shop assistant Sally Green were working at the store when the gang struck.

Mrs Dunn said: "He was just about to take out the rubbish when they burst through the outside and inside doors to the shop wearing balaclavas.

"They had an axe and a taser gun they put under Frank's nose to frighten him. He had picked up a chair to try to force them out but then he understandably backed off.

"Frank was slightly hurt but they were both very shaken up by the experience."

Mrs Dunn, 59, who has run the shop in Lichfield Street with her husband for six years, added: "They emptied the safe of cash and jewellery worth between £70,000 and £100,000.

"They had a rucksack and filled it up. They cleaned us out. Everything we had worked so hard for has gone."

Mr Dunn revealed: "I was shaken up as anybody would be if they had a stun gun stuffed in their face. They were in and out in two minutes.

"We pushed the panic alarm whilst they were still on the premises. It is linked to the police and the first officer arrived within seconds. The response time was fantastic but the gang were so quick they had gone before the police arrived."

Mrs Green was forced into the toilet by the robber armed with the axe and then trapped inside. The door was held shut by the gang and this stopped her getting out until they fled.

Mr and Mrs Dunn today offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

The gang escaped in a "bluey grey" BMW 3 or 5 series that had been parked outside the store. The haul is believed to have included a large quantity of gold jewellery and up to £20,000 cash. An axe is thought to have been found at the scene and is among items being forensically examined for clues.

Detective Sergeant Steve Walters, from Force CID at Bloxwich, said: "Thankfully nobody was hurt in the robbery but these are dangerous men who we need to catch."

Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police Force CID on 101.0