A SHOP owner and his assistant were taken to hospital after being robbed and brutally beaten, before being left in a burning convenience store by their attackers.

The raiders, who set the store alight, pulled down the security shutters before fleeing the premises in Attwood Terrace, in Tudhoe, at about 7pm on Sunday.

The two men were taken to hospital after managing to get out of the premises through the back door.

At the height of the incident, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service had five appliances at the scene.

Neighbour Steve Brown said: “The first thing I saw was the blue lights and went to the shed at the back and saw the place was ablaze.

“There were two guys who had been beaten up were sitting on the pavement. They were totally stunned and shocked and appear to have been badly beaten.

“They had lumps on their heads and were bleeding. They shop was on fire too. They are pleasant people. It’s shocking what has happened.”

Durham Police spokesman said officers were called just after 7.10pm to the incident at Tudhoe Mini Market. They were told that two men had been injured during a robbery.

Two men were reported to have entered the shop armed with weapons and carried out an attack on the two men who were working in the shop, inflicting head injuries.

They then stole cash from the till and set fire to the premises, pulling down the security roller shutters as they fled and leaving their victims inside the burning building.

The shopworkers, a man in his 40s and a 17-year-old male, both managed to escape through a rear exit and were taken to hospital for treatment. Both have since been released.

A third man who was in the flat above the premises was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation.

The shop has suffered extensive fire damage during the blaze.

Police are now appealing for any witnesses to the incident to come forward with information.

Detective inspector Neil Jones said: “This appears to have been a horrendous attack and we would appeal for help from anyone who has information which could help find those responsible.

“In particular, we would like to hear from anyone who has any CCTV or dashcam footage from the area at the time.

“The shop is on a busy road and we would like to hear from anyone who saw anyone or anything suspicious in the area in the 24 hours leading up to the incident.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who was waiting at the bus stop on Attwood Terrace at the time of the incident to make contact with us”.

  • Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact DI Jones at Durham Constabulary on 101.