POLICE have issued an e-fit of one of the men believed to have been involved in a post office raid which netted thousands of pounds.

A gang of six men, all of Asian appearance, struck at the post office in Aycliffe Village between 11.30am and midday on Thursday.

Some of the men distracted the staff for 20 minutes, while the others helped themselves to the money in the safe. A witness in the store has provided police with a description of one of the men.

He is described as 19 or 20-years-old, about 5ft 9in, of plump build, with a round face and thick lips.

He had black hair and brown eyes and spoke in a foreign language.

He was wearing a long cream sweater and had a large amount of jewellery around his neck.

The others are described as being aged fromm 18 to 24 years old, of casual but smart appearance. Two were wearing T-shirts.

Police say that as a result of publicity in The Northern Echo, several witnesses have come forward.

Acting Detective Dave Storey, of Newton Aycliffe police, said: "One has described seeing two vehicles near to the scene of the post office and both contained Asian males.

"One of those vehicles was parked on the road side of the A167, facing towards Darlington, and we believe it was a dark blue old-style Astra.

"The second vehicle was parked at the North Briton pub.

"This is a very busy road and I am confident there will have been other drivers who saw those two vehicles. In particular, they may have seen a group of Asian men congregating on the junction of the A167 and The Wynd, which is the road that leads down to the post office."

Anyone with any information about the raid is asked to contact Newton Aycliffe CID on (01325) 314401, or Crimestoppers on Freephone 0800 555111.