A ROBBER smashed his way through the serving hatch of a quiet post office and grabbed an unknown quantity of cash.

The lone man struck at around 5.15pm on Tues-day at the post office in Oxford Road, Stratton.

He smashed a window in the serving hatch, climbed over the counter and grabbed the money from the drawer where a lone female cashier was working.

The man was unarmed.

He then left the post office, climbed into a cream coloured Peugeot 205 and drove towards Gable Cross on the A420.

The robber was about 5ft 8in tall and wore a scarf covering his face, a dark padded jacket and a woollen hat.

The cashier, although not hurt during the attack, was shaken by the ordeal.

There were no customers at the time.

Royal Mail spokesman Don Veale said: "We are hoping to reopen the post office today and are working very closely with the police to solve what we regard as a very serious incident.

"The sub-postmaster is very shocked, but not injured, and I can confirm money was stolen.

"An audit is taking place to confirm exactly how much.

"I would urge anyone with information no matter how trivial to contact their local police."

Anyone with information should call DC Gary Tilling 01793 528111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.