A MACHETE-wielding robber raided a village post office before crashing his getaway car.

It is the second time Edgworth Post Office has been targeted in the space of two months.

Workers cowered in fear and men working across the street ran to their aid during the latest ordeal.

The masked man entered the shop, in Blackburn Road, at around 9.20am today and managed to get behind the counter where two female members of staff were working.

A third member of staff working at a separate counter managed to escape and ran across the road to get help from a group of men carrying out renovation work on Holden’s Ice Cream shop.

Around six men rushed over and entered the shop although most left when they saw the raider.

However, Richard Cort, manager of Holden’s, stood his ground before the robber escaped past him.

The 61-year-old, from Lostock, said: “He was behind the glass with the two workers cowering at the back. He was waving his machete, shouting expletives.

“It was over in two minutes. I was standing in the shop, and everyone else had gone out. I know how it looks, but I am no have-a-go hero.

“It was quite scary to be honest, but you don’t realise at the time. I should have picked something up.”

The robber fled with a quantity of cash and jumped into a black Ford Focus that had no licence plates.

He sped along Bury Road as he made his escape and was seen overtaking a number of cars but only made it a short distance before he crashed into a number of parked vehicles.

He then fled over a nearby field on foot.

Kyle Wilkinson, aged 28, lives in the row of houses next to where the car crashed, said that his father’s Land Rover Discovery was written off in the incident.

He said: “He has flown down here, around the turn, overtaking. His car has gone right into the back of my dad’s car and hit some others.

“I just heard a bang. My dad is away on holiday at the moment. It has damaged the wheel and the back axle.”

Residents reported a large police presence in the area following the incident, including armed officers and the police helicopter.

On September 5 this year, two men armed with a knife and a machete raided the branch before fleeing with £14,000 and making off in the direction of Bury.

The office will remain closed while the investigation into the latest raid continues.

A Post Office spokesman said: “There was an attempted robbery at Edgworth Post Office. The people who run our branches provide important services to local communities. 

“Any robbery or attempted robbery is very traumatic for the victims and we will be supporting the police in their efforts to apprehend those responsible.

“The branch remains closed following the incident. We would like to reassure customers that we are trying to find a way to restore services to the area very soon.”

Police have launched an appeal for witnesses.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “A man had entered the post office in Blackburn Road carrying a machete.

“It is believed he took a quantity of cash before making off in a dark-coloured Ford Focus which was later abandoned in the Bury Road area.

“An investigation is under way and inquiries are ongoing.”

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting log reference 0274.