TWO terrified women were imprisoned in an office and had to smash a window to escape after armed raiders carried out a robbery at a restaurant.

The drama happened at the Little Chef at Picket Post near Ringwood when two masked men burst into the premises off the A31 at about 10.15pm on Sunday.

One of them threatened the two members of staff with a handgun.

There were no customers in the restaurant at the time.

The armed men forced the women to hand over a large amount of money.

They then locked them in another room near the serving area before making their getaway.

A police spokesman said: "Two men wearing balaclavas held up staff with what is believed to be a pistol.

"They locked the two employees in an office and ran off towards a children's play area, but the staff couldn't see whether they had a vehicle or not.

"The employees managed to get out of the window and rang the police."

Both raiders are described as white and about six feet tall.

Little Chef press spokesman Max Wild said: "There were no customers in the restaurant but the two members of staff were locked into a room and all of the site's money was taken."

Mr Wild added: "The staff were not injured physically, but remain very distressed by the ordeal and we will ensure that they receive the proper support and counselling."

And he concluded: "Little Chef cannot make any further comment at this time and they do not wish to jeopardise the Hampshire Police investigation.

"But we would like to thank the police for their rapid response and support they gave to our staff."

First published: April 5