Terrified staff at a restaurant near Halesowen were held at gunpoint by masked robbers.

The raiders forced their way in and demanded cash as the workers were closing and preparing to go home.

Gun-toting raiders fired shots into the air as the staff at the Jaipur Cottage Restaurant in Church Avenue, Clent, refused to hand over money during the raid just before midnight on Monday.

The 25-year-old owner was said to be lucky to escape unharmed after one of the men fired what is believed to have been a double-barrelled rifle or shotgun by his head dislodging a chunk of plaster in one of the walls of the restaurant.

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Terrified staff at a restaurant near Halesowen were held at gunpoint by masked robbers.

The raiders forced their way in and demanded cash as the workers were closing and preparing to go home.

Gun-toting raiders fired shots into the air as the staff at the Jaipur Cottage Restaurant in Church Avenue, Clent, refused to hand over money during the raid just before midnight on Monday.

The 25-year-old owner was said to be lucky to escape unharmed after one of the men fired what is believed to have been a double-barrelled rifle or shotgun by his head dislodging a chunk of plaster in one of the walls of the restaurant.The thieves escaped with the till, believed to contain up to £1,000 in takings, before driving off in a dark-coloured Honda Civic. No-one was injured in the raid and no customers were in the restaurant at the time.

Restaurant manager Jomir Uddin, aged 53, said today some staff had been left too traumatised to return to work.

“We are lucky to be alive and we are all safe. Someone could have been killed. Everyone was shaking.”

Detectives with West Mercia Police have now launched an investigation into the robbery and are urging any witnesses to come forward.

Officers say all three men were wearing balaclavas and were also armed with hammers as well as the shotgun. The registration of the car, which headed off in the direction of Belbroughton, is believed to end in a Y.

Officers have also been holding house-to-house inquiries around the Clent area over the past few days to gather information.

West Mercia Police spokeswoman Lynne Masters said the investigation was still in its early stages.

“At the moment we are still searching for any information on the car and trying to find anyone who saw what happened,” she said.

“I can confirm shots were fired in the incident but no-one suffered any injuries in the robbery.

“We believe the restaurant had already closed up for the evening when the robbery took place so there were no customers at the scene.”