Three men robbed a travel agent's shop in Southwick today.

The gang ordered the manageress inside as she opened the front door at 8.50am and ordered her to hand over an undisclosed sum of money from the safe.

Witnesses said the men left the Travelcare shop in Southwick Square, Southwick, and ran down an alleyway to a car park.

Lorry driver Steven Jeffrey was making a delivery at the back door of the nearby Co-op at the time.

He said: "I was on the tailgate of my lorry when I saw three blokes running from the alley.

"They ran over to a white Honda coupe that had been left in the car park. I did not see if they had any weapons but they certainly had something hidden under their jackets. It could have been bags of money."

Jenny Tester, an assistant at Martins Pharmacy, saw the men sitting in the car a few minutes before the raid.

She said: "I came in early this morning to do some shopping at the Co-op before work.

"I noticed the white car parked at the back of the shops.

"The driver was sitting hunched behind the wheel so I did not see much of his face."

Police at Worthing confirmed there was a robbery at opening time.

A spokesman said: "Three men entered the premises. They made the staff open a safe and then locked them in a kitchen. Then they made off with the money."