TWO robbers have been jailed for a total of 20 years for an armed raid on a Royal Mail depot in Clitheroe.

A worker was confronted by two masked men armed with a sawn-off shotgun and a handgun who demanded bags of registered mail at 4am on April 23.

They escaped with an unknown quantity of mail but were caught thanks to the observations of a local resident and employees at the site.

Preston Crown Court heard that a person living in the Radcliffe Street area became suspicious about a parked blue Transit van.

Its details were passed to police and it turned out that the van was used as a getaway vehicle. Michael Philips, 20, of no fixed address was given an eleven and a half year sentence after being convicted by a jury of robbery and two charges of possessing a firearm with intent to commit an offence.

Michael Corcoran, 28, of Harpurhey, Manchester, was jailed for eight years after pleading guilty to robbery and one offence of having a firearm with intent to commit an offence.

Miss Jane Dagnall, prosecuting, said two people were seen driving up to the van at speed in a Ford car before getting in and leaving the area.

Earlier, at the depot, a postman was confronted by a man wearing a balaclava and with a sawn-off shotgun under his shoulder. He shouted to the worker to lie down.

The man did not lie down, but decided to escape by closing a depot door.

Another postal worker was unloading a vehicle when a man in a balaclava and with a sawn-off shotgun pointed the weapon directly at him.

One of the gang shouted at the worker to look for blue-tagged bags, which normally contained items of registered mail. He shouted "I'll hurt you, I'll hurt you."

The pair left with an unknown number of bags. The robbers left in a Ford car.

The Transit van was seen on the A56 just after 5am, heading towards Manchester.

The vehicle stopped at a service station and although Philips managed to get away at that point, two others did not, the court heard.

However, no firearms or stolen mail were found in the van.

Ciaran Rankin, defending Corcoran, told how he was approached by drug dealers and told of his brother's outstanding debts of around £2,000.

"Over a period of time, due to threats, he took it upon himself to discharge the debts" said Mr Rankin.

A third man is due to be sentenced for his involvement next week.