RAIDERS wielding hammers and a handgun threatened staff and stole watches from a York jeweller's - the second raid on the shop within six months.

Armed police rushed to Harpers Jewellers, in Minster Gates, after three armed men carried out the raid just after 4pm yesterday.

The men threatened staff and made off with the haul of watches during the raid, which had similarities with a robbery at the same jeweller's on August 20 last year. On that occasion, an armed gang from Estonia made off with £212,000-worth of watches.

The exact value of the watches taken yesterday is not yet known.

Neighbouring traders could not believe their eyes when the police arrived to seal off the shop last night.

Fern Brooks, an assistant at the Selkie women's clothes shop, opposite Harpers in Low Petergate, was working both yesterday and on the day of the robbery in August.

"I really just can't believe it," she said. "We didn't hear any alarms or anything, and for it to happen again in such a short space of time is totally shocking.

"You can't believe anybody would be so sneaky as to hit the same place twice. You have got to feel for the staff."

On leaving the shop, one man ran off down Petergate, while the other two made off down Minstergate.

Detective Inspector Jon Reed, of York Police, said: "Like the robbery in August the men have 'star burst' out of the shop and gone in different directions.

"It was a hot summer's day when the robbery happened back then and people intervened, but they didn't in this instance."

All the men are described as white and aged between 20 and 25. The one with the gun was just over 6ft tall, thick set, and wearing a light-coloured hooded top and hat. The other two men had hammers and were of slight build, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in tall. One was wearing a black coat and hat and the other a brown coat and dark-coloured hat.

Witnesses should phone Det Insp Reed on 0845 6060247. Among the two women and a man working at the jeweller's yesterday are thought to be at least two members of staff who were on duty during last year's raid. The robbers had European accents.

The cash value of the watches may run into six figures.

Det Insp Reed said:"We are particularly asking if anyone has seen suspects changing clothes before or after the robbery".

Judge said store was 'soft target'

ESTONIAN Oliver Konts, 20, travelled to York from his home country on a two-day-old passport before taking part in the dramatic August raid.

He is currently serving a seven-year jail sentence, but the other two men were never caught.

Just a month after the raid, the Evening Press reported how Judge Paul Hoffman, at York Crown Court, described the jeweller's as a "soft target", and told Konts through an interpreter that shop manager Jennifer Roberts had been traumatised by her ordeal.

Konts was arrested after being tackled as he fled by Newcastle tourist, Lesley Bell, but his two accomplices escaped with plastic bags filled with 88 luxury watches. None of them has been recovered. As reported in the Evening Press last year, neighbouring shop manager Gavin Cook became suspicious and chased one of the men across Minster Gardens, but stopped when a gun was pointed at him.

The haul was the biggest from a York armed robbery since raiders made off with paintings worth £1 million from York City Art Gallery in 1999.

Updated: 12:31 Friday, January 13, 2006