A GANG of masked robbers armed with weapons swooped on a Peterborough pub in a night time raid.

Five men wearing balaclavas and clutching weapons smashed their way into The Boathouse public house, in Thorpe Meadows, at 3.30am today (Monday, August 16).

They demanded the keys from the bar manager and struck him around the head before escaping on foot with several thousand of pounds towards the River Nene.

Another member of staff was also threatened by the gang during the incident. A group of teenagers wearing hooded tops were seen running towards Thorpe Road a short time after the robbery.

The bar manager was taken to Peterborough District Hospital, where he was found to have serious but not life threatening injuries.

Detective Sergeant James Weston said: “This appears to be a planned robbery and must have been a terrifying ordeal for the victims.”

He added one of the offenders could have sustained a visible head injury during the incident,

Anyone with information should call Cambridgeshire Police on 0345 456 4564.