A WOMAN shopper may have witnessed a third man involved in yesterday’s armed robbery at an Oxford bank.

While two gunmen in high visibility jackets were holding up Lloyds TSB in Headington, one woman saw a man outside the bank in a car.

Nicola Hayes, from Oxford, was shopping in London Road and explained: “I saw a big black four-by-four type car parked on the kerb opposite the bank with the engines running, next to where I was.

“I was really nervous at the time because I was at the cash machine in a bank opposite Lloyds and the man in the car staring at me.

“I pushed my eight-year-old daughter in front of me out the way. I just felt really nervous. When I got out of the bank the car screeched off.”

She has reported what she saw to the police although they will not confirm if what she saw is currently relevant to their investigations.

Meanwhile workers in London Road have spoken of their shock at their robbery.

Armed police were called to the bank at 9.53am yesterday just minutes after the thieves escaped on foot towards the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Clic Sargent charity shop manager Sharon Walton – who works opposite the bank – said she saw armed police go into the bank following the robbery.

The 49-year-old said: “We saw police going into the back entrance of the bank with guns. I saw one gun but my colleague saw four.

“It was quite a big gun which he was holding across his body. Obviously it was shocking because you don’t want to think of that going on so close to you and we are only a charity shop.

“It is worrying because it is on your doorstep. It is not good to think you have people running around with guns doing an armed robbery.”

Headington resident Mike Facciol tried to use the TSB bank yesterday morning but police turned him away because it was cordoned off. Mr Facciol, 40, said: “I just asked police if I could get to the cash machine but they said no, it was not an exercise, it was a serious matter.”

One of the robbers was described as white, about 5ft 9ins tall, of slim build, and wore a black hat and scarf around his face with a yellow high-visibility vest over a black coat.

The second robber was described as white, in his late teens or early 20s, about 5ft 6ins tall, and of average build.

He aslso wore a hat and scarf across his face with a yellow high visibility vest over a checked shirt. Both were said to have brandished guns.

Detectives were last night examining CCTV footage, taking witness statements and conducting house-to-house enquiries. No-one has been arrested.