Two men in balaclavas robbed cash from a security van outside a Thornton Heath bank. 

The pair approached the G4S van outside Barclays bank 10.45am today and attacked the driver before stealing a cash box and ran off.

FROM LAST MONTH: Attempted robbery during security guards' cash delivery to Croydon Santander

The cash box was later found nearby, according to a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman.

A search of the area is underway, and witnesses have reported Brigstock Road as closed to traffic.

One witness said: "The police are there now and have cordoned off the whole area. The van is still parked outside. 

"They are obviously idiots. Don't they realise any money they take will be tainted?"

Your Local Guardian:

The bank just after 1pm this afternoon, with police and the G4S van still parked outside

Police closed Cotford Road following the robbery for about two hours following the robbery, which is understood to have left the van's driver shaken but unhurt.

The two suspects are described as black and wearing balaclavas. No arrests have been made at this stage.

Ismail Khan, 23, who works in a nearby internet cafe, said: "We did not hear anything but we looked outside and saw five police cars.

"The police said [the robbers] had stolen some money from the van."

It is the second attempt to rob a security van outside a Croydon bank in less than a month and is believed to be the second time robbers have targeted a cash-in-transit van at the Thornton Heath Barclays this year.

Two would-be thieves tried to rob security guards of the cash they were delivering to Santander in George Street, Croydon town centre, on October 30.

But they fled empty-handed after the guards managed to barricade themselves inside the bank.

Did you see anything? Call the newsdesk on 020 8722 6351 or email daniel.omahony@newsquest.co.uk