A van driver was kidnapped at knifepoint after robbers raided a Warwick newsagents, police revealed yesterday.

Staff were ordered to lie on the floor when two masked men, armed with a knife and a metal bar, stormed into the shop at 4.45am on Sunday.

They made off with cigarettes and cash and ordered a van driver to take them to Coventry.

They later left the driver and the white Transit van, with Dawson News on the side, in Leaf Lane, Coventry, at about 5.20am.

The robbery happened at The New Shop in Smith Street as staff were organising the morning paper deliveries.

A spokeswoman Warwickshire Police said the shop owner and van driver suffered minor injuries.

They were punched and kicked during the incident, and the shop owner also had cuts on his finger.

Anyone with information can call police on 01926 415000.