A TERRIFIED café worker barricaded herself in a toilet as a robber wielding a wrench tried to barge his way in.

Colleagues Bethany Lewis and Molly Battersby were urged to “run” when two raiders pulled up outside Chimes watch repair, in Trinity Street, Colchester, on a motorcycle.

The pair, who work at the neighbouring Poppy’s Tea Room, heard a crash as the two men barged their way into the shop, grabbing watches and jewellery.

While the robbers were busy, onlookers pushed the bike over and snatched the keys, preventing a quick getaway.

The thieves wrongly assumed the keys had been taken into the cafe and pursued the two girls inside.

Bethany, 19, said: “Everyone was shouting and screaming.

”Someone opposite was shouting to us ‘They’re robbing next door.’

“The next thing we knew they were saying ‘They’re coming to you now, run.’

 “We saw them running towards us. We were both terrified, I thought I was going to be killed.

“We ran as fast as we could. I went out the back into the alleyway and hid behind a bin.”

Molly, 17, locked herself in a toilet, but the raider, who was wielding a wheel wrench, didn’t give up there.

“He was banging on the door and shouting, he thought it was us who had the keys,” she said.

The two robbers fled into the street, but were chased down by an off-duty police officer and chef Bryan Watson.

Mr Watson, 30, was about to start his shift at the Purple Dog.

“I saw the bloke from the shop chasing two guys with bike helmets on, so I gave chase as well,” he said.

“We managed to grab one of them,” he said.

“I grabbed him by the helmet, the other lady rugby tackled him.

“I didn’t know what they’d done, for all I know they could’ve hurt someone.

“We held him there for ten to 15 minutes before the police arrived.”

The robbers threw stolen and watches and jewellery at their pursuers in a bid to stop them.

A raider wearing a grey tracksuit, black trainers and a white helmet, escaped on foot.

The robbery took place at around 11am on Saturday.

Anyone with information can call 101.