A plucky horsewoman has told of the moment she chased two armed bandits across a field on her pony.

Catherine Sugden had come across the fleeing robbers who had terrorised staff at Aldington Post Office yesterday.

Not realising who they were - but suspicious that they were thieves - she galloped after them for 500 yards.

The bandits got away but she alerted police, who launched a massive manhunt with armed officers and a helicopter.

And then - when the thieves thought they had high-tailed it out of her sight - she dismounted, and then carried on the chase in her car!

Mrs Sudgen, 58, said; “It was all a little bizarre.

“I thought that they maybe had done a robbery at some local cottages that had been burgled some months ago.

“I never gave my safety a single thought. They had an orange swag bag and thought they’ve got some stuff in there that they didn’t ought to have.

“They were fit, they were running really fast, I couldn’t keep up.’’

Mrs Sugden had come across the robbers on foot on a field behind her home in Eastbridge Road, Burmarsh, shortly after the post office was raided at 1.30pm.

She chased them on her 17-year-old New Forest pony, Mr Smiffy , until they waded into a 6ft dyke and crossed to the other side.

Fearing for the safety of the pony she stopped the chase on horseback, called police and galloped back to her home... to fetch her car and chase the robbers by road.

As she neared Dymchurch on Eastrbridge Road she caught sight of the robbers again and again rang for police.

Officers had by now arrived and Mrs Sugden came across a patrol car. Once again she sighted the robbers on foot but officers then took over the chase.

She only realised that they were the Aldington robbers when she went on Facebook and a friend posted her a link to the Kent Online report about the raid.

The suspects are still at large and described as white slim men. One was 5ft 8in tall, the other slightly taller at 5ft 10in tall.

Both were wearing hooded tops and grey face masks at the time of the robbery but were later seen wearing tracksuits, one grey and one navy.

Anyone who thinks they know the whereabouts of these men is asked to call Kent Police immediately on 999.

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