Raiders walk away with £80,000 cash

Two masked men stole £80,000 in cash in a daylight raid on the London Aquarium, getting away with their haul shortly before the South Bank attraction was due to open to the public.

The pair deliberately set off a fire alarm to distract security staff while they negotiated basement tunnels to ransack a safe in part of the former County Hall site near the London Eye.

The alarm went off shortly before 9.30am yesterday. A few minutes later the cash was discovered missing but the safe showed no signs of forced entry. Witnesses told police they saw the raiders escape on foot towards Westminster Bridge Road.

The pair, one carrying a large bag, were wearing dark clothing, dark hoods and white masks. One was about 6ft tall, the other 5ft 10in.

Anyone with information about yesterday's theft should call the incident room on 020 8649 2448 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.