Chef Jamie's £150,000 raid reward

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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has offered a £150,000 reward to help catch the robbers who raided the pub where he grew up and learnt to cook.

Five men armed with baseball bats and hammers stole £10,000 from a till and a safe at The Cricketers in Clavering, Essex, on Sunday night.

Staff were threatened and a man in his 80s was pushed on to the floor.

The pub in Wicken Road is owned by the chef's parents, Trevor and Sally, who were not on the premises at the time.

Angry

Mr Oliver is on a business trip in America but a spokesman for him said he would give the reward to anyone who could produce information that would lead to an arrest and conviction.

The spokesman added: "He is angry. He grew up in the pub and first started to learn to cook there.

"These guys have gone in armed with a hammer, scared the customers, scared the staff and pushed an elderly member of staff to the floor.

"He's offering £150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any of these people responsible.

"He's disappointed and shocked that this kind of thing happens in a small Essex village."

Mr Oliver talks about growing up at the pub on his website, where he describes The Cricketers as "lovely".

He says: "My dad runs a lovely pub-restaurant, The Cricketers, in Clavering, Essex, where I grew up.

"I remember being fascinated by what went on in the kitchen. It just seemed such a cool place, everyone working together to make this lovely stuff and having a laugh doing it."

Detectives said the raiders made off in a dark saloon car. Police said they had no evidence to suggest that the pub had been targeted because of its celebrity link.