Police have arrested five men and three women in early morning raids in connection with the murder of a post office worker in Worcestershire.

Craig Hodson-Walker, 29, was shot in the chest at his family’s post office and general store in the village of Fairfield at about 8.20am on Friday, when a group armed with a handgun and sledgehammer burst in.

Police have said that they believe four men were involved in the robbery - three went into the store, while a fourth, the driver, waited outside.

They fled the scene in a silver Volkswagen Golf, which was found abandoned in a lane near the store shortly after the shooting. The car had been stolen in Solihull on New Year's Eve and its registration plates had been changed for the robbery, police said.

Mr Hodson-Walker's father, Ken, 56, was shot in the leg and is recovering in hospital.

Four people have been held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and four others are being detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The arrests, made at six addresses in south Birmingham, involved more than 100 officers from both West Mercia and West Midlands. The eight are being held at police stations across both force areas.

Superintendent Adrian Pass of the West Mercia Constabulary said today: “We understand the impact that this incident has had on the local community and I would like to assure them that we shall continue with our high visibility patrols in the area.

“We firmly believe that everyone living or working in North Worcestershire should be able to go about their business without feeling fearful and we hope that they will feel reassured by this morning’s arrests.

On Sunday James Hodson-Walker, the dead man's brother, Judy, his mother, and Lisa Bundy, his fiancée, attended a special church service where prayers were said. Afterwards, they crossed the road to the scene of the attack and read messages attached to floral tributes.

Miss Bundy, a teaching assistant from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, has described her dead fiance as her "soulmate and best friend".

The Post Office has offered a £50,000 reward for information.

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