A sub-postmistress left distraught after a chemical was sprayed in her face during a robbery has had her trauma made worse by the organisations who should have helped her, says a Bradford vicar.

Victoria Kendall was offered counselling over the telephone by the Post Office but then told it was “too expensive” because she only had a mobile.

And two attempts by the Rev Dr Steve Davie to get Victim Support to talk to her met with no response.

Now, two months after the raid at Holme Wood post office, Miss Kendall is still too shaken to return to work. “The lack of victim support and the lack of support from the Post Office have conspired to make the trauma far worse than it might have,” said Dr Davie.

Miss Kendall said she, her mother and her aunt were working at the branch in The Parade on Thursday, August 30, when a robber sprayed an unknown chemical in their faces, temporarily blinding them. She said: “He sprayed my eyes. He had a hand over my mouth so I couldn’t let a scream out.”

She said the three women were then forced into the toilet.

Miss Kendall said the substance, which has still not been identified, was so painful it felt like her skin was “melting off”.

She said once the robber had fled with a haul of cash, they managed to get out and press a panic alarm, which was supposed to alert security staff who would call the branch immediately.

She said: “There was a bit of relief, thinking it’s all going to be over in a minute. But it was an hour, because the panic alarm didn’t work. That was the longest hour of my life.”

When they did not receive the phone call, Miss Kendall said they phoned the police.

But, she said, officers turned up at the address of a former post office nearby because Post Office Ltd had not notified them of a change of address. She said they were eventually discovered by a passing PCSO, who raised the alarm.

Miss Kendall, a mother-of-one, said after the attack she could not leave her house for four weeks.

She said: “It broke me. I’ve never been as depressed or as low as I was then.”

She said the Post Office tried to arrange some counselling for her.

As she felt unable to go out, a counsellor offered some help over the phone.

But Miss Kendall claimed when she said she did not have a landline, the counsellor told her it would be too expensive to talk to her on her mobile.

Miss Kendall, 30, has now been left so traumatised she has not yet been able to reopen the branch.

Dr Davie said he would have expected the agencies to ensure victims were given necessary support given the “dreadful circumstances” of the robbery to help them recover.

A spokesman for Victim Support said Miss Kendall’s case was being looked into but she could not discuss it for confidentiality reasons. She urged Miss Kendall or Dr Davie to get back in touch if they had any concerns.

A spokesman for Post Office Ltd was unable to provide a comment to the Telegraph & Argus.

But in a letter to Miss Kendall, a manager said: “I am sorry that you feel the Post Office Limited has let you down in this respect.” The letter said it was unclear why the alarm signal had not been received by the security firm.

It said: “Prior to the office reopening I will ensure that all checks on security equipment are complete to ensure it is fully functional.”

Miss Kendall, a beauty therapist by trade, had only opened the post office in December.

She had decided to turn her barber’s shop into a post office after her landlord suggested it.