A NECKLACE worth more than £1,000 was snatched from a market stall worker.

Police are trying to trace a man captured on CCTV who took the men’s gold chain from Gold And Times in Darwen Market.

The man approached the store, in the centre of the market, just before noon and asked if he could look at the necklace.

While the item, with a second-hand value of £1,300, was being shown to him he snatched it and ran away.

Staff chased after him but he got away and ran down Redearth Road.

Business owner Jonathan Whitehead said it was the first incident of its nature since he opened the business in 1995.

He said: “We were selling it for £1,300 but if you were to buy it new it would be more than £2,000.

“It shook Katie, the shop assistant who was working at the time.

“We have built up a solid customer base over the last 18 years and it is really upsetting when something like this happens.”

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the incident to call 101, quoting log number LC-2014-0122-0465.