A ROBBER pointed a gun at the head of a female shop assistant before escaping with cash, police said.

The raid, at Naz Self Serve station in Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, was the second time the business had been targeted in a matter of days.

Officers said a man, who did not have his face covered, entered the garage and pulled what staff believed to be a handgun out of his jacket and demanded cash.

He escaped with around £250.

It comes as thieves attempted to force their way in to a cash machine at 4.20am on Monday.

No arrests have been made over that incident but police said it is not being link to the armed robbery.

Rahena Jan Ahmed, managing director of Naz Self Service, said: “It was terrifying for the staff.

“It was a female member of staff he pointed the gun at. He pointed it at her head and said ‘give me all your money’.

“She did what she has been trained to do.

“She emptied the till and pressed the panic button.

“She has not come in to work today because she’s too badly shaken.

“I do feel like we are being targeted. This is the second time in a week.

“I have mentioned it to the police and they said they are going to have an increased presence.

“We have high definition CCTV cameras inside and outside the building so I don’t know what else we can do. All the staff are terrified.”

Police said the incident was captured on CCTV and a 28-year-old man from Blackburn was arrested on suspicion of robbery a short time later.

He was being quizzed by detectives yesterday.

Police said they have recovered cash and a replica fire arm.

Community leaders have been left shocked by the incident and said they are glad there were no casualties.

Shadsworth with Whitebirk ward councillor James Shorrock said: “I went up yesterday to check the story was true and there were no casualties.

“This incident is a one-off and it must have been extremely frightening for the staff involved.

“They have the empathy of all three councillors in this ward.

“I hope that whoever is responsible is subjected to the full force of the law.”

A police spokesman said: “We were called around 8.30pm on April 7 to reports of a robbery at a premises in Shadsworth Road in Blackburn.

“A male had entered the shop and removed what was thought to be a hand gun. He stole a quantity of cash.

“A 28-year-old local man was arrested a short time later of suspicion of robbery.

“A replica firearm and cash have been recovered by our officers.”

The Post Office, which is located in the building was not targeted in the attack.

A Post Office spokesman said: “Post Office can confirm there was a robbery of the retail at the location of Shadsworth Post Office on Thursday.

“The people who run our Post Office branches provide important services to local communities.

“Any robbery or attempted robbery is very unpleasant for the victims and we always support the Police in their efforts to apprehend those responsible.”