POLICE are hunting a robber who threatened a terrified female shop assistant with a gun before making off with £60 in cash.

The hold-up took place at an off-licence in North Road, St Helens, at about 8.55pm om Thursday, Jan 4.

The assistant manageress of the store was serving a young boy with a packet of crisps when she noticed a man enter wearing an off-white, knitted balaclava pulled up at the front. He stood by the counter while she served the boy, then approached her and said "Hello" in a local accent before pulling a hand gun from his pocket and demanding cash from the till.

The shocked assistant handed over £60 in cash and the gunman walked to the door and fired the weapon at the ground before running off towards St Helens town centre.

The man described as between 35 and 40 years of age and about 5ft 2ins with a slim build. He had blond, collar-length hair and a thin moustache and his complexion was pale and pitted. He wore light-blue jeans and a green bomber jacket with zipped up pockets.

Detective Inspector Jon Dawson, of St Helens CID, warned shop owners to be on their guard and said: "I would advise that all security devices are checked, especially video equipment and panic buttons. No bullet holes were found in this case and I believe the weapon used was a starting pistol. At close range, these can cause a lot of damage and on no account should members of the public try to tackle them as no amount of money can buy health or life."

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