A MAN was arrested after walking into a supermarket's opticians carrying a knife.

The scare took place at the opticians at Asda in Princess Way, Burnley, on Saturday morning.

One member of staff was left shaken, although it is believed that no violence was threatened.

The employee is thought to have been sent home after the incident and other employees were told to make no comment. A manager referred enquiries to Asda’s head office.

A spokesman at head office confirmed the incident took place, adding that staff were called promptly and police then handled the incident.

The spokesman said: “We are currently assisting the police to ensure they have the information they require.”

The opticians at Asda in Burnley is not part of the main store and trading later continued as normal, with no evidence of the incident visible.

A police spokesman confirmed that the man had been carrying a knife but indicated there was no threat made to staff or customers.