A FEMALE shop assistant was threatened with a hammer during a robbery in Waterfoot.

The man entered the Quick Stop Shop, on Burnley Road East,carrying a claw hammer on Saturday at 8pm.

He demanded the lone female shop assistant open the till before making off with a quantity of cash.

The worker, in her 20s, wasn’t physically harmed but was left shaken by the ordeal.

The man is described as being around 5ft 6ins tall and of medium build.

He was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a navy waterproof jacket, with white piping on the sleeves and hood, and a green scarf covering his face.

Detective Constable Sarah Beckley said: “If anybody was in the area around the time of the robbery and saw anything suspicious or has any information at all about this incident then I would urge them to contact police.”

Anybody with any information can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org.