Shopkeeper fights off raider

The young man entered F. T. Farley Stores, a local hardware and convenience shop in the High Street, at about 5.10pm on Saturday, December 28.

Michael Farley was working behind the counter at the time. He said: 'The kid came into the shop and just stood looking around. He asked if I had anything for 75p then grabbed a tin of dog food from the shelf.

'I rang it up on the till, he gave me 50p and when I opened the till drawer his hand appeared and grabbed a bunch of fivers. I looked up and he appeared to have a gun. He said: "Don't do anything or I'll shoot."

'He walked towards the door but I thought, that's not a gun, it looks too light. It looked plastic. So I ran over and grabbed hold of him. We struggled outside, hit the back of a parked car and both fell to the ground.

'I tried to grab him again but he got to his feet and ran off down the road. He was a young lad, so I didn't bother trying to chase him. The funny thing is, he only managed to get 15 because there were only three fivers in the till!'

Police are keen to hear from any witnesses to this incident. The thief is described as white, of slim build, about 5ft 8in tall, aged about 16 to 18 years with short black hair. Investigating officer DC Seymour can be contacted on 0845 60 70 999.