A SHOP assistant has spoken of the terrifying moment an attempted robber wielding a knife threatened him and demanded cash.

A hooded man, armed with a knife, burst through the door of Stacksteads Post Office which is located inside the Premier Store, on Newchurch Road, just after 7am on Saturday.

Shop assistant Ifran Rehman has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal.

He said: “I arrived to work at 7am on Saturday morning and no less than five minutes later the attack took place.

“I was behind the counter when the next thing I knew a man with his hood up burst in through the door.

“He launched himself at me and that was when I realised he was holding a long, sharp knife.

“I was cowering in the corner behind the till as he stood over me, demanding I give him money.”

Mr Rehman told the thief he could not access the till and managed to press the panic button.

Mr Rehman said: “The alarm started going off in the shop and he ran back out through the door, back in the direction he had come from.

“In less than 10 minutes the police were here.”

Mr Rehman, who has worked at the Stacksteads shop for more than two years, said he has never experienced anything like it before.

He said: “It was just all so unexpected.

“More than anything it was just a huge shock.”

Detectives launched an appeal on Saturday evening and, by Sunday morning, announced that they had made an arrest.

A 27-year-old man, from Bacup, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery.

Police are continuing to appeal for information following the incident.

A spokesman said: “At around 7am on Saturday, August 17, a man entered Stacksteads Post Office in Newchurch Road threatening staff with a knife.

“He made off from the scene empty-handed.

“Following a public appeal for information, a 27-year-old man from Bacup has been arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery and is in custody.

“Anyone with information about the incident can call police on 101 quoting log 0310 of August 17.”

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