A TERRIFIED shop assistant was forced to hand over hundreds of pounds to an axeman who struck at North Yorkshire village store.

The robber, his face covered by a scarf, threatened the woman shortly before 4.30pm while the owners of Brompton Convenience Store, near Northallerton, were away from the premises.

He forced the staff member to open the till, before grabbing handfuls of notes.

The suspect is described as approximately 6ft tall with a slim build and dressed all in black, with his face covered.

As the man responsible for the robbery entered the shop, a woman customer left the premises. The woman working in the shop did not recognise the customer, who is not a regular user of the store.

The key witness is described as a middle aged white woman with light coloured hair.

At the time she was wearing a maroon or red jacket and was accompanied by a small child.