A WOMAN shopkeeper fought off knife-wielding raiders with a wooden pole.

Helen Semark, 53, leapt into action when two youths attacked Semarks newsagents, in Scarborough Terrace, York, which she runs with her husband, Kevin.

As one of the attackers climbed on to the counter to reach the till, she beat him back with a five foot steel-tipped wooden pole, normally used to open and close the metal shutters on the shop windows.

Helen was alone in the shop when the robbers came in and demanded cash, at 7am, on Thursday.

She said: "I had just opened the door, ready to let customers in, when two youths in their late teens came in. Their faces were covered so I could just see their eyes.

"I got up and saw one of them had what looked like a big carving knife, or bread knife.

"They said they wanted cash and asked me to open the till. I said: 'No, no way.' I turned round and grabbed the pole I use for the shutters.

"I had a bit of a struggle with one of them with the pole. He told the other one to get to the till and he climbed up on to the counter.

"I yanked the pole away from the other one and whacked him.

"I managed to get him off the counter by hitting him and chased them both out of the shop by threatening them with the pole.

"It was all over in about two or three minutes, but it was enough to scare the living daylights out of me."

The youths, both described as slim, and wearing peaked caps, dark clothing and scarves over their faces, ran off empty-handed.

It was not until Helen saw the CCTV footage that she realised both raiders had been brandishing knives.

She said: "The police asked me why I didn't just give them the money. But it takes us a lot of hours and a lot of hard work to earn that money."

Kevin, 48, said Helen had been left terrified.

"It was very upsetting, especially when I watched the CCTV video," he said. "When they left she burst into tears. She just sat down and cried and cried."

The couple have owned the shop, which they live above, for almost nine years. It is not the first time it has been targeted by robbers.

In May 2000, they were attacked twice in just one week. In the first attempted robbery Kevin had a small craft knife pressed to his throat. But he kicked out at the would-be thief, forcing him to flee empty handed in panic.

In another incident the couple were threatened with a crowbar. Two men were later jailed for the first attack.

Updated: 08:38 Saturday, January 14, 2006