Cheshire Police are appealing for witnesses following a “terrifying” armed robbery at a Spar store near Runcorn.

The incident happened at the store on Chester Road in the borough of Preston Brook at around 3:15pm on Tuesday 5 February.

A man, armed with a knife, entered the store demanding that staff opened the till. He then stole a quantity of cash before fleeing the scene on foot, crossing the A56 on Gorseywell Lane and then on to Sandy Lane.

The offender is described as a white man with extremely pale complexion, in his mid-30’s and of medium build. His face was partially covered by a black cotton snood and he was wearing a grey hoodie, grey jogging bottoms and black trainers.

Detective constable, Adam Murdoch, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for all those involved and we are committed to doing all that we can to trace the person responsible. The investigation is currently in the very early stages and we are following a number of lines of enquiry.

“As part of the investigation I’m keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and believes they may have witnessed anything suspicious. This store is located on a busy road and I believe there may have been a number of in the area who may be able to assist our investigation.

“I’m also keen to hear from any motorists with dashcams who were driving in the area at the time of the incident. I’d ask anyone with any information, no matter how small, to get in touch with the team here at Runcorn.”

The incident followed a number of recent armed robberies across the UK, including a knife-wielding attempted robbery at a Best-one store in Camborne, Cornwall and an armed robbery at a Co-op store in the Scottish Borders.

Anyone with information can call Cheshire Police on 101, quoting IML 313704, give the details via https://cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.