CONVENIENCE store staff fought an armed robber off with a baseball after he entered the shop brandishing a knife last night.

A masked man entered the Hough Green Convenience Store and Off Licence on Ditchfield Road in Widnes shortly after 10pm on Monday, February 17.

He brandished a knife and demanded that staff open the till, but an employee armed himself with a baseball bat and managed to fend the attacker off.

The robber then fled empty-handed on foot, heading in the direction of the Hammer and Pincers pub.

Police say the man was around 5ft7 and was wearing a light grey balaclava, a blue and grey puffer hooded coat, black bottoms and black gloves.

Detective sergeant Henderson Pierre said: “Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of this incident and nothing was stolen from the convenience store.

“However, it was a terrifying incident for those who were in the store at the time the attempted robbery took place.

“We are determined to establish the identity of the offender and make him face the consequences of his actions.

“Enquiries are ongoing, and as part of our investigation we want to speak to anyone who was in the area and witnessed anything that may be relevant.

“We also want to hear from anyone who believes they may know who the offender is or has CCTV or dashcam footage of him.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, quoting incident number IML639939, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.