A RETAIL manager has praised the bravery of his staff who were caught up in a terrifying knifepoint robbery in Stonehouse.

A man wearing a motorbike helmet entered the Spar store in Park Parade at about 9.30pm last Tuesday, October 11, and demanded money from two female employees.

He held a knife up towards the staff, who opened the till for him.

Manager Luke Elliott said he was proud of how the staff – one of whom was a teenager – handled themselves.

“It was a frightening ordeal that nobody should have to be subjected to but we are incredibly proud of the way they handled themselves,” he said.

“They did exactly what they should they should have done by protecting themselves, keeping out of harm’s way and not worrying about the cash.

“They then sounded the alarm to alert us and the police. Luckily nobody was injured but needless to say they were shaken up.

“We are reviewing security systems to prevent this ever happening again.”

Hundreds of pounds was stolen from the till.

The offender made off on foot, turning left and going around the rear of the building.

He may have fled on a motorbike, say police.

One of the employees was around 17 to 18 while the other was in her 40s.

“We have been speaking to the staff on a daily basis,” said Mr Elliott.

“They are both still recovering, one has returned to work. We will continue to do everything we can to support them.”

Mr Elliott also thanked the community for their support after the incident.

The attacker is described as around 6ft tall and of slim build.

A police helicopter was used to help with the search but no-one was traced.

Staff expressed “outrage” at the ordeal but reassured the community that they were not injured.

In a message on the Spar’s Facebook page, a spokesman said: “We feel outraged that our community store would be targeted in this way and our staff subjected to this ordeal.

“For staff to come to work to earn extra money for their family and be frightened in this way is disgusting.

“We hope this was an isolated incident and we hope the police catch the offender soon.”

Anyone with information who hasn’t yet spoken to the police should call 101 quoting incident 471 of October 11.