A MASKED robber who brandished a knife at a teenage shop assistant is probably a local man, police say.

The man, wearing a Balaclava, was caught on CCTV at Hoole Lane Post Office and Stores, Cedar Grove, as he forced the woman, 18, to hand over £100 from the till, then emptied a shelf of cigarettes before running off.

The worker was so frightened by the ordeal at 6.45am last Thursday that she is afraid to leave her home.

Another female shop assistant, 26, hid behind shelves at the back of the shop.

Police believe the robber was local because he seemed to know the layout of the shop well and escaped quickly on foot.

Shop owner Clive Rawcliffe said the robbery is the latest in a long line of blows to the small business.

'It's just one thing after another. The cost of the lost stock and business isn't huge, but we can't afford to lose any money at the moment.

'On the other hand, I would have given him the money if it stopped my staff member from suffering this trauma. It has destroyed her expectations of life - she is frightened to go out or meet anybody and won't go near the shop.

'She is such a lovely lass and I really had hoped we were going to keep her here a long time. At the moment she is saying she will never come back.'

The robber was first captured on CCTV looking into the shop as he walked along the street. He then returned wearing a Balaclava and holding a knife and carrier bag.

Mr Rawcliffe said: 'The shop isn't an obvious layout but he came straight through the door and behind the counter, so he either knew the shop well or had cased it out before.

'When he walked past the camera he put his hoodie against his face and turned his head, as though he knew where it was.

'He waved the knife at the girl - looking at the CCTV footage I have never seen so much terror in anyone's face in my life. She was absolutely dumbstruck with fear, she screamed and he just carried on coming towards her with the knife.' The robber ran off along Alder Grove and disappeared. A taxi driver alerted other drivers in the area by radio to look out for him.

He is described as 5ft 10ins, of stocky build, wearing dark clothing including black track-suit bottoms and a padded dark jacket over a grey hooded top.

He wore a black woolly balaclava and black gloves. DC Sara Morris of Chester Specialist Investigation Unit said: 'There are paper boys and people who use that post office at the same time every day, this man is likely to be local and we want to know if anyone saw him on Thursday last week.'

* Anyone with information should call DC Sara Morris on 01244 613174 or Crimestoppers 0800 555111.