Tags:

shop worker bravely fought off middle-of-the-night robbers despite being attacked with a knife.

At about 1.20am on Saturday 14 September 2013, two masked men went into the Mercury Service Station on Manchester Road, Westhoughton.

They were immediately confronted by the member of staff, who took off one of his shoes and grabbed a glass jar in an attempt to fight the pair off.

One of the offenders was openly carrying a knife and threatened the man with it, prodding at the victims arm each time he tried to fight them off.

After a few seconds the offenders backed off and ran away empty handed.

The victim suffered two puncture wounds to his arm and later needed 12 stitches.

Both of the offenders were black men. The man with the knife was about 6ft tall, of medium build and in his early to mid 20s. His accomplice was about 5ft 9in tall and of medium build.

Detectives are appealing to trace a woman who walked into the store seconds before the incident and is likely to have witnessed the whole encounter.

Detective Constable Malcolm Cheetham said: "This mans heroic actions meant that these thieves were able to get away empty handed, but for his trouble he was wounded.

We will do all we can to find the men responsible.

We are appealing for witnesses but in particular we need to hear from the woman who walked in only moments before but didn't stick around to give the police her account probably because she was so shaken up.

We need to find out everything that she may have heard or seen, including before the robbery. We urge her to get in touch as soon as possible."