Customers confronted shop raider

CUSTOMERS in a Suffolk supermarket have been praised after bravely attempting to foil a robber who stole cash and assaulted a member of staff.

A female cashier was pushed over and customers were threatened after chasing the robber during the terrifying incident in Newmarket's Tesco store.

Now police are appealing for witnesses after the man fled the store before jumping into a waiting vehicle.

Police said the man walked into the Fordham Road store and went to purchase a pint of milk. As the female cashier opened the till, the assailant pushed her out of the way and grabbed a quantity of cash from the till drawer.

Although confronted by two customers, the man threatened them and left the building through a fire exit at the rear of the premises.

He was then spotted getting into a small blue vehicle, possibly a Metro or a Fiesta, driven by a woman, which was waiting at the roundabout by the entrance of the store.

A Suffolk police spokesman confirmed no weapon was seen and no one was injured during the incident, which took place at about 1.30pm on Tuesday .

But Det-con Mark Scott said: “This must have been a terrifying ordeal for the cashier and members of the public in the store who were left extremely shaken by the incident.

“We would always recommend people don't get involved in these circumstances but the actions of these customers who tried to stop the man were extremely brave and commendable.

“We would like to appeal to anyone who was in or outside the store between 1pm and 2pm to contact us as a matter of priority.

“Even if you gave details to members of staff at the store after the incident, we would still like to hear from you to ascertain if you have any information to help us apprehend the offender.”

Anyone with information should contact Newmarket CID on 01284 774100 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.