Masked robber armed with shotgun targets shop

Police are hunting a robber who targeted a shop armed with a shotgun.

The masked raider threatened a shop assistant with the weapon before stealing cash and tobacco products from the Co-op in Yeovil, Somerset, on Thursday night.

They then ran from the store on to Mudford Road and got into a dark-coloured vehicle, which drove off in the direction of the village of Mudford.

Detective Inspector Glen Boxer, who is leading the investigation, said police are following up several lines of inquiry.

“I’d like to reassure the community that crimes involving firearms in Avon and Somerset are extremely rare and we’re doing everything we can to trace this offender,” he said.

“Thankfully no-one was hurt in the incident but it was clearly a very frightening experience for the shop assistant.

“We have a number of lines of inquiry which we are pursuing but we’re still keen to hear from anyone who was in the area who saw the incident or anything else suspicious around the time.

“I appreciate the offender’s balaclava makes it difficult to identify them, but do you recognise the coat?

“Or do you know someone with access to a shotgun who has been acting differently during the past few days?

“Did you drive through the area and have your dashcam on? If so, we’d like to see the footage.

“If you have information, no matter how insignificant you might think it might be, please contact us and let us assess it. It could be crucial to identifying the offender and bringing them to justice.”