AN armed raider who demanded cash and threatened a 63-year-old shopkeeper with a knife fled empty handed when she told him she had an even bigger one behind her counter!

The brave woman told the stunned robber "my knife is bigger than yours and I will stick it in you".

After confronting the robber she shouted for her husband and calmly turned to dial 999.

The attempted robbery took place at 7.30pm last night at Callands Wine Shop on Railway Road, Leigh.

The shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, has been at the premises for 13 years. She said today: "For 42 years my husband has been trying to get money off me, there is no way I was going to let a little lad like that get away with it.

"I was shocked that someone would come into the shop and do that to me.

"Fortunately I knew I had my knife under the counter and that my husband was just through the door.

"We have a number of other security precautions in the shop including a large counter that I knew the robber would not be able to climb over. He would have to walk around it and I knew that by that time my husband would be in the room.

"I knew he could not hurt me. I just kept my eyes on his knife. He had a bag in one hand and a knife in the other and it was the bag he shoved in my face.

"I have three sons and usually one of them is in the shop with me. It is a shame they were not there yesterday, because I am sure that they would have chased and caught the robber."

Detectives investigating are appealing to any witnesses to contact them on 0161 872 5050 or on CrimeStoppers on the freephone number 0800 555111.

The man is described as being aged between 24 and 25, about 5ft 6in/7in, and was wearing a blue oil skin coat and blue jeans.

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