Armed robbers pistol-whipped a shop assistant in the face when he refused to hand over cash in a "shocking" raid in Baildon.

The man, who is in his late 30s, was taken to hospital for stitches to a deep gash in his cheek after the robbery at the Co-op shop in The Staithes, off Baildon Road.

He was in the shop with another assistant when three masked raiders walked in minutes before closing time at about 11.55pm last night.

The men demanded he open the safe but when he told them he did not have the keys, one hit him in the face with what is believed to be a handgun.

The thieves then ran off towards Baildon village with a haul of cash from the till and a large quantity of electricity tokens, a police spokesman said.

Detective Inspector John Mountain, of Keighley CID, said: "This was clearly a shocking and disturbing incident for the two members of staff at the Co-op. Thankfully no-one was seriously injured."

He said officers had carried out door-to-door inquiries in a bid to catch the robbers and a forensic team had carried out an examination of the scene. Officers are also looking at images of the robbers captured on the store's CCTV system.

The injured man, who is believed to be married with children, was too "shaken" to speak today, a spokesman for Co-op said.

However Kate Haley, who runs the Post Office in Station Road directly opposite the shop, said she had spoken to shop staff following the robbery.

Mrs Haley, who lives above the post office with her husband, said: "I saw the lad that works there and he told me there had been a robbery just as they were closing.

"They demanded money from the safe and he said they didn't have the keys. They demanded money again and one of them hit him with a gun and took the money from the till."

Her husband, who did not want to be named, yesterday said he believed the injured man is married with children.

He said "I think the Co-op will have given him the day off because of what he has been through. He's had to have stitches for a cut to his cheek."

Police were today continuing their hunt for the suspects, who are described as white men. Two were wearing dark clothing from head to foot including either balaclavas or scarves to cover their faces.

The third man was wearing a distinctive hooded top with a design of light grey and dark grey horizontal stripes across the top and the sleeves. He was also wearing a pair of light brown gloves.

DI Mountain said: "I would appeal to anyone in the area at the time that saw anything out of the ordinary - people acting suspiciously or an unknown vehicle parked nearby - to contact the police as a matter of urgency. I would also ask anyone offered cheap electrical tokens to contact the police."

A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said: "Both staff members have been left shaken by the incident. CCTV footage of the robbery has been handed to police and as with any incident such as this and security measures at the store are being reviewed."

Anyone with any information should contact either Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or Keighley CID on (01535) 617085.