A ROBBER held a shop assistant at knifepoint while demanding cash from an off-licence and general store in Skipton on Saturday.

The incident happened at 7pm when a man walked into Emanessy's on the corner of Rowland Street and demanded cash from the female assistant.

He ordered the assistant to open the till and as he grabbed the cash, she saw he was holding a knife with a four to five inch blade.

The shop assistant shouted for the owner of the shop, who came out from the back and tackled the robber as he tried to leave.

During the struggle, the robber threatened the shop owner with the knife before finally making his escape. He ran off past the Gulshan restaurant on Keighley Road and down the cobbled back street of George Street.

As he escaped, the robber pulled the fleece top he was wearing over his head and ran down the road bare-chested.

Police want to hear from anyone with information or who saw the robber running away.

He is described as 5ft 10ins to 6ft tall, gaunt and thin, wearing a baggy grey fleece top with the hood. At the time of the offence he was also wearing sunglasses.

A police spokesman said no one else was in the shop when the incident occurred and the robber could have been hanging around the area for some time.

DC Martyn Woodley said: "We would appeal for help from members of the public who might have seen this man and to help us prevent him from committing this type of offence again."