A MASKED robber burst into a shop on Southview Rise in Alton on Tuesday and threatened the terrified owner with a knife.

According to Alton supermarket owner Suthakar Mallikanthan, his wife was serving behind the counter at around 11.40am when a man, wearing a mask and brandishing a knife, demanded money from the till. He then made off with the cash.

The police spent the day at the scene, speaking to the victims and carrying out a door-to-door search in the Greenfields Avenue area of town.

Anyone with information relating to the robbery should call Alton Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.