‘Machete threat’ to city shop worker

A shop assistant from Bath has described the shocking moment they claim to have been robbed by a man who pointed a “machete” at their face. The worker, who has asked to remain anonymous, said they were “struggling to get out of bed” after the incident which took place just after 9pm on Saturday, February 23. The suspect was said to have been wearing a hoodie and had a scarf wrapped around their face. The suspect allegedly forced the assistant to take him to the safe, where he proceeded to steal around £2,000 in cash. Police rushed to the scene at One Stop, at The Hollow in Twerton, after another person on shift triggered a staff alarm. The alarm couldn’t be heard by the attacker but notified authorities that urgent help was required. Avon and Somerset police have confirmed it is currently investigating the incident. The shop assistant said they had been left shaken and were yet to return to work. “A man came in at the end of my shift. He took out a knife the size of a machete and pointed it in my face. He said ‘take me to the safe,’ and I led him to the back office while he held the knife behind me “He took loads of money out of the safe and told a customer in there to ‘shut their mouth. My colleague could see on CCTV that we were being robbed, so they pressed the staff alarm. The police came straight away. “At first, I had no idea that they were serious when they walked in. I remember laughing when he first came in, but then he moved closer and said ‘I’m not ****** around.’” The shop assistant said they believed the suspect had blue eyes, and was around 5’11 tall, with a slim build. He added that they had an accent that sounded like it was from Newcastle or Sunderland. A spokeswoman from Avon and Somerset Police said: “We can confirm we were called to reports of robbery at the One Stop Shop at around 9.40pm on Saturday February 23. “An investigation is under way.”