One of the cashiers put the money into a carrier bag the man had given to him and the robber then ran off in the direction of Shawbirch with the cash.

A teenage customer was in the Whitchurch Drive service station at the time.

The shop was cordoned off last night while a full forensic examination was carried out and police officers were today carrying out further inquiries and studying CCTV footage. The shop was open today.

Acting Detective Sergeant Antony Cleobury said the man was wearing a dark coloured hooded top with the hood pulled up over his head, dark coloured trousers and light coloured trainers.

He said: “The man walked into the shop and produced what is believed to be a handgun and a knife with a black handle.

“One of the cashiers put some money into a carrier bag and the offender fled.

“The two cashiers and another man, who was in the shop at the time, were not harmed but were left extremely shocked by what happened.

“We would appeal to anyone who may have been walking in the area or driving past and may have seen the offender running away to come forward.

“This kind of crime is extremely rare in Telford and we would like to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to catch the offender.

“However, we would urge anyone with any information about the incident – no matter how insignificant they think it might be – to contact us.” Anyone with any information is asked to call Telford Police on 08457 444888 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

By Deborah Collins

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