A SHOP owner risked his life to fight off an axe-wielding robber before using a stranglehold to restrain him on the floor.

Sab Dhillon, who runs Shildon Post Office and Stores, ran from the back office to tackle the thug as he used the axe to threatened a shop assistant.

The robber, whose face was hidden by a scarf and hood, failed to get behind the counter to reach the till so shouted at Andrea Brighty to put the money into a bag - as a second robber guarded the door.

However, Mr Dhillon, 46, ignored the danger and pounced, grabbing the axe man from behind. The pair fell against shelves in the Redworth Road store, knocking items to the ground, during the struggle at 7.55pm on Sunday (March 15).

The 46-year-old managed to force the robber to the floor where he placed him in a stranglehold - while the accomplice fled.

Meanwhile, Mr Dhillon's wife, Sam, arrived and used her son's baseball bat to help further subdue the man until police arrived. Ms Brighty also helped restrain him.

The drama was all captured on the store's CCTV system.

Mr Dhillon said: “I was in the rear of the shop. I heard Andrea shouting. I could see the struggle.

“Adrenalin kicked in and I ran across the store and grappled with him. I just wanted to get him away from my staff. He was struggling and trying to find something to hit me with.

“I didn’t think about what might happen. Only the robber was hurt but he had an axe so we could have been hurt.

“I had him in a choke hold and he asked me to let him up as he couldn’t breathe. I think he broke his nose.

“We’ve been here for five years and nothing like this has happened before. I’m just glad that’s over as looking back it was very serious.

“It does cross your mind to leave the business as you don’t want that sort of thing.”

Mrs Dhillon said the incident had made them more cautious especially on a night.

She said: “My husband’s brave for what he did. He put his life in danger and it was scary. I can still see the robber’s face.”

Their son Gurvir, 12, also witnessed the struggle which has left him feeling frightened while Ms Brighty has not yet returned to work.

Shaun Andrew McKerry, 31, of Benbow Walk, in Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, has been charged with attempted robbery. He has been remanded in custody to appear at Durham Crown Court on Tuesday, March 31.

A second man, 34, from Bishop Auckland, was arrested in connection with the incident and has been bailed pending further enquiries.