POLICE are appealing for information after a shopworker thwarted a knifeman who tried to rob his store.

The incident happened at the Albert Road Post Office on North Road, Darlington, across the road from Morrisons, around 3.40pm on Tuesday afternoon.

A masked man pulled a knife out on entering the shop and demanded cash.

However, he wasn't banking on store employee David King who refused his demands and the would-be robber fled empty-handed.

"I was working on the shelves, minding my own business and a guy came in," he said. "Now and again customers will come in and say 'give us your money Dave' just joking.

"It took me about half-a-second to realise he had a mask on his face. I walked towards him to try and push him out of the door. He was playing with his waistband and he pulled a 9ins kitchen knife out with a silver handle.

"He was literally an inch from my face, so I backed off, as I had no other option. He walked me towards the edge of the counter and started reaching over and banging on the tills."

Mr King was in the store with his female boss at the time. She was behind the counter.

"He was saying 'is there any money in there?'. I told him there was no money and that he should get out basically," said Mr King.

"It sounds stupid, but it was quite funny. He was almost like a kid. He started jumping up and down and saying 'you f....ng this and that'. I found it quite funny to see someone who appears so intimidating go downhill so quickly. We had won. He came in, tried to assert himself and it didn't work."

Mr King said the knifeman was about 6ft 3ins tall with blue eyes. He was wearing a dark tracksuit with possibly a single white line down the arms and trousers. He believes he may have been aged 20 to 30.

"He jumped on his bike outside and I didn't see where he went," said Mr King.

"A lady at the cash machine said she had seen him shoot down the alley at the side. By the time I got there 15 or 20 seconds had past. He could have gone over the river towards Haughton or down towards Albert Hill."

Mr King said he had dealt with incidents in the past, but not like this.

"A lot of the time it's trivial things, lads unhappy that I won't serve them alcohol if they are too drunk or coming in asking for tick and having to turn them away," he said.

"I have two kids at home. You don't really know what the plan is, but at the end of the day I don't like bullies and that's what it is - they are bullying people. People work hard for what they have got and people like that try and take it and it's not right."

Mr King said his boss was left shocked by the incident.

"She was real shook up. I wasn't scared, I was more angry, but she really was scared," he said. "When he was reaching over the counter, that was one of my main concerns. He was reaching over and I thought he might catch her with the knife. He has gone away and I just hope the police find him."

Mr King said the community had rallied round on hearing of the incident.

"When the shutters were pulled down and the police were talking to me in the back everyone was saying 'Where's Dave, how's Dave?," he said. "Everyone who comes in has a bit of craic, a bit of banter. I have got customers who will stay and talk for 15 to 20 minutes.

"I am glad that they weren't there and that my boss' children weren't here."

Darlington Police today issued an appeal in relation to the incident.

They are trying to trace the offender, described as a tall man wearing a tracksuit and a white mask.

Anyone with information about the suspect, who cycled to and from the scene, should contact DC Ian Banham at Darlington CID by calling non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 253 of 29 Nov.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.