POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a roadside robbery in which a delivery driver was held up at knifepoint and forced to hand over the day's takings.

At midday on Sunday, May 27, as the driver completed his morning drop-offs in the Easington Lane area for a local dairy, he was heading back to the depot in Wheatley Hill along the B1280, South Hetton to Haswell road.

Suddenly a red car swerved in front of his truck and forced him to an abrupt stop.

The delivery driver got out of his white Ford Iveco to remonstrate with the two people in the car. As he did so, the passenger in the other vehicle, a man about 30, with short, bleached blonde hair also got out.

He produced a knife with a 6in blade which he used to make threats and force the 27-year-old delivery man back into his truck.

He was made to hand over about £2,000 and the knifeman, described as 5ft 7in, stocky and clean-shaven, climbed back into the red car which drove off towards Haswell.

The shaken victim, who is from Brandon, reported the robbery to police from the roadside.

The incident happened half-a-mile outside Haswell and anyone using that road on the Sunday, who may have seen the vehicles, or a man matching the description of the robber, is asked to contact Detective ConstableBarry Johnson at Peterlee CID on 0845-6060365.