A terrified shop worker has been injured after attempting to fend off knife-wielding robbers who stormed into a newsagents demanding money.

The three balaclava-clad thugs targeted the Premier Express store in Queen's Road, Broadstairs, trashing the shop and emptying the till.

They pulled items off the shelves, then pushed the worker towards the till area, putting the takings into a bag, then swiping a bottle of alcohol and cigarettes.

Shop owner Ravi Laurant, who was not there at the time, said his colleague suffered a small injury to his hand while trying to fend off the robbers.

"There were three of them; one about 25 and the others a bit younger," he said.

"They were wearing balaclavas and had a big knife.

"They came in and shut the door and started pushing everything on the floor and intimidating him.

"They were looking for money and then emptied what was in the till into a bag. It was terrifying for the staff member."

Mr Laurant says the robbers were in the shop for about three minutes before running off.

"This hasn't ever happened before," he said.

"There had been two members of staff in the shop shortly before - a man and a woman - but the woman left at 7pm.

"I wonder if the robbers had been watching the shop."

A police spokesman confirmed that money, a quantity of cigarettes and alcohol were stolen from the business at about 7.40pm on Tuesday after staff were threatened with a knife.

"The three suspects are described as men or teenage boys dressed in grey tracksuit bottoms and dark coats," he said.

"They all wore face coverings."

Anyone with information regarding the robbery should call police on 01843 222289 quoting 46/38629/21.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or complete the online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.

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