POLICE have issued a renewed appeal for information about an armed robbery in Darlington, having so far failed to trace the man responsible.

A man with his face painted white burst into Biglin News, in West Auckland Road, at 12.30pm on Wednesday, October 29.

After threatening the 40-year-old cashier with a knife, the robber made off on foot, with an undisclosed quantity of cash The suspect is described as a white man, aged between 17 and 22, of slim build and between 5ft 10in and 6ft in height.

He had white face paint covering his whole face. He was wearing a grey hooded top with the hood pulled up and dark skinny jeans.

PC John Forster, of Darlington police, said: “We know that the suspect travelled to the store along Bates Avenue on to West Auckland Road and we are hoping that somebody out there saw him during his journey.

“This store is a small family-run business, which has proudly served local people for many years. "The member of staff who was the victim of this attack is a hard-working and decent man who was faced with no option but to hand over cash when threatened with a knife.

“I strongly believe that someone out there knows who did this and I am appealing to that person to come forward and pass that information to police. If you’d rather stay anonymous, you can contact Crimestoppers."

Police have also released a CCTV image of a potential suspect.

The Northern Echo:

PC Forster added: "Think about how you would feel if a member of your family was a victim of this crime.

“I’d also like to reassure the people of Darlington that, thankfully, knife crime is extremely rare and that the town and its surrounding areas remain very safe places to live, work and visit.

"Please help us keep it that way by assisting us with tracing the man responsible for this crime.”

Anyone with information that might help police investigating this crime is asked to contact PC Forster by calling 101, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800-555-111.