POLICE are hunting two masked men who robbed a store brandishing handguns.

The raiders, who were dressed in army camouflage gear and wore balaclavas, burst into the Costcutter store in Flint Hill, near Dipton, County Durham.

The raid happened at 7pm on Friday and the pair demanded cash from the terrified female shop assistant.

As one robber guarded the shop door, another pointed a gun at the petrified worker, ordered her to open the till, then reached over and grabbed a pile of notes before fleeing in a dark car.

It is understood the owner Kanagasabai Kulenthiran was away at the time while his wife, Savithri, was upstairs.

Durham police, who are studying CCTV footage from the shop, described the man who approached the shop assistant as being a white male with a tanned complexion in his 20s, wearing a green camouflage jacket, of stocky build. He was around 5ft 6ins tall.

The other man was slightly taller and both had a Geordie accent.

Two men had been seen acting suspiciously in nearby Ewehurst Crescents just before the robbery.

Anyone with information should call Consett CID on 0345-60-60-365.