A GARAGE attendant was hit on the head with a baseball bat when a Darlington petrol station was targeted by robbers at the weekend.

Two men threatened the worker and stole £200 cash from the Philip Wilkes garage, on the corner of Coniscliffe Road and Carmel Road North, at about 8.50pm on Saturday.

Police are viewing closed-circuit videotape footage in an attempt to identify the culprits.

Inspector Bill Bentham, of Darlington police, said: "The suspects entered as customers, picked up goods and took them to the counter, engaged in a conversation with the shop assistant, but once the till was opened one of them reached over and took the money while the other swung the bat and hit the assistant on the head. We don't know how the shop assistant is, but there is no record of an ambulance being called. This was a particularly brutal incident, particularly for the sake of £200. We have no doubt that we will catch the people."

Anyone with information is asked to telephone (01325) 467681.