A man who robbed a filling station was jailed for five years yesterday.

The male cashier at the Priory Garage, in Newport Road, Middlesbrough, told police that months later the memory of the 6ft 2in raider, who was armed with a knife, still left him feeling physically sick, Teesside Crown Court was told.

He added: "It has also made me very vulnerable at work."

The robbery was caught on security cameras and a detective recognised Hayden Mark Smith, 40, who had been wearing a hood and sunglasses, said Stephen Ashurst, prosecuting.

Smith, who escaped with £100 and cigarettes and phone cards, was arrested a few days later in the Manchester area.

There was another man with him, who kept the electronically operated door open while Smith leapt on to the counter.

Smith reacted with disappointment when the cashier showed him there was just £100 in the cash drawer, which had been emptied earlier.

Tim Roberts, defending, said that Smith moved north to escape the drugs scene, but he fell back into his addiction when his father died.

Smith of Cottingwood Court, Newcastle, who had previous convictions for drug dealing and violence, pleaded guilty to the April 27 robbery