POLICE are investigating an attempted robbery in which a man armed with a large knife demanded cash from staff at a Colchester shop.

The suspect walked into the East Of England Co-op Foodstore in Fivefields Court at 8.10pm on Saturday and demanded money from a cashier.

He was holding what was described as a machete.

The victim pressed a panic alarm and staff activated the security shutters.

The suspect left empty handed but damaged the till.

He ran off into Hawthorn Avenue and past a nearby library. Police carried out an extensive search of the area but there was no trace of him.

The suspect is described as white, aged 30 to 40, 5ft 6ins tall and of medium to heavy build. He wore a scarf over his face, a black puffa jacket, black woollen hat and black trousers. One of the witnesses described his facial skin as red and bumpy.

No one was injured during the incident and there were a number of people in the store at the time.

Detectives have released an image of a man they want to identify. Although it is not the clearest image, they hope someone may recognise him. He was wearing socks over his hands.

Witnesses or anyone with information should contact Dc Lucy Percival at Colchester CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.