A STORE manager says he has serious safety concerns after his shop was robbed by two men at knife point - with one assistant still off work suffering from shock.

Mukesh Patel, who manages the Co-op in Elmshott Lane, Slough, said the terrifying incident on Monday was the first time the store had had a robbery in the eight years he had been there.

The robbers, who were wearing helmets, struck around 9.45pm and made off with cash from the till.

Mr Patel said: "A girl was shutting the shutters and one of them came at her with a knife, pointing it at her and demanding the keys for the tills.

"The other guy walked in and gathered the remaining staff members. Both of them had knives and told my staff not to move.

"It was a two minute job - they were in and out. It was so quick."

While one robber watched the staff, the other jumped over the kiosk at the far end of the store and prised open the till with a tool, which Mr Patel, who has seen the CCTV, believes was a screwdriver. The four staff members who were working at the time have been left shaken, he added.

Mr Patel, who was not at the store when it happened, said: "The girl who was threatened was upset and distressed. We had to close the store until 11am the next day. We lost a lot of business as well.

"Other staff are back in work but the girl has been given extra time off."

He added: "It is a huge concern for me. At night time we do not have enough police going round, such as community officers.

"We do not see them. They may drive into the car park and go out again but that is it."

Police believe a similar incident at Tesco Express in High Street, Burnham, at 10.20pm on Monday is related, after two offenders, also both wearing helmets, stole cash from an unmanned till. They made off on a motorbike in both incidents.

Detective Inspector Nicky Hurdley of Maidenhead CID said: “Detectives from Burnham and Slough are working together to identify the perpetrators and are appealing for witnesses to both incidents and sightings of the motorcycle, as well as any identification of the offenders.

“Fortunately there were no injuries caused during the incidents, but this was clearly a very frightening experience for the staff involved and we are keen to locate and arrest the individuals involved at the earliest opportunity.”

If you have any information, contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.