A MASKED robber threatened a shop worker with a chisel before snatching hundreds of pounds from the till.

The man, who wore a dark piece of fabric over his face with eye holes cut out, walked into Martins newsagents, in Whitmore Way, Basildon, at about 8.30am on Sunday.

Once inside, he ordered the member of staff to hand over wads of cash.

He stole a three-figure sum of money from the till as well as boxes of cigarettes. Police have not revealed the exact amount of cash taken.

He then made off in the direction of the Jolly Fryer pub, then up the stairs to the flats above the parade of shops.

It is understood that nobody was injured during the robbery.

About an hour earlier, a man matching the same description went into the Co-op store, in St Peters Terrace, Wickford, and walked behind the counter.

He tried to force open the till before he was confronted by a member of staff.

The man then ran off empty-handed.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Police are appealing for information following a robbery and an attempted robbery at shops in Wickford and Basildon.

“Officers are investigating whether or not the incidents are linked.

“The man has been described to police as white, slim, 5ft 9ins tall, wearing a dark coloured piece of fabric over his face with eye holes cut out, a dark blue fleece, blue jeans and dark trainers.”

David Burton-Sampson, Basildon’s deputy mayor, said: “It must have been really scary for the people working in the shop.

“Employers have an obligation to ensure that their employees are protected as much as they can be against this sort of thing.

“They should make sure that their staff are protected by alarms and certain levels of cash control so that the employees are not at great risk.

“The police also have an obligation to bring these people to justice, whether that involves increasing their presence to increase a sense of security.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Det Con Jodie Kinsley at Basildon CID on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.