ROBBERS burst into a Benfleet takeaway armed with a machete and a samurai sword.

The two men threatened a female member of staff at KFC, in London Road, with the weapons to make her hand over more than £1000.

They then ran off with the cash tray from the till and into Hatley Gardens at about 10.30pm last night.

The robbers are described as white, in their 20s, one approximately 5ft 10ins tall and they wore dark hoodies. One man had blonde hair and blue eyes and they had local accents.

The member of staff, a 19-year-old woman from Benfleet, was uninjured but is still recovering from the shock of her ordeal. There were no customers in the shop at the time.

Detectives at Benfleet want to hear from anyone who was in the area and may have seen two men acting suspiciously prior to the robbery or may have seen the two men running up Hatley Gardens after the incident and can provide police with information.

Anyone with information in connection with this robbery is urged to contact detectives on 0300 333 4444, or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.