A SHOP assistant was left shaken when three hooded thieves came into his work place and snatched £300 from the till.

The man was working his Saturday shift at Richardson's Newsagents, Gresham Road, Dines Green, when the thieves, clad in grey hooded tops walked over to the till and pressed a button to open it.

They grabbed the money, then rushed out of the shop when the shop's owner, Jeremy Richardson came in and challenged them.

"When they took the money the worker froze," said Mr Richardson, a former captain of Worcester Rugby Club.

"I don't know what they looked like because they were wearing hoods."

By chance

Mr Richardson said it was by chance he saw the thieves leave the newsagents, as he was working next door in his post office at the time.

"I go round to the shop every so often to see if my workers are alright," he said. "I was making one of my trips round there at the time."

Mr Richardson, who also owns DG Post Office, said he saw the three men dressed in dark trousers standing by the till as he came into the shop.

"I shouted 'What's going on?' " he said.

"They ran through the door.

"I didn't chase them because it happened so fast.

"By the time I realised what was going on they'd gone through the door and disappeared."

Mr Richardson said he did not get a good look at the thieves but "assumes they were youngsters."

No force was used in the theft, which took place on Saturday at 9.30am.