A brave shopkeeper has told how he fought off a robber dressed in a burka by hitting him with a hammer.

Saeed Khan was threatened at knifepoint by the young white man – hidden behind the full veil – at his Gillingham store.

But the 62-year-old, who had been robbed of £200 in a raid just weeks earlier, refused to hand over any money.

Mr Khan, who has run the Byron Road convenience store for 27 years, lashed out with the hammer – leaving the would-be thief to scarper.

He said: “The whole of the man’s face was covered with a burka-style dress. I thought 'no, I am not handing the money over’.

“I thought 'he’s not having it this time’, so I picked up a hammer and hit him on the hand.

“It must have hurt as he then ran out of the shop straight away. I don’t need this sort of thing happening to me at my age.”

Mr Khan said he was “frightened for his life” when the man walked into his shop shortly after noon on Friday.

The raider threatened Mr Khan with a knife and ordered him to 'hand over all the money’.

He had been targeted by a knife-wielding robber wearing dark glasses and a black cap at about 1.25pm on Thursday, August 4. Mr Khan is convinced the same man was behind the latest attempted robbery.

Det Con Jo Paine said: "This was obviously a shocking incident for the shopkeeper and fortunately no one was hurt.

"The offender may have suffered an injury to his hand and we are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward to help with our investigation."