BRITISH Transport Police are appealing for information after a ticket officer was sprayed with petrol and robbed in a savage attack at St Annes railway station on June 14.

At about 8.25am the robbers went into the ticket office on St Andrews Road North and squirted the railway worker with petrol from a washing-up liquid type bottle and threatened to set him alight if he did not hand over the takings. The clerk then handed over £1300 in cash to them.

He was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital but later released with no injuries. It may be possible some of the money was tainted with petrol and Transport Police at Preston are asking anyone who receives notes smelling of petrol or who has any information at all to contact them on (0800) 405040 straight away or Crimestoppers on (0800) 555111. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.