THIS is the terrifying moment a gun-wielding teenage robber threatened a woman working at a Chinese takeaway.

Mark Houlgrave, 19, of Princes Street, Blackburn, was brandishing an imitation handgun when he held up the takeaway in Hereford Road, Whitebirk.

He is now starting a four-year prison sentence after admitting robbery.

Police said the 51-year-old shop assistant was left terr-ified by the ‘very serious’ incident.

The takeaway, called Xing Fu at the time, has since been renamed Lau Chinese.

Houlgrave fled with a small amount of cash but was traced after he was linked to the scene by a footprint he left nearby.

Detective Inspector Mark Winstanley said: “Houlgrave committed this offence on his own doorstep with no regard whatsoever for his victim who was extremely traumatised by the incident.

“This case demonstrates the effect that carrying imitation firearms can have on both victims and offenders.

“This is a significant sentence which reflects the serious nature of the offence.

"We are committed to making the communities in Blackburn a safer place for people to live and work and people should be reassured that we will do everything possible to ensure that people who commit offences such as this are brought to justice.”

He said that Houlgrave brandished the weapon at the shopkeeper and demanded money at 6.40pm on Sunday, August 9.

At Preston Crown Court yesterday he pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.

He was sentenced to four years for each offence to run concurrently.