A SHOP owner was threatened at gunpoint and repeatedly hit on the head with a pistol in a terrifying raid.

The 6ft 5in tall robber burst into the store with a semi-automatic handgun and demanded money.

Shop owner Bhagia Solanki, 49, bravely refused to open the till, despite staring down the barrel of the gun.

But then she was knocked to the floor and struck several times with the butt-end of the weapon, leaving her with deep cuts to her head.

Mrs Solanki's two sons, Sunil, 29 and Dhiran, 16, were in the premises at the time.

They heard the commotion and chased the man out onto the street but he managed to escape with hundred of pounds.

The raid at D&B Stores, Chorley Old Road, at 8.25pm on Wednesday has shocked the quiet village of Whittle-le-Woods, near Chorley.

Police have launched a major hunt and urged anyone who recognises the robber from the CCTV images to come forward immediately.

Mrs Solanki's son Sunil said: “He trod on my mum’s left ankle as he smashed the gun onto her head.

“This man must be caught because he must be a danger to the public.

“This is a family business and we’ve lived here for more than 20 years without any other incidents and we are all deeply shocked that someone has used a gun.”

Mrs Solanki was taken to Royal Preston Hospital and was discharged after being given stitches.

She is being looked after by her family, including husband Dhansukh.

The suspect is described as being around 6ft 5in tall and was wearing dark clothing covering his face.

Neighbour Patricia Bell, 75, told of their shock: “I’ve never heard of a gun being used in the village. I can’t even remember a robbery. It’s shocking.

“Everybody here knows and admires the family and nobody has a bad word for them.

“I hope Mrs Solanki recovers soon.”

Detective Sergeant John Entwisle from Chorley CID said: “This is a serious offence which has left a woman very distressed and with a painful head injury.

“We believe the weapon used was a semi-automatic pistol but at this stage we cannot be sure if it is a real or an imitation firearm.

“Fortunately there were no customers in the shop at the time of the robbery but I would appeal to anyone that saw anything suspicious in and around Whittle-le-Woods on Wednesday night to contact us.”

The number for Chorley CID is 01772 614444.