A SHOPKEEPER has told of the moment she feared she would die when a robber thrust a knife to her stomach and demanded cash.

Abeda Bangi, the owner of Livesey News, Blackburn, was working when a man burst behind the counter threatening her with a carpet knife.

The shop is the third newsagent robbery in the area this month and police have issued an artist's impression of the man they are hunting for the latest raid.

Police are linking the first two and are trying to establish if the latest raid in Livesey Branch Road was also carried out by the same man.

Mrs Bangi said she thought the robber was a customer playing a practical prank at first but realised it was no joke when she saw the sharp blade pointed towards her.

The 49-year-old, who is known as Mrs B by locals, and runs the store with her husband Yunus, said: "The customers are very friendly and often play pranks on me.

"They all call me Mrs B and some come in and say give me your money' as a joke so I didn't think anything of it.

"But he had a balaclava on covering his face and started shouting give me the money, give me the money'. It was when I saw the knife I knew it was for real.

"It was pointed towards my stomach and it looked really sharp.

"I didn't want to take any chances, I thought if I didn't do as he said he would kill me, I thought I was going to die so I opened the till and he took cash."

Mrs Bangi added: "We have been here for eight years and never had anything like this happen before.

"I'm still in shock that somebody would do a thing like this. It was terrifying but that man won't stop me from working."

The robber stole about £500 from the till before making off towards Heys Lane. Two previous knifepoint robberies were carried out at Morgans Off Licence, Livesey Branch Road on Monday, October 15 and Number One News, Gib Lane, a week earlier.

The Livesey Branch Road robber was a white man, aged 25 to 30, wearing a blue top and a blue balaclava.

He was about 5ft 5in, medium build and spoke with a local accent.

Police are urging anyone in the area who might have seen anything suspicious to call Blackburn Police on 0845 125 3545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.