A THUG wearing a balaclava and armed with a knife raided a bookies on Sunday night.

The man entered the Coral Bookmakers in Burns Crescent, Irvine, where he threatened a staff member with a knife, before demanding money. The raid happened at 6.15pm.

He made off from the premises with a sum of money, heading in the direction of the Braehead area.

He is described as being of medium build and wearing a black jacket with the hood up, a black balaclava covering his face with a skip hat, and carrying a brown backpack.

Detective Constable George Robertson, from Saltcoats CID, said: “This was an extremely frightening experience for the member of staff and it is vital that we trace the individual responsible.

“The area was busy with pedestrians around the time of the incident and I would appeal to anyone who noticed a man matching the above description, or anything at all suspicious, to get in touch.

“I would also urge motorists and taxi drivers with dashcams who were in the vicinity yesterday evening to check their footage in case they have captured anything which could be of significance.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Saltcoats CID via 101, quoting incident number 3294 of Sunday 9 December 2018. Alternatively you can call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 where details can be given in confidence.”