THE owner of a York shop was left feeling "frightened" when she saw a burglar steal a till drawer and a donations box from the business after smashing a front window.

Pandora's Box, on Colliergate, which sells antiques and oddities, was burgled at about 5am on Wednesday.

Heather Bowser, who has run the shop with her husband Greg since October 2015, witnessed the incident. She said a till drawer and a donations box for the new museum at the shop were stolen and both contained cash.

The couple live above the shop and on Wednesday morning Heather had taken their dog outside in the alley next to the premises when she heard banging noises.

She explained: "I shouted for my husband to come down. I saw a man reaching through the window at the front of the shop. He took the till drawer and a museum donation box.

"My husband came down and as soon as his feet hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs that is when he ran. My husband ran out after him. The man got away."

She believes about £30 in change was in the till drawer and the donation box contained about £40.

"I was really shocked, I was very frightened," Heather said.

"When I first heard the banging I was scared. When I saw him I had no time to do anything. There was nothing I could do at all.

"We've never had anything like this happen before."

Heather believes there was just one man involved, who she described as white, about 5'5" tall, in his 30s, small build, with an unclean look and wearing dark clothing and a black wool hat.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "A window had been smashed and a till drawer taken. Officers attended immediately, and located some discarded items, including a bag and a bike, nearby. "

The force added the investigation is continuing, and forensic inquiries took place at the premises on Wednesday.

Anyone with any information is asked to phone North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12180130247.