A reward is being offered by the owners of a York shop in a bid to bring an axe-wielding gang who terrified staff and customers in a late-night raid to justice.

The hooded robbers burst into the Spar store in Lowther Street, in The Groves, punched its manager in the face and ordered tearful workers to crouch in fear while they rifled through the tills.

They also forced a customer to lie sprawled on the floor as they pocketed their haul of cash before vanishing into the night – and more than a month after the crime was committed, they have yet to be caught, despite the release of stark CCTV image showing the robbery taking place.

And as detectives send out a fresh appeal for help to track down the masked gang, Spar has today joined forces with The Press to offer a £1,000 reward to anybody who can provide vital pieces of the jigsaw which will lead to the robbers being snared and convicted.

The group of four youths targeted the store at around 9.15pm on Wednesday, December 17, yelling “Get down!” as they stormed in and shouting commands at staff to open the safe, as well as clambering over the counter to ransack the cash tills, with their raid believed to have netted them several thousands of pounds in loot.

They are then believed to have left the scene of the crime on foot before disappearing into darkened streets behind the store.

“The incident involved members of the staff at the store when four youths entered the premises and threatened staff with an axe, forcing them to open the safe and tills,” said a spokesman for Spar.

“Spar supports The Press’s appeal for witnesses to aid the current police investigation and is offering a £1,000 reward to any member of the public who can provide sufficient information leading to the conviction of these criminals.

“Spar takes the safety and wellbeing of its workforce and customers very seriously and strives to ensure that relevant precautionary measures are taken when undertaking daily tasks. We would like to confirm that the personal safety of staff and customers within convenience stores is paramount.”

The robbers all had local accents, were of average height and are believed to be white, with one wearing a black Berghaus jacket, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers, while another was dressed in a green nylon jacked with a grey hood which had been pulled up to cover his face.

The third gang member wore a green nylon jacket, with a grey hood and blue Adidas tracksuit bottoms, while the fourth was wearing blue tracksuit bottoms, a black Nike jacket with the words Nike Athletic in blue and white lettering on the back and a hood pulled up over a black balaclava.

Detective Sergeant Clive Rich, of York CID said: “Somebody out there must know who these people are and could be holding vital information which could help us find them.”

Anybody who saw the robberies or has any information about them should phone York CID on 0845 6060247 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.