POLICE are hunting a knifeman who tried to rob a convenience store in the city this afternoon.

A shop employee has been praised for the way in which he scared off the would-be robber at Holgate Bridge store.

The newsagents in Holgate Road closed for a couple of hours immediately after the attempted raid at 1.50pm but is now open again.

Manager Danielle Deng said: "It's shocking. We've never had anything like this before."

She wasn't in the store when the raider came in but hurried there as soon as she heard about it from the shop employee.

"He scared him away. He was very clever," she said.

"The man (the robber) was trying to hurt people. He had a knife with him. It was quite dangerous."

The employee was in shock after the would-be robber fled and is now resting at home. 

The shop reopened after police had spoken to staff and carried out investigations there.

Staff are taking extra precautions to protect themselves and customers. 

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said earlier this afternoon: "We are investigating reports of an attempted robbery at the shop at around 1.50pm today and officers are still on the scene."