ROBBERS who tried to rip a till from a Canvey takeaway were thwarted by a brave assistant.

The pair of robbers attempted to grab the till from Subway, Furtherwick Road, Canvey at about 6.30pm on Sunday.

CCTV footage of the incident reveals a man leaning over the counter of the shop and taking the till drawer.

A worker then challenged the man and managed to take the till drawer back.

The man then returns and attempts to steal it once again but the worker gets there in time and moves it.

A worker from the store who asked to remain anonymous said: “We have had other issues in the past and have had this happen before.

“It happened around Christmas time but they didn’t get away with anything.

“It does make us feel a bit nervous about working here.

“We are glad the shop worker stepped in but at the same time it is dangerous that he did so as he could have got hurt.

“Sometimes we only have girls working and I am concerned about something like this happening at times like that.

“It makes me angry that this is happening to us.

“It is also affecting our business as if there is lots of crime our insurance may increase.”

Canvey councillors have hit out at people targeting businesses like this and raised serious concerns.

Barry Campagna, Canvey town mayor, said: “I think it’s just out of order that people are doing this.

“It is often young people working in places like Subway and they aren’t going to put themselves at risk when something like this happens.

“It is just getting ridiculous on Canvey now, I have lived here for 55 years and things just seem to be getting worse.

“We cannot accept incidents like this as being normal.

“We need to have action.

“We must have better CCTV and quicker responses and we need more police on our streets.

“I think often these incidents are related to drugs and people do it because they need to fund their habit.

“I think there must have been people around at the time of this incident.

“I also think it will make some people feel concerned about going out, especially older people.”

The video online has provoked a strong reaction from residents in the community.

Police officers are now appealing for information from the public.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We received reports of an attempted robbery.

“A man entered the business and attempted to take the till while his accomplice stood by the entrance. A member of public then challenged them and they left before returning a second time.

“They were unsuccessful in their attempts to take the till again and left empty handed.

“Anyone with information call 101 quoting crime reference 42/6992/19.