A NEWPORT convenience stood firm to see off a robber brandishing an axe this morning - with the police launching a manhunt to find the perpetrator.

The attempted robber took place at the Lifestyle store on Pentonville in the city this morning.

At approximately 7am, a man in possession of a hatchet, entered the store and demanded money from a member of staff.

However, the cashier stood her ground, pushing the man back and refusing to hand over any money.

The man left empty handed. The member of staff was left shaken but unharmed.

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The man is described as being white, between 5'5" and 5'10" tall, in his 50s with dark/greying hair.

He was wearing a high-vis jacket with reflective stripes and dark coloured baggy trousers.

He had on grey suede trainers (possibly Adidas) with three red stripes and a white sole, and a black face mask with white lining.

He was wearing blue/navy socks with horizontal stripes over his hands. He was also wearing a black Nike baseball cap.

Store owner Kiefer Shea-Godden said that he has had the store for six years, but nothing like this had ever happened before.

Newport Inspector, Stefan Williams said: "Local officers, armed response and the police dog section conducted an extensive area search this morning and we continue to make enquiries to locate the offender.

"We are in the area carrying out house to house and CCTV enquiries. "If you have any information relating to this incident please get in touch. "You can call 101 quoting log 58 20/01/21, or direct message us on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you."