Iceland worker had knife held to his throat during armed robbery
Two armed thugs burst into the Cradley Heath store shortly before 6pm last Friday (Picture: Google)

An Iceland worker had a knife held to his throat during an armed robbery at a high street store in Birmingham.

Two thugs burst into the shop in Cradley Heath shortly before 6pm last Friday, January 16.

One of the robbers held the blade to his throat as they marched him into an upstairs office where they demanded he open the safe.

The other punched him when he ‘took too long’ fumbling to unlock it before they helped themselves to around £1,500 in cash held inside.

They then walked out ‘without a care in the world’ and fled in a car.

Posting in a neighbourhood Facebook group an eyewitness described how ‘the young lad they had at knifepoint didn’t know what was going on’, adding: ‘They walked out the door without a care in the world. Scum.’

An Iceland spokesman told BirminghamLive: ‘Two males entered our Cradley Heath store at 5.45pm on Friday, January 16.

‘One put a knife to the throat of a member of staff and instructed him to take them to the office, where they told him to open the safe.

‘When he took too long to do this one of the males punched him. The safe was opened and they made off with approximately £1,500 in coins.

‘No one was physically injured. The males left in a car, the registration number of which has been given to the police.

‘It is naturally distressing and depressing that this sort of criminal activity continues against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic.’

West Midlands Police said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

A spokesperson said: ‘Two suspects entered the shop armed with knives at around 5.30pm. They threatened staff members, and assaulted two of them, leaving them with minor injuries.

‘Staff were forced to open the safe and the suspects made off with cash. An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should get in touch.’

Anyone with information is asked to contact the force or Crimestoppers.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.