A RUNCORN woman has been attacked and threatened by an armed robber this afternoon.

The 52-year-old woman was walking along Shepherds Row in Castlefields, through an alley between terraced houses, when a man walked past her heading towards the canal.

He then turned around and took hold of her from behind and threatened her that he had a knife, saying he only wanted money.

The victim, who could feel something sharp at her back, fought off her attacker who then fled towards the canal.

The man is described as white, approximately 5ft 10ins in height, in his 20s with short brown hair. He was wearing a dark coloured top which he was removing as he ran away, a white T shirt, blue jeans and white trainers.

The victim described the man as having an accent, possibly of eastern European origin.

The incident happened at around 2pm today, Monday, May 19.

DC Marc Roberts said: "We are appealing for any information to assist in identifying this man. This incident took place in broad daylight on a Monday afternoon.

“It is highly likely that other people would have been walking the same footpath and have seen this man either walking towards Shepherds Row or running from the scene.

"This is a very opportunistic attack and the man may have looked perfectly normal just prior to the incident.

"The police helicopter assisted in the search a short time after the incident was reported and this may trigger someone′s memory of a lone man walking along the footpath.”

Anyone who can help is urged to call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 458 of 19 May 2014 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.