A BRAVE cashier has been praised by police after stopping a knife-wielding thug at a petrol station in Dunbar.

The Rigg Service Station, on the town’s Belhaven Road, was targeted last night (Sunday) at about 7.40pm.

A man entered the premises and demanded money from the cashier while brandishing a knife.

However, she refused and activated an alarm, which caused the man to run away.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Gilmore, of Dalkeith CID, said: "This was a brazen attempt to rob a local business and I want to commend the cashier for her bravery during this incident.

"Anyone who may have seen the suspect in the area, or have any information about his identity, is urged to contact us as soon as possible."

The suspect is described as white, aged 20 to 30 years, about 5ft 10ins, of stocky build on top and with slimmer legs.

He was wearing a blue balaclava/hat with holes cut out for the eyes and mouth, which had two white horizontal stripes or a white pattern close to the eyes.

The suspect was also wearing a dark grey hooded top with a dark-coloured rectangular patch across the chest with green/yellow writing, black gloves, black trousers and black trainers.

Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3533 of October 7, or report this anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.