A man in his 70s was attacked in an armed robbery at a shop this morning, Monday.

Police were called to a store on Scot Lane in Aspull at around 5.30am after two men armed with a large knife forced their way inside and threatened two workers.

A 73-year-old man was attacked by one of the culprits and suffered head injuries. He was taken to hospital and is now recovering at home.

The offenders stole cigarettes and left the scene by car in the direction of Manchester Road.

One of the men is described as white, in his late 20s to early 30s, of a skinny build and was wearing a black hooded top with yellow edging.

The second man is described as white, of skinny build, wearing grey jeans and a scarf around his head.

Detective Constable Paul Sumner, from GMP’s Wigan borough, said: “It is completely unacceptable that hard-working people should face this kind of ordeal when they are at work earning an honest living.

“There will be an increased police presence in the area today as the investigation continues to establish exactly what happened and find the men responsible.

“I am appealing to anyone with information, or anyone who saw anything suspicious, to please get in touch with police as a matter of urgency.”

If you have any information contact police on 0161 856 2984 quoting incident number 278 of October 22, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.