A workaholic grandmother had a shotgun held to her head by armed robbers.

Justine Fabikun was alone in her Conniburrow Just Fab mini mart when the masked raiders struck on Wednesday evening.

One of them, wearing a pair of tights over his head, pointed an 18-inch double-barrel shotgun at her temple while the other, disguised

with a balaclava, snatched £800 from the till.

The men then punched Justine viciously in the head before fleeing.

Justine, aged 59, said: "When they first walked in I thought it was an early halloween prank.

"But when I realised it was real I couldn't take my eyes off the gun."

Left dazed and slumped against the counter Justine suddenly saw red.

She added: "I've worked nine hours a day, seven days a week to set up this business. They took everything I had and I didn't want to
lose it to two people who didn't want to work for it."

Determined Justine hauled herself up and ran down the road after her attackers shouting: 'robbers! robbers!' as she went.

But there was no one in the street and the men escaped down Stonecrop Place and across the park near Ramsons Avenue and Speedwell Place.

Justine said: "In the end I had to go back to look after the shop.

"It was only then that I realised I had a pounding headache from where I had been hit so hard.

"They should be out doing something with their lives rather than doing this to me."

Justine has now put a wind chime over the shop door so she can hear when people come in.

Police are urgently appealing for witnesses to the 6pm attack.

The gunman is described as 6ft tall, skinny, wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a grey hooded top.

He carried the gun in a binbag and had a black drawstring bag. The other is 5ft 7ins, slim, wearing a black top.

Det-Con Greg Hughes said: "This was a very frightening ordeal. It happened at a busy time of the evening and we're confident there must have been people who saw the offenders."

>> Anyone with information can contact police on 0845 8 505 505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.