A LYDNEY man has been arrested after a convenience store was targeted for the second time in two weeks, less than a month after new owners took it over.

Police were called to the shop just after 7pm on Monday night to a report that a man in a Hallowe’en mask had stolen the till.

Zacharia and Al­phonsa Kurian, who moved to the Forest from Sussex in November, weren’t present at the time of the incident as their assistant Leigh was working in the shop.

Zacharia said: “At 6.55pm a man came in wearing a Hallowe’en mask and threatened Leigh with a knife. She tried to prevent him grabbing the till but he took it and ran out of the shop.

“The man was confronted by a local woman called Tash, who was passing by outside the shop. She grabbed him and shouted for help. He dropped the till and threatened her with a knife before running off. I’d just left the shop and had removed the cash, so there was only between £40 and £60 in the till. Tash even stood on some of the notes to prevent the man from stealing them. He had a bike with him, and we think he planned to carry the till with him on that.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Tash and to everyone locally who has been so supportive and has offered their help. Even previous owners of Orchard Stores, Malcolm and Pauline Cooper, have come to help and we really appreciate it.

“We lived near Gatwick before and moved here for a quiet life but it hasn’t been very peaceful so far. A week after we moved in someone broke a window. They didn’t gain entry or take anything that time, although there were two other burglaries in Lydney that evening.”

A police spokesperson said; “A 21-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with this robbery. Officers will also be talking to him about a number of other offences, including the previously broken window at Orchard Stores, and burglaries at the library and a veterinary surgery in Lydney.”