WATCH: Armed robber holds up shop at gun point during terrifying raid

He was among a six strong gang - another of whom was armed with a cosh - who burst into the Ocker Hill Store in Ocker Hill Road, Tipton, and started grabbing armfulls of beer and pop cans from fridges.

Alarming CCTV footage shows the gunman pointing the weapon at the head of the man behind the counter.

The raider also snatched the mobile phone of the member of staff from the counter. It had been a Christmas present from his daughter.

Moments later the man, who does not want to be identified, courageously grabbed a machete from beneath the counter and put the raiders to flight before they could grab anything from the till.

Police say the other men who entered the shop were armed with metal rods.

Miss Manjit Randhawa, aged 29, whose family have run the shop for eight years, said: "He was very brave but he was a bit shaken by the incident and we have given him some time off to get over it.

"Gangs of young men are becoming a real problem around here. They have come into the store mob handed and stolen drinks three or four times in the past two months. Now they are coming in armed with an imitation gun. Where is it going to end?"

The shop's shutters have been damaged and a charity clothes collection bin outside the store was set alight over the same period.

Miss Randhawa vowed: "We are not going to let them get away with this. We are on their case and are not going to let it go. All the shopkeepers around here are fed up with them running amok."

She appealed to anybody who has information which might lead to the arrest of those involved to contact the police citing crime number 20SW/3098W/18.

The raid happened at 7.40pm on Thursday.

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: "A group of up to six masked robbers who were armed with metal rods entered the store and one of them threatened the shopkeeper with a gun.

"They fled with items from the store and the shopkeeper was unhurt."

Anyone with information can call police on 101.