A TEENAGER wielding a terrifying seven-inch curved knife has held up a lone shop assistant in a New Forest off-licence and escaped with several hundred pounds from the till.

The youth, aged about 16 and only 5ft 5in tall, rode off on a pushbike after threatening 31-year-old Jannise House with the machete-style blade.

The nightmare incident happened at 8.20pm on Tuesday at The Wine Box, Faircross Close, Holbury, and Hythe CID are appealing for urgent help from the public to track the raider down.

Miss House from Fawley, who was working her regular late shift at The Wine Box, is today suffering from shock but counting herself lucky to have escaped unhurt.

"He looked so young and skinny. I was all prepared to ask him for ID if he wanted to buy cigarettes or alcohol," said Miss House.

"Instead he put a carrier bag on the counter, took a huge curved knife out of a pouch hanging from his trousers, and said 'put all the money in there.'

"I wasn't going to tackle someone with a machete-type knife, so I started putting cash into the bag. Then he said 'that's enough' and ran out. I thought how bizarre it was that he hopped onto a push-bike to make his getaway.

"It will be hard to do the evening shift on my own again," she said.

Hythe CID officer DC Paul Williams paid tribute to Miss House's courage: "It was a horrible experience for anyone to go through. We want to find this youth. Anyone who goes about armed with a knife like that causes us great concern, to say the least."

The offender is described as white and slightly built with a large nose and dark eyebrows. His hair was concealed by a dark green beanie and he wore a green padded shirt over a round-necked black jumper, and dark jeans.

The knife is described as a martial arts blade, or a Gurkha kukri and it was carried in a new-looking black leather pouch with raised stitching.

Information to Hythe CID on 0845 045 4545.