An Iden shopkeeper foiled an attempted robbery after fighting off his attackers.
Two youths attempted to rob Iden Stores. One was armed with a metal object.
But they fled empty handed when owner Ian Knox fought back.
Ian said: "One of them came around the side of the counter and said empty your till and give me all your mon
ey.
"I told him that he had to be joking.
"He took a swing at me with the metal object and I deflected it and took a punch at him.
"When he saw I wasn't going to give in they both ran off.
"They were both very young."
Mr Knox praised police for their quick response.
He said: "We were astounded at how quickly the police arrived, from Battle, areas in Kent, and from Rye.
"The police involved acted proactively, checking various vehicles and pedestrians on the journey to the stores in order to maximise the likelihood of gaining evidence which could be used later.
At the store they were professional and supportive in the way they handled the situation for us.
"We hear a lot about the tardiness of response to calls for assistance, but in this case we have nothing but praise for all the policemen and control centres for their support."
Police have made arrests in connection with the incident and Mr Knox is due to attend an identity parade in Brighton today.
The full article contains 240 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
