POLICE are hunting a robber who attacked a shop worker during an early morning raid.

Officers were called to Tesco Express in Herbert Avenue just before 5.30am this morning after an employee had been punched in the face.

The store was not open to the public at the time but it is believed the worker was preparing to open up at 6am.

See how it unfolded in our live coverage here

Uniformed officers sealed off the shop and car park with tape and prevented members of the public from entering the crime scene.

Scenes of crime officers carried out a detailed investigation of the scene and detectives interviewed members of staff.

Delivery lorries were turned away from the shop while the inquiries were taking place.

Christine Real, who lives opposite the scene, told the Daily Echo: “There have been quite a lot of problems at that shop.

“A security guard was injured on duty there and windows have been smashed and items stolen from the shop.

“Sometimes you get groups of kids hanging around there and they have set fire to the bins before.”

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: “At 5.29am Dorset Police responded to a report of a robbery at Tesco Express in Herbert Avenue. A member of staff was punched in the face during the incident.

“The staff member suffered minor injuries. It is not believed anything was taken during the robbery. No one has been arrested and inquiries are ongoing.”

The police cordon was removed early in the afternoon and the shop reopened.

Officers also conducted a search of the grounds of the Church of the Good Shepherd nearby as part of the investigation.