DETECTIVES are appealing for witnesses after a Bournemouth off-licence was robbed twice in eight days.

A shop assistant at East Howe Food and Wine in East Howe Lane was threatened by a raider who fled with a large quantity of cigarettes at around 8am on Sunday, March 6.

The male member of staff was left shocked but escaped injury.

Just eight days earlier an armed robber held an assistant at knifepoint during a raid at the same store on February 27.

He ran off with about £200 and eight cans of beer.

DC Liz Westaway said the offender in the second raid may have been concealing a gun.

He is white, between 20 and 25-years-old, 5ft 2in tall, of medium build and clean shaven.

He was wearing a black baseball cap with a white and silver logo on the front, a black jacket and black jogging bottoms.

A 20-year-old man was arrested and released on bail.