A HAMMER-wielding raider made off with cash from a bookmakers.

The man fled with a four-figure sum after he threatened staff at Corbetts Bookmakers on Chester Street, Saltney – the third time since April it has been targeted by thieves.

The man, armed with a hammer, entered the premises just after 9pm on Friday and proceeded to smash a glass barrier above the counter and then demanded access to the safe.

He took the money and then fled from the shop.

The member of staff on duty at the time, a 23-year-old local man, was uninjured.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: “The suspect is described as a white man in his late twenties, about 6ft tall and of slim build with pale skin and light blue eyes. He spoke with a local Wirral or Ellesmere Port accent and was dressed in dark clothing.”

At the start of April a sum believed to be £5,000, was taken from the bookmakers by two men who took it from the safe.

On April 24 two men armed with a kitchen knife stormed the bookmakers and demanded money.

They escaped empty handed after a man working at the shop used a snooker cue to fight them off, in so doing protecting a frightened female member of staff.

A spokesman for Corbett Bookmakers said the company did not wish to comment.

Police are examining the circumstances of the incident and are appealing for anyone in the area at the time who may have seen the suspect prior to, or while committing the offence, to contact DC Doleman at Chester CID on 0845 458 0000.