Two women robbers held up cashiers at gunpoint before speeding off in a getaway car.

One pointed a gun at an assistant manageress and threatened: "Give me the money or I'll shoot you."

Her accomplice stood by the door keeping watch before the pair fled and staff heard the sound of screeching tyres.

The raid happened at 2.15am today at the Budgen Express convenience store in Boundary Road, Hove.

The pair escaped with more than £100 and police have appealed for witnesses.

Officers searched the area in the early hours but there was no trace of them.

The manageress, 31, and her male assistant, 26, were badly shaken by the ordeal but neither was hurt.

The woman with the gun is in her early 20s, slim, 5ft 6in and wore make-up, glasses, a dark-coloured baseball cap with white writing, denim jacket and jeans.

Her accomplice is about 18, the same height and with dark hair, possibly tied back. She wore a pale-blue fleece jacket and jeans.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Sergeant Emma Dymond at Brighton and Hove CID on 0845 6070 999.