A store manager who was threatened with a knife by a shoplifter has spoken of his ordeal.

Andrew Jenkins, manager of Budgens store in South Road, Haywards Heath, was threatened outside the store when he stopped the offender from stealing several jars of coffee.

Mr Jenkins, 34, who has managed the store for six months, believes the offender would not be afraid to resort to violence again.

And he says despite attempts to crack down on shoplifting, offenders in Mid Sussex are becoming increasingly aggressive.

In this latest incident the man pulled a flickknife partly out of his trouser pocket and said: "Do you want some of this?"

Mr Jenkins said: "Though I had been threatened here in Haywards Heath before, this is the first time anyone has pulled a weapon on me. I managed to stay calm and collected - it is my job to deal with these sort of situations.

"This time he walked away but I believe he could become very violent if he was cornered.

"He is clearly a professional shoplifter and in different circumstances - say for instance he was confronted by a shop manageress or somebody who was more intimidated by him - I don't think he would be afraid to take it further. I would fear for their safety."

The man with the knife had a distinctive bird tattoo on his neck, with the wings of the bird outstretched.

He was about 45, 5ft 11in tall and had a Scottish accent, a 1in scar on the left side of his face and a short cropped beard.

Anyone with information about the incident on Bank Holiday Monday man should contact PC Kathy Martyn at Haywards Heath Police on 0845 6070999.