A terrified woman cashier at a Worthing garage was held up at gunpoint last night.

Today the 25-year-old victim was being offered counselling as detectives studied video film from the Texaco Star petrol station in Heene Road.

The gunman escaped with a small amount of cash in what was the latest in a series of petrol station raids in the Worthing area.

A police spokesman said: "They are not being linked at this stage and we are keeping an open mind."

Last night's robbery took place just after 9pm when the man walked into the garage brandishing a handgun and ran off with a small amount of cash.

A spokesman for the petrol station said: "The same cashier was robbed three years ago and got over that but she is pretty shaken up again and we are arranging some counselling for her.

"We are also looking at some new security precautions but this type of thing is very hard to stop."

Police used tracker dogs to search the Heene Road and seafront area after the robbery.

The spokesman said: "At this stage the only description we have is that he is a young man probably in his early 20s."