A MASKED raider was literally laughed out of the shop when he tried to rob a newsagent.

Police said a shop assistant burst into fits of laughter as the weedy attacker burst into the One Stop shop in Gatehouse Lane, Burgess Hill.

The would-be robber, whose face was concealed by a woollen mask, demanded money but was told to go away.

He left empty-handed but damaged the shop's security camera and ceiling on his way out.

A police spokesman: "We're treating this as a criminal damage incident rather than a robbery.

"You have got to believe you're going to be robbed to make it an attempted robbery."

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