A BRAVE shopkeeper fought off masked yobs armed with a baseball bat as they tried to rob his village store.

Father-of-two Mark Dutton grappled with two of the hoodies who demanded cash from his till, despite one trying to swing a baseball bat at his head.

A third man kept guard at the door. The attempted robbery happened at 9pm on Wednesday night while Mark and an assistant were working in the shop.

Mr Dutton, 50, who runs Lydiate Village Store with his wife, Andrea, and son, Jon, said he would do the same again.

He said: “At the time, I didn’t have time to think, I think the adrenaline took over. It had been a really quiet night and the next thing I knew one of them was right in front of me demanding over and over again ‘open the f------ till’.

“He had already grabbed me and out of the corner of my eye I could see the other one swinging the bat and trying to get a shot in.

“He was holding me around the head so I was trying to get little head butts in and he was trying to do the same.

“I tried to keep close to the man so his mate couldn’t get a clear shot with his bat, and I thought to myself ‘I’m going to put up a decent fight’.

“Then they ran off.”

CALL 0151 777 3165 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.