A thief threatened a shop assistant with a knife during a robbery at a newsagent in East Ayrshire.

The incident happened at Knockinlaw Stores on Knockinlaw Road in Kilmarnock at 5.45pm on Saturday.

The 51-year-old woman was not injured but the thief escaped with more than £100 in cash.

Police Scotland detective inspector William McDicken said: "Luckily the woman working in the shop at the time was uninjured, however she is extremely shaken by this robbery.

"Enquiries are ongoing in the local area to gather more information on the man responsible and officers have also been gathering CCTV footage to identify him.

"At this time, I would urge anyone who witnessed the robbery or who saw a man matching his description in the area around the time of the robbery to contact police.

"Anyone with information that may assist police enquiries should contact Kilmarnock Police Office through 101.

"Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained."

The thief was described as being of medium build and was wearing a dark hat and scarf wrapped around his face. He was also wearing a blue hooded jacket and dark jogging bottoms.