A lone raider left a Dartmouth pub landlady badly shaken after he forced his way into her historic inn and robbed her of thousands of pounds worth of takings.

The hooded man with a scarf pulled up over most of his face forced the landlady upstairs before ordering her to open a safe.

After she handed over the money the raider ran back down the stairs and out of the front door.

A police spokesman said: 'Police are very concerned. This is a very unusual type of crime for Dartmouth.'

The raid took place just before midnight on Saturday when the thief knocked on the front door of the historic pub.

When the landlady answered the door the man barged in, ordered her up the stairs and forced her to open the safe. The raider is described as five foot eight inches tall, of stocky build. He was wearing a grey knitted top with a hood with a dark cloth scarf pulled up. He is thought to have been wearing blue jeans. Police have refused to say how much money was stolen in the raid but it is believed to have run into thousands of pounds. Anyone with any information should dial 101, or call Crimestoppers on 0800555111 quoting crime reference number JH1360.