Armed robbers knocked a forecourt worker unconscious with a hammer in an attack at the Silverdale BP site in Wilford, near Nottingham, on Wednesday morning. 

The staff member was confronted by three men as he prepared to open the petrol station at around 4.45am. He was hit over the head with a hammer and knocked unconscious. The robbers made off with a large quantity of cigarettes.

The victim was taken to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre after suffering minor head injuries. He has since been discharged.

Officers have been carrying out extensive enquiries at the scene, including reviewing CCTV footage and conducting house-to-house enquiries.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have been driving or walking past the petrol station around the time of the robbery.

DC Parm Dhillon, from the Meadows CID, said: “I’m confident that early risers will have passed the service station at this time and I urge anyone with information to come forward.”