Thief fails in garage hit

A KNIFE-wielding thief carried out a botched armed robbery at a Lothian petrol station.

The incident took place at around 9.45pm on Sunday at the Shell station in Easthouses Road, Mayfield, when the man wearing a black balaclava walked into the shop with a knife. The suspect tried to take cash from the till but was unable to open it and fled empty-handed.

He is described as white, 5ft 6in to 9in tall, and slim to medium build. He was wearing a three-quarter length olive green military-style overcoat, blue tracksuit bottoms, and white trainers.

A police spokesman said: "We want anyone who was in the area of the Shell petrol station around the time of the incident, who noticed the suspect there, to contact us immediately."