This picture shows the moment shop owner Amanulla Qureshi chased off two would-be robbers who fired a gun at him.

Police have released the CCTV footage in the hope Argus readers may recognise the men who struck at Mr Qureshi's Handy Corner Mini Market in East Park, Southgate, Crawley, on Monday night.

It was filmed by a camera Mr Qureshi had installed in the shop after a series of robberies. It shows the men in the store and Mr Qureshi chasing them out with a pole.

Mr Qureshi, 58, said he saw two men outside his shop at about 8pm, smoking and using a mobile phone.

They walked into the store and one, who was wearing a balaclava, pointed a gun at Mr Qureshi and demanded he opened the till. He refused.

He said: "I suspected it was not a real gun. I know a bit about guns because my family had them in Pakistan."

When he refused to open the till, the man fired the gun.

Mr Qureshi said: "It gave me a bit of a shock, but when nothing came out I grabbed the wooden shutter pole and chased after them. But they went in different directions and I lost them."

The man in the balaclava ran along East Park into Malthouse Road while his accomplice ran behind the store, into an alleyway and over the railway footbridge into Station Way.

Police are appealing to a man who saw one of the robbers running away and who spoke to Mr Qureshi to contact them.

The man with the balaclava was about 5ft 9in tall, aged 18 to 20 and wore dark clothing. His accomplice was the same age and height, of medium build with short mousey hair and clean shaven.

He was wearing a green sweatshirt with a logo across the middle, dark trousers and white trainers.

Det Sgt Richard Harris said: "Anybody nearby would have heard a very loud bang and then seen the raiders take flight.

"We are urging anyone who saw the incident or the pursuit to contact us on 0845 6070999."