A former policeman foiled a robbery by throwing lemonade at a would-be thief.

A masked man burst into a shop in Ringmer, brandishing a knife and demanding cash, only to be confronted by manager Steve Baker, a constable in the Metropolitan Police for eight years.

Mr Baker, 49, came out of the storeroom of Unwins in Springett Avenue to be confronted by the man.

Instead of giving in to his demands to open the till, Mr Baker instinctively threw a six-pack of two-litre lemonade bottles he had been carrying at him.

When the shocked man came towards Mr Baker for a second time, the manager shouted and threatened him.

The intruder fled the shop empty-handed, with a little help from Mr Baker who kicked his rear end as he ran out of the door.

Mr Baker said: "I was never scared of him. I was just shocked and amazed by what he had done.

"The lemonade crate must have weighed about five or six kilos so it must have given him a shock when it hit him in the face."

The thief was white, about 5ft 6in and of stocky build.