The oldest shopkeeper in Brighton and Hove has spoken of his anger at being robbed for the first time in 80 years.

Ironmonger John Oakley, 93, was attacked by a masked man, who threatened to shoot him and stole his wallet. Traders warned last night that the robbery, which took place in Montague Place, Brighton, was the latest in an escalating crimewave that has left residents afraid to go out after dark.

They fear that it will end in murder.

Mr Oakley, who opened his store in 1921, said: "Crime is terrible now. Years ago we didn't have this sort of thing going on.

"After the war, this was quite a nice place to live but that feels like a long time ago now.

"There's a lot of people on drugs craving money. It's a different society to how it was even 20 years ago."

The theft follows a robbery from a Securicor van in nearby St George's Road a month ago.

A report published by Brighton and Hove City Council's community safety forum in January revealed 2,163 violent crimes were recorded between July and September last year -a 12 per cent increase on the same period the previous year.

The picture is even worse in the most violent streets in the city, with attacks more than doubling in a year.

In West Street last year there were 143 muggings, assaults and other violence - up from 70 the year before.

Mr Oakley's attacker wore a dark green mask and tried to disorientate him by throwing a cloth over his head.

The two struggled as the robber tried to cover Mr Oakley's face with his hand.

He pushed the shopkeeper in the chest and said: "I want your money - I have a gun."

He then grabbed his wallet, containing £50, and ran off.

Mr Oakley, a draughtsman for the Navy during the Second World War, said: "His breathing was fast and he was going like a dog but I was calm, ice cold. The thing I was proud of was that I didn't lose my nerve at all. I said to myself keep calm' and I think that shocked him.

"I wouldn't give him my wallet. I wanted to kick him or hit him. But then he pinched it and ran off like a coward."

Tom Mannouch, secretary of the St James's Traders' Association, said: "People are afraid to walk down the street at night around here and that's a fact.

"It's one law for the criminal and a completely different one for law-abiding citizens."

Mr Mannouch, 49, who has been trading in St James's Street for 17 years and runs Threshers, said: "It is only a matter of time before someone gets badly hurt or murdered."

Police have taken the shirt Mr Oakley was wearing during the robbery for forensic tests and are appealing for witnesses.

Officers said the robber, who struck on Friday at about 3pm, was white and had a London or southern accent.

Mr Oakley, who has lived in Brighton all his life, said: "In the old days you'd get a beating for luck. It toughened me up, not like that coward."