A 63-year-old shop assistant has been left very distressed after a man believed to be her partner collapsed in the store and later died in the aftermath of a robbery.

Police are appealing for information following the robbery which took place at a newsagent shop in Saltcoats yesterday.

The woman was working within Wylie’s Newsagents, Springdale St, Saltcoats at around 3.30pm Friday, 12 January, when a man entered the shop.

He threatened her with a knife, demanded money and then ran out of the shop with a small amount of cash leaving the assistant uninjured but very distressed.

The suspect is described as white, 5ft 8, medium build and was wearing a blue rain jacket with the hood up, blue jeans and had a black scarf covering his face.

A very short time later a 71-year-old man entered the shop after hearing about the robbery but he suddenly became unwell and collapsed.

He was taken to Crosshouse Hospital but died a short time later.

A post mortem examination will take place in due course to establish the exact cause of death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

An enquiry is underway to establish the full circumstances of both incidents.

Detective Inspector Fraser Normansell at Saltcoats CID said: “This was a very traumatic experience for the 63-year-old shop assistant who not only suffered the ordeal of the robbery itself but also witness the elderly man collapsing in the aftermath of the incident.

“It is vital that we trace the culprit and stop him from causing any further harm and distress and as such I urge anyone was in the vicinity of Springdale Street in Saltcoats around 3.40pm on Friday 12 January 2018 and may have seen the suspect hanging around the area to contact police.

"I also appeal to any drivers who were in the area to check their dash cams as they may have captured the suspect on their camera. If so, I ask that they also contact police urgently."

Anyone with information is asked to contact  the police on 101 quoting incident number 2056 of 12 January 2018.

Alternatively calls can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be maintained.