A SHOP assistant in Bromley Cross was left shaken and sweating when a customer pointed a gun at him — for a joke.

The shop assistant was working behind the counter of Bargain Booze Plus in Darwen Road when he was confronted by a man with a BB gun.

The customer, who had being buying a bottle of Vimto at the time, demanded the assistant open the till before declaring the "hold-up" to be a joke and starting laughing.

The customer paid for his drink and walked out, leaving the teenager in shock.

The scary moment was caught on camera by the store’s CCTV.

Another worker from the shop, who was in the store at the time of the incident, said: “I was in the back room.

"I came out and saw a man holding a gun up to my colleague and telling him to open the till.

"When he refused the man started laughing and said it was a joke.

“My colleague was laughing nervously.

"He was not sure what was happening.

“When I saw the gun, I am not sure what was going through my head.

"I was just worried about my colleague and what would happen to him.

“It only lasts a few seconds on the CCTV, but for my colleague it felt like a very long time.

"He was sweating for hours after and I spoke to him to calm him down but he was badly shaken up. We had to close the store early.

“Young people work in this shop and it is not fair on them to put up with stuff like that when they are just trying to do their job.”

The store reported the matter to the police.

Officers said they have been in contact with the customer to warn him that the actions were inappropriate, and said he has since apologised.