Gun 'fell apart' in Dunnes hold-up

At around 8.40pm on Friday night a lone gunman, armed with what appeared to be a handgun, entered the Dunnes Stores supermarket in Ongar and threatened security staff.

The man ordered staff to empty the till and fled the scene on foot with a small amount of cash, believed to be just €1,000.

A witness described the man, who was wearing a balaclava, as being calm and said he did not raise his voice during the robbery.

It was not an entirely smooth run for the thug however.

The witness told the Herald that the thief dropped a part of the gun on the floor during the hold-up and was forced to retrieve it and piece the weapon back together.

There were several customers in the shop at the time. However, no shots were fired during the robbery and nobody was injured.

The eye-witness said the entire incident was over very quickly. "It only lasted five or ten minutes and then he was gone," they said.

"We all moved to the back of the supermarket to get out of his sight."

Gardai in Blanchardstown are investigating the robbery. So far no arrests have been made in relation the incident.

It was "high risk for a small reward" a source said last night, as most retail outlets are set up to have very little cash available.