A man is due to appear in court today after having been charged with a number of offences following a robbery.

A man walked into Co-op on Barnard Road, Chelmsford, shortly before 7pm on Sunday, July 13, and threatened staff with violence, forcing them to hand over a three-figure sum of cash and scratchcards.

He then walked out of the shop.

Following an area search, officers arrested Robert Downey one hour later further down the road before later charging him with one count of robbery, four counts of assaulting a police officer, one count of being in possession of an imitation firearm, one count of failing to attend a Class A drug addiction assessment and one count of being in possession of a knife in a public place.

The 32-year-old unemployed man from Wordsworth Court in Chelmsford has been detained in police custody prior to his appearance at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 15.