A 61-year-old Bellingham man has described the terrifying moment a knife was held to his throat as he was mugged at a cashpoint.

Salvatore Frontera had finished work late on Saturday, March 10 and stopped off at a cashpoint in Randlesdown Road to withdraw £10 for a takeaway.

Speaking to News Shopper, he said: “I needed some more money for a takeaway, I was just going to get some Chinese. I went to the Bellingham post office.

“As I was standing there somebody grabbed me from behind and put a knife to my throat, and demanding I tell him my card number.

“When the money came out of the slot he pushed me to the ground and he stole my £10 takeaway money.

“I got off the ground, and I quickly ran to the car, locked the doors and called the police.”

A few days later, the 61-year-old said now that he has had a while to process what happened, he wonders what would have happened if the ATM had not released the money at that exact moment.

He said: “A few days later it was a bit of a strange experience, I have never had a knife at my throat.

“If that dispenser did not open when it did, what would have happened?”

A spokesperson from Met Police confirmed they were called at 10.50pm to a potential knife robbery on Randlesdown Road and that no arrests have been made.