SHOCKING CCTV footage has captured the moment a gang of school-age yobs raided a petrol station before attacking a ‘have-a-go-hero’ attempting to stop them.

The video shows an attack at the Shell garage at the junction of Wigan Road and Beaumont Road shortly before 11pm on December 30.

Arriving in pairs, a group of at least nine boys can be seen walking casually into the petrol station shop before making off with around £100 worth of items, including chocolate bars and drinks, breaking display stands in the process, while another held the remote-locking door open and stood guard.

One boy is shown grabbing armfuls of so many chocolate bars that they prove too much to carry and he spills them over the floor.

However, a heroic member of the public stepped in to try and stop them.

Warehouse operative, Haji Abdullah, had been refuelling his car on the way to his Deane Road home in preparation for New Year’s Eve when the raiders struck.

The 34-year-old said: “When I was refuelling just before 11pm, I could see the lads coming on the other side of the road and I could tell there was too many of them. There was just me there at the time and no one else.

“I have been refuelling there for years and when they got closer I looked at who was behind the counter and saw that it was a woman who was new.

“The lads went in two by two, they were very clever. Once they got inside they did not let the door close, and one of the lads was in front of it at all times, because she could have locked it from the inside preventing them from getting out or in. The lads were then grabbing anything and getting out with it.

“I realised that they were doing bad things and stealing, and that the woman was terrified, so I tried to stop the lads.”

After Mr Abdullah initially managed to chase the thieves away, the yobs then returned and began to threaten him.

This eventually led to a brief confrontation and one of the boys throwing an item at Mr Abdullah’s head before he successfully chased them away again.

He said: “The youngest one was threatening me that he had a knife and was going to stab me.

“I told them to just go away but they didn’t. I knew they were just empty threats but I was aware just in case.

“Of course I was scared and I was trying to keep my eye on the biggest one. When he came too close I pushed him away and then they all came at me.

“They threw things at me and one of them hit me in the face. It was only a chocolate bar but it did hurt very badly actually.

“However, I managed to scare them off.”

He added: “Their behaviour was very bad. Those kids need to learn. They are only young, what will happen when they grow up?”

The incident has since been reported to the police both by Mr Abdullah and Shell. So far no one has been arrested but police say enquiries are ongoing.

A spokesman for Shell said: "The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority. Shell is aware of the incident and is working closely with the local police to resolve it."

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Police were informed at 12.20pm on Tuesday December 31, 2019, of reports that there had been a robbery at a petrol station on Thornback, Bolton.

“It is believed that the offenders surrounding the shop worker – who had tried to intervene – and began to make threats to him and assaulted him, causing minor injuries.

“No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.”

Anyone with any information can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.