Feisty bookie fought off a masked robber with a coin dispenser at Goodmayes betting shop

The raider struck at Fairbet 4 U, Goodmayes Road, Goodmayes.

Nicola Harrison, who has worked in betting shops for two decades, said: “He had something which you couldn’t see – I thought it was a gun. He said ‘hand over the money’. He didn’t get away with anything. If he got away with twenty grand, well [it would have been] over my dead body.”

Nicola left the secure booth where the cash tills were, making the robber believe she was going to hand over cash. But she had grabbed a full coin dispenser before opening the kiosk door.

She said: “I opened the door and he thought I was going to hand over the money but I threw the coin dispenser at his head and he fell over a table and all the coins clattered against the window.

“Then I ran down the road. I’ve been waiting for it to happen.”

Nicola went to the nearby Bridge House pub, where she saw some people she knew. When they returned to the bookmakers, the robber had fled.

He was 5ft 9in, black and wearing grey jogging bottoms and a green top with stripes. The incident happened at about 9.30pm on Saturday, November 10. Anyone with information should call police on 020 8345 4242.