A man used a sword to hold up a service station in suburban Christchurch early this morning, the second time in a week the business has been robbed with the same type of weapon.
The man wearing dark clothing walked into the Caltex service station on the corner of Blenheim Rd
and Matipo St about 3am and used the sword to threaten staff.
No one was hurt in the holdup, but the man, thought to be of Asian descent, made off with a small amount of cash and cigarettes, said police southern communications centre spokeswoman Leanne Mathieson.
The same service station was the target of another robbery with a sword on Friday. In that incident, a man wielding a samurai sword burst in about 2am demanding money and cigarettes.
Detective Jason Bracegirdle said the man used a "samurai style" sword with a curved blade about 1m long to threaten the sole attendant. Again, no one was injured.
The offender last week was described as about 168cm tall, of medium build. He was wearing black clothing and carrying a black backpack.
Police inquiries were continuing today.
