A TEENAGE shop assistant was hit over the head with a bottle after he stepped in to help a colleague trying to stop a shoplifter.

A scuffle broke out as a female member of staff tried to stop the thief leaving the Lidl supermarket in Cinderford with a box of lager.

During the melee the box dropped to the floor and split open, sending bottles of Stella rolling around.

The young duty manager was attacked as he stepped in to help his colleagues.

Shoppers were shocked to see the man smash a bottle over the teenager's head at the front of the store.

The man also threw a bin at members of staff and hurled a bottle at the window, before running off.

"The man was trying to leave the store with a box of lager when he was confronted by a female member of staff," said a police spokesman.

"There seems to have been some sort of scuffle and he dropped the box and became aggressive.

"A 19-year-old male was hit over the head and the bottle smashed.

"He suffered a small cut and was treated at the scene by ambulance staff."

An ambulance and police raced to the store following the incident at around 4pm last Wednesday.

The duty manager, who does not want to be identified said: "He was behaving aggressively to a female member of staff so I put my arms around him and held on to him until she could move away.

"When I let go so he could walk away he tried to head butt me, He missed but he then hit me over the head with a bottle."

The young man escaped with a cut to his head.

The offender was with two others but they are not thought to have been involved.