Police are hunting for a would-be robber who allegedly threatened a woman with a gun in Essex before fleeing towards a caravan park.
The masked man approached his victim as she walked along Thorney Bay Road, Canvey, just before 1pm today.
When she refused to hand over her cash, he ran away towards Thorney Bay caravan park, police said.
He remains on the loose tonight despite a police search by officers and a police helicopter.
An Essex Police spokesman said the woman was not hurt during the robbery but had been left "feeling very shaken up".
She told police that moments before the attempted mugging, she saw the man sitting on a bench close to the sea wall while he spoke on his phone.
Detectives investigating the attempted robbery today appealed for witnesses to speak to them.
Their suspect is described as white, slim, aged in his twenties and about 5'4". He was wearing dark clothes and a baseball cap with a scarf covering part of his face, police said.
Anyone with information can contact Southend CID on 101.
