THE "HERO" who grabbed a knife-wielding woman after she robbed two Co-op stores in Thornhill says it was all "down to instinct".

Darren Edwards was at the scene of the armed robbery at a Co-op on Hinkler Road, but instead of running away, he took the "split second" that he had and grabbed the woman and held her until officers arrived.

The 42-year-old saw shop staff being threatened with a "large kitchen knife" and waited outside for a moment to act.

As soon as the offender put the knife in her rucksack and attempted to make an escape Darren grabbed her, allowing Police to arrive at the scene and make an arrest.

He said: "It was just instinct. When I think about it now, it's quite scary, but when it happened I didn't have time to think. I grabbed her and held her for around 10 minutes before police turned up.

"I would like to think that anybody else would do the same. I have four children and I take them to this shop, what if they would have been in there?

"If this ever happened again then I would definitely do it again, it's just who I am."

Officers have confirmed that at around 9am on Thursday January 2, both the Co-op stores on Hinkler Road and Warburton Road in Thornhill were robbed by the same woman.

A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: "I can confirm we have received a report of a robbery at the Co-op store on Warburton Road, which happened just before 9am this morning. A 44-year-old woman from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of robbery. This is the same woman arrested for the Hinkler Road robbery, and she remains in custody."

A Co-op spokesperson confirmed that during the incidents where cash and products were taken, no one was injured, but staff are "very shaken up" and are now being supported.

Residents were shocked by what they saw but have hailed Darren as a "hero".

One resident said: "Not all heroes wear capes. Thank you so much for what you did!", while another called him "one brave man".