Police are hunting for at least three offenders who robbed a dairy in Halswell early this morning.

Police were called to the Halswell Convenience Store on Lillian Street about 6.15am.

The shop owner told Chris Lynch three men entered the store, one carrying a gun, and another carrying a hammer.

Their faces were covered up. Her husband was at the store at the time of the attack.

“They tried to force my husband to go out the back, and stay away from them, so they could start stealing, but he wasn’t having any of that.”

A scuffle broke out and the offenders dropped most of the stolen items on the floor, running away with a couple of packets of cigarettes.

The shop owner said her husband was doing ok. “We’re not letting it get to us, because if we did, we’d never open the shop again.”

Christchurch Police said the robbery involved “multiple offenders.”

The offenders left the scene before police arrived.

Meanwhile, Christchurch Police are investigating a robbery at the Keyes Road dairy in New Brighton.

A police spokeswoman said the incident was reported to police just before 9am on Saturday.

At least four young men stole cigarettes.

There were no reports of injury.