A brave shopkeeper shot in a raid has vowed to carry on working after grappling with another armed robber in his store.

Vijay Patel, 41, had his knee and thigh bone shattered by the gun blast, leaving his leg two inches shorter, in the first raid at the grocer's store he has run for 25 years in Otley Road, Bradford.

And less than 18 months later he tackled a raider who entered his Wine and Dine shop and pointed an imitation gun at him.

Mr Patel struggled with the raider, Justin Conway, and the plastic gun broke in two. He then wrestled him to the ground and, with the help of his wife Bharti and his assistant Janghir Ibrahim, held him until police arrived about five minutes later.

A judge at Bradford Crown Court yesterday recognised Mr Patel's courage by giving him a reward of £250. He also awarded £150 each to Mrs Patel and Mr Ibrahim.

But the court heard that his wife now wants to leave their premises before someone is killed.

Mr Patel said after the hearing: "It would be the easiest thing in the world to pack it in and walk away. It does go through your mind. I felt the same way after I was shot.

"It's very difficult to do the job and earn a living. It gets more and more hard day by day. I do feel disillusioned.

"But I try to keep a smile on my face and not think about these robberies too much.

"I carried on after I was shot and I will probably carry on now. I have a lot of loyal customers and I do not want to let them down."

Yesterday, Judge Roger Scott warned would-be raiders they faced similar prison sentences after jailing Conway, of Cranmere House, Otley Road, for five years. He had admitted attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent.

Judge Scott said: "There are far too many robberies in West Yorkshire and there are far, far too many offences involving imitation firearms or indeed real firearms. It is almost endemic."

The court heard that Conway went into the store last August and pointed a youngster's plastic gun at Mr Patel. "Mr Patel grabbed the barrel of the gun and twisted it away from his direction," said prosecutor John Harr-ison.

Nick Carter, defending, said Conway offered his apologies to Mr and Mrs Patel.

Judge Scott described Mr Patel's actions as incredibly brave and told Conway: "You and others must understand that if you commit this type of offence you are going to get locked up for a long time.

"People such as Mr Patel who run and own off-licences and small shops must be protected and they will be."

Mr Patel welcomed the five-year sentence for Conway.

"It was frightening at the time," he said. "But I wasn't brave, I was just acting on instinct.

"I'd had a gun pointed at me before and I just wanted it pointed away from me.

"I was determined it wasn't going to happen to me again.

"It's only afterwards when you start to think what might have happened."

The Patels still work seven days a week in their shop but have reduced their hours, partly because of the robberies.