NSW shop attendant stabbed in robbery

A convenience store worker is in a serious condition in hospital after being stabbed during a robbery south of Newcastle.

The 26-year-old attendant was threatened by a knife-wielding man and stabbed in the chest at Marks Point, near Lake Macquarie, about 7pm on Saturday, police say.

The robber fled on foot with a small sum of cash.

The attendant was taken by ambulance to John Hunter Hospital.