TWO masked robbers who tried to hold up a woman at knifepoint as she took money from a Worcester city centre cashpoint have been sent to jail.

Drug addicts Wayne Billingsley, aged 42, and 48-year-old Adam Roberts prepared for the robbery bid by cutting eye holes in cushion covers to wear over their heads as disguises, Worcester Crown Court was told.

But their bid was foiled when brave Kathleen May, who was using the Asda cashpoint in St Martin's Square, pushed them away and called for help. She said she initially thought the robbery attempt was a "joke" because of the comical disguises.

Before putting on the masks, the robbers could be seen on CCTV footage wandering around the city centre looking for likely targets using cashpoints. They spotted Mrs May in St Martin's Square at about 8.10am, Dan White, prosecuting, told the court.

They put on the disguises and in footage shown to the court, they could be seen approaching the cashpoint where Mrs May had just been dropped off on her way to work on November 5 last year.

"They were struggling to walk around because they were unable to see with the cushion covers over their heads," Mr White said.

Roberts removed his disguise but 42-year-old Billingsley was still wearing his as they approached Mrs May with Billingsley holding a long-bladed kitchen knife.

Roberts said "give me your money and you won't get hurt" and she was pushed by one of the men, Mr White said. She said "what?" and pushed him back and then told them to get away.

Roberts repeated the threat and Mrs May said "get away now." The two men walked off as a woman passerby approached and Mrs May could be seen on CCTV calling the police on her phone.

"She was shaking and shocked," Mr White said. "Thankfully, she had not seen the knife at the time."

Mr White said the two men had discussed the robbery the night before and when police later called at Roberts' flat they found the small pieces of material cut out to make the eye holes.

Billingsley, of Princes Drive, and Roberts, of Thomas Baxter Walk, both Worcester, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery. Billingsley also pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon. Billingsley was also due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs from December, 2014, to April, 2015, and Roberts after admitting affray.

Mr White said Billingsley had allowed the flat he then occupied in Donaldson Court, Worcester, to be used as a base for a gang of drug dealers, who were given long sentences at the end of a recent trial.

In an unconnected incident, Roberts had chased a man out of his flat and into a car park carrying two knives in a dispute over a mobile phone on April 30 last year.

Both men had long records with Roberts on 62 convictions for 187 offences, including a jail term for manslaughter, and Billingsley 15 convictions for 36 offences.

Jason Patel, for Roberts, said that he had tried to go straight after his last release from jail and was working as a landscaping manager but had slipped back into using drugs. While in custody on remand, he had taken courses and was now acting as a mentor to other inmates.

Samantha Lamsdale, for Billingsley, said he had allowed the dealers to use his flat in return for drugs but had stayed in his bedroom while any deals were being made and on occasions he could not get into his own flat because they had his entry key. She said he suffered from mental health issues and on the day of the attempted robbery, he had stopped taking his medication.

"His craving for hard drugs took over," she said.

Judge Robert Juckes, QC, said, "Drugs offences create so much other offending and this is a classic example."

He said the men had worn masks and carried a knife to target a woman on her own which must have been "terrifying" for her.

Billingsley was jailed for a total of seven years and four months and Roberts for a total of six years and six months.

Judge Juckes warned them they ran the risk of spending most of their lives in prison if they carried on offending.