Police are investigating the armed robbery of a taxi driver at Southport last night.

Initial investigations indicate a man entered the vehicle at a taxi rank on Scarborough Street, outside a major shopping centre just before 11.30pm.

The 23-year-old driver stopped the cab at the intersection of North and High Street where the man produced a knife and threatened him.

He punched the victim before being handed a sum of cash.

The man fled the scene and was last seen heading south through a park.

The offender is described as Caucasian in appearance about 170 to 175cm tall with brown curly hair.  He was wearing a sky-blue hoodie jumper, shorts, baseball style cap.