A DETECTIVE hunting a conman has praised the vigilance of staff at an Accrington bank who stopped him getting away with a large amount of cash.

Police in four counties are hunting the fraudster, who is believed to have got away with £100,000 over the last six years.

Detective Constable Sam Mackenzie, who is leading the hunt for the man, revealed that the trickster had walked into a bank in Accrington on 10 December last year.

He said: "The person we are looking for attempted to draw a substantial amount of money, but was prevented from doing so by staff who also caught him on the CCTV system, which was quite good work on their part.''

DC Mackenzie said: "As a result of this we now have a good idea of what he looks like, and have several positive leads to help our inquiries.''

The trickster also struck at a branch of another nationally-known bank in Accrington.

DC Mackenzie said: "For security reasons I am unable to identify these two banks.''

The man the police are looking for presents himself as a genuine customer and has duped bank workers on several occasions into allowing him to make withdrawals over the counter.

DC Mackenzie said: "He makes no attempt to disguise himself and does not threaten staff. He is clearly very calm and quite brazen when committing these offences.''

The smartly-dressed culprit is described as white, between 40 and 50 years of age and of medium build. He is between 5ft 9ins and 5ft 10ins tall with a pointed nose.

On several occasions he has worn a green waist-length coat like a bomber jacket, which has thick white and yellow bands on the sleeves. At other times he has worn a blue shirt or a three-quarter-length dark coat.

Anyone with information about him is asked to contact the police on 01253 604179 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.