Crook bungles four raids in four hours

The world's worst robber was on the run last night after bungling four raids in four hours.

The woolly-hatted gunman, said to be in his 30s, first struck at 10.25am on Saturday in the centre of Doncaster, South Yorks.

He burst into the Bradford & Bingley Building Society and demanded staff hand over a bag full of cash. He ran out into the crowded street, but had to drop the bag when a security device was activated and dye began spurting from it.

Undeterred, he tried again just over an hour later at the Halifax - where he queued for 20 minutes before making a cashier hand over a bundle of notes. But once more his luck was out. He was tackled by a heroic member of the public and fled minus the cash after a brief struggle.

Just 30 minutes later the raider climbed into a taxi and demanded money. The terrified cabbie leapt out of the moving vehicle and it crashed into a road sign - forcing the gunman to escape on foot. He hijacked a Peugeot 206 from a woman at a local filling station before attempting his final heist at around 2.30pm.

This time he snatched a box from Group 4 security officer at a Co-Op in nearby Conisbrough ... only to find it was empty.

A police spokesman said: "He's persistent. But we are just as determined to catch him. He threatened innocent members of the public. He is a danger and should be behind bars."