A VICIOUS robber who has terrorised Warrington's pensioners may have been captured on film.

Police are asking for GUARDIAN readers' help to trace a man who was filmed shortly before a robbery in the Hale Street area of the town on February 5.

Officers believe he could hold clues to a string of violent robberies stretching back to October last year.

Detective Sergeant Andy Southcott, who has been leading the hunt, hopes the still video footage will jog somebody's memory.

He said: "We would like to trace this man in a bid to eliminate him from our inquiries and we're hoping that someone will recognise him.

"He is very distinctive and we would appeal to anyone who knows him to contact us with information."

The man is described as between 5ft 7ins and 5ft 8ins tall, aged in his 30s with short brown hair. He was wearing a navy blue nylon-style anorak with a padded collar, dark tracksuit bottoms and Adidas trainers.

So far inquiries have failed to trace a robber who has targeted pensioners in and around the Hale Street area.

The raider has forced his way into elderly people's homes on six occasions, with the level of violence increasing with each robbery. The last raid left an 88-year-old man needing hospital treatment after he tried to fend off the knife-weilding thug.

DS Southcott added: "The robber has been getting more violent and we need to stop him before something terrible happens."

If you recognise the man or have any information on the robberies, contact DS Southcott on 01244 613 867 or call the Crimestoppers hot-line on 0800 555 1s 11.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.