A BANK robber stole £45,000 by blowing up an ATM has been jailed for ten years - two of them for a failed prison escape.

Russell Snowdon and an accomplice blasted open a cash machine at an RBS branch in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, in the early hours of November 11, last year.

CCTV captured a figure raiding the bank and handing bundles of cash to his accomplice before the pair left in a stolen Land Rover which was later discovered burnt out.

And the 42 year-old, formerly of Crook, came under suspicion when he splashed out on a £1,700 luxury holiday to Gambia with his lover just three days later.

Staff at an English-based travel agent spotted the bank notes were all Scottish, but Snowdon claimed he had just sold a car there.

The thug was held by police shortly after he landed back in the UK and it emerged his DNA linked him to a lighter, screwdriver and blood spot found at the bank.

He appeared at the High Court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to several charges including stealing £45,080 from the RBS and trying to break-out from Dumfries jail while on remand in March this year.

A guard heard a commotion in the early hours of March 26 and checked the cell where Snowdon and a fellow inmate were.

It was discovered window bars had been cut and bed sheets were being used to cover razor wire outside the building while two blades from a hacksaw were also found.

Niven Smith, prosecuting, said: “Had he made it onto the roof, he could have made good his escape from the prison.”

Snowdon's lawyer Thomas Ross said Snowdon had since been moved to another jail and is not able to mix with prisoners.

It is not the first time the robber has been on the wrong side of the law. In 2001 he served time for manslaughter after hitting a grandfather as he stood at a bus stop while he was also jailed for eight years in 2004 for an armed robbery at a post office.

Yesterday, judge Lady Dorrian jailed him for a total of eight-and-a-half years for the robbery offences.

She also added a further two years for the prison escape bid, pointing out that Snowdon already had a string of convictions for “violence and dishonesty”.

Speaking after the sentence detective sergeant Colin McKinstry said: "This was a considerable enquiry which was helped in no small part by those living in the Langholm community who came forward with crucial information.

"This sentence clearly reflects the seriousness of the crime and once again sends out a strong message to any would be criminals that they will pay a heavy price if they think they can commit crime and get away with it just because this is a rural area. Police Scotland will continue to work with our communities to ensure that our people and our property are kept safe from those who might think we are a soft touch."