DETECTIVES were last night hunting a man who stole thousands of pounds after threatening to burn down a bookmaker's shop.

Staff at a Ladbrokes shop, in Darlington, were told by the masked thief that he would set fire to the building unless they handed over cash.

Two employees - a man and woman, both in their 20s - were cashing up just after 5pm on Sunday when the incident happened, police revealed yesterday.

There were no customers in the shop, in Ann's Terrace, in the Denes area of the town.

A man wearing a black balaclava and a dark blue fleece entered the shop with what looked like a water bottle - open at the top. The workers could smell petrol.

A police spokesman said: "He walked up to the counter, thrust two carrier bags at the man and woman, and demanded that they fill the bags with money or he would set light to the premises.

"They stuffed a four-figure sum of cash into one of the bags, which the man then grabbed before walking out of the building."

The thief, described as being about 5ft 8in tall and of average build, is thought to have turned right after leaving the shop and possibly headed up Brinkburn Road.

Detectives are asking for anyone who saw a man fitting the description to contact them immediately.

Detective Sergeant Dave Wilkes said: "It's an unusual case and we are still looking to track down this male suspect.

"He has a lot of cash on him, and if anyone knows of somebody like this who has suddenly come into money unexpectedly, we want to know.

"To be threatened with a bottle of petrol being set alight was obviously a distressing time for the staff. They were concerned enough to hand over the day's takings."

Ladbrokes is offering a cash reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the offender.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0845 6060 365, or Crimestoppers, on 0800 555111.