A robber with a fake gun who tried to make his getaway by bus has been jailed.

Simon Andrew North, 38, jumped on the bus after botching his attempt to rob a Halifax Building Society. But armed police simply checked buses leaving the North Yorkshire town of Whitby until they got their man.

North had entered the town's Halifax at about 2.30pm on June 29 and waited for a customer to leave.

Making no attempt to disguise himself, he then walked up to a cashier and produced what appeared to be a gun in a carrier bag before handing over a note asking for money.

The cashier pressed the panic alarm, sending gas-powered shutters from the floor to the ceiling in two seconds.

North, from Bingley, in West Yorkshire, then fled empty-handed to the bus station, where he caught the bus to Scarborough. Four armed response units were alerted, two heading for Whitby and two for Scarborough, where North was caught.

The weapon turned out to be two batteries attached to a short baton with duct tape.

Detective Constable Darrin Knight, said: "The people at the Halifax acted very well indeed. They were not expecting it to happen in Whitby but they acted very quickly and were able to provide a very good description of the man which assisted officers in pulling him off the bus"

North pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm at York Crown Court. He was jailed for three years and three months.