AN ill-equipped robot and a lonely old man get embroiled in a bank heist in a new book set in Middlesbrough.

Teesside author Mick Richardson penned The Boro Phallacy in a bid to while away the hours as he worked off-shore.

The unusual adult-themed tale centres around a robot with artificial intelligence and what the author calls “his search for a missing component”.

Mr Richardson said he settled on a robot as the central character as vampires and zombies had been “done to death” in recent years.

Ahead of the launch of his first book, the 41-year-old said he was proud to see it in print after securing a publishing deal with Billingham-based 6E Creative.

Mr Richardson said: “I’ve had some excellent feedback and hope it’ll be something funny for everyone who reads it.

“It’s a bank heist set in Middlesbrough, a comedy, thriller and adult humour.”

The official launch of The Boro Phallacy will be held at the Southern Cross pub in Middlesbrough on Friday, September 16 from 6pm.

Priced £9.99, the book will also be sold in some bookshops and via amazon.co.uk in paperback and Kindle versions.