AN audacious thief escaped with thousands of pounds after a daring broad daylight raid on a building society.

It is thought the thief may have set off a fire alarm to clear the headquarters of Darlington Building Society before walking in to snatch the cash.

Police were called to the head office in Yarm Road, Darlington this afternoon when the theft was discovered.

It is thought the money was stolen after staff were evacuated from their office building when a fire alarm was triggered just before 2.30pm.

As staff congregated outside the building for a roll call, an unknown smartly-dressed man was seen leaving the building from a side door.

The stranger, who was seen by some members of staff, was wearing a suit, shirt and tie and was carrying a bag.

The man was seen getting into a dark Ford Focus and was immediately driven away from the area.

When staff returned to their offices they realised a cash box containing several thousand pounds was missing.

The police were called to the building society headquarters and investigators later recovered an empty cash box in the area.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Reddick of Darlington CID said: "The raid appears to have been carefully planned and was well executed.

"Investigators are considering the possibility that the fire alarm was deliberately triggered to create a diversion for the cash box to be grabbed.

"I would appeal for anyone who saw anything suspicious in or near the premises to get in touch."

No members of staff or members of public were hurt in the raid which was described as 'audacious' by police officers.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Darlington police on (01325) 467681 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A spokesman for Darlington Building Society said the company would not be making any separate comment to the police on the incident.

The Building Society, which is run from Yarm Road, has two branches in Darlington and others throughout the North-East and North Yorkshire.