A BANK robber who stole £110,000 in a Runcorn raid has been jailed for 12 years for two robberies.

Ian Stewart, aged 37, of Stonegate Drive, Toxteth, pleaded guilty to two charges of bank robbery at Liverpool Crown Court last week.

The court heard how he and two masked accomplices smashed a window at the HSBC bank, in the High Street, Runcorn, after it had closed.

A brick was used to smash the window and two men wearing balaclavas came in, threatened staff, and left with four containers that carried a total of £110,000.

Staff, who were loading the cash machine, believed the men were armed with a gun but it was later discovered to be a wheel brace, said Graham Pickavance, prosecuting.

The men fled in a stolen Vauxhall Astra, driven by Stewart, but a passer-by managed to note down the registration number and told police.

The vehicle was later found abandoned and ablaze in The Calvers, Runcorn. The three robbers were seen running off.

Stewart, whose face is seriously disfigured because of a debilitating illness, was found hiding nearby.

The man who had noted down the registration number later picked Stewart out in an identification parade.

Mr Pickavance told the court that the gang first struck at the Lloyds TSB bank in Hunts Cross, Liverpool, on January 31 last year. They escaped with more than £52,000.

Jason Smith, defending, said that Stewart has a debilitating illness that has eaten away at his face and is affecting his limbs.

He said that he is awaiting a hip replacement and will find prison very difficult.