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This is the moment bank staff were threatened during a terrifying daylight robbery.

Detectives probing a raid at the NatWest branch on Gosforth High Street in Newcastle have released CCTV footage of the incident as they continue to hunt a suspect.

A man entered the bank early on Friday, August 8 and demanded cash from stunned staff, police say.

He made off with £2,480 and fled in the direction of Gosforth shopping centre, forcing officers to close off the area.

No one was injured during the incident and police do not believe the man was armed.

Det sgt Don Gibson said: “We are releasing footage of the robbery at Gosforth High Street and want to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and who saw anything.

“The footage shows a man entering the NatWest Bank at 9.05am and approaching the counter.

“He speaks to the member of staff and then puts his hood up. He is there for a couple of minutes before taking the money and fleeing the bank, running off through Gosforth shopping centre.

“He is wearing sunglasses the whole time and a quite distinctive hooded top with a union jack on the front of it.

“He may have been hanging around the area before 9am and at that time of the day that area of Gosforth is fairly busy.

“We want to hear from those who saw anything suspicious, anyone who was in the area at the time of the robbery or who recognises the man from the footage.

“Any information at all could prove vital to the investigation and I’d urge you to ring us with anything you think could help.”

As reported, police cordoned off the bank and the multi-storey car park while officers on the ground and a helicopter searched for the culprit.

The branch, along with Bridgfords Estate Agents next door, remained cordoned off for several hours while forensic teams worked to gather evidence.

The robbery shocked shoppers on the suburban street and forces some other stores to lock up.

Nicola Krzysiak, manager at Thomas Cook, opposite the bank, said: “We’re operating a closed door policy because you don’t know who’s out there. The safety of our staff is paramount.

Anyone who recognises the man is asked to contact police on 101 ext 69191 quoting reference number 320080814.