A MAN with a gift bag attempted to rob a bookmakers in Chester.

Detectives have now released a CCTV image of a person they would like to speak to in-connection with the incident on Frodsham Street.

A Cheshire Police spokesman said that at 7.35pm on Thursday, December 6, a man holding a gift bag walked into the betting shop when it was empty, walked up to a member of staff and demanded they hand over cash.

The cashier immediately went into the back office and called police meaning the man left empty-handed.

The offender is believed to be in his 40s and is described as white, around 6ft in height and was wearing a dark coat with a fur lined hood and a woolly hat which had horizontal stripes on it.

Detective Constable Ben Jones, of Chester CID, said: “While we continue to follow a number of lines of enquiry I want to urge the public to contact us on 101 if you know who this man might be or you believe you may have seen him.

“I also want to directly appeal to this man to come forward and speak to us to assist with our investigation.

“If anyone was in the area around the time the attempted robbery took place and may have any information – no matter how small to help with our investigation please do get in touch.”

Please call Cheshire Police on 101, quoting IML 261614, give the details via https://cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.