Ananova:

An angry punter is believed to have stolen £30,000 in armed raids on bookies in a desperate bid to recoup his losses.

Detectives say the man, dubbed the Bookie Blagger, has hit 20 betting shops in the past two years.

He has disguised himself with sunglasses, a builder's work jacket and a baseball cap and usually strikes when the shops are closing, reports The Sun.

And he once hobbled in on a crutch to pretend that he was injured before startling a cashier.

A senior police source said: "One theory we are working on is that he is a disgruntled losing punter who turned to crime."

His biggest single haul was £5,000. But his latest raid at the end of last month only netted a few hundred pounds because bookies are taking extra security precautions.

The 20 shops hit, including Ladbrokes, Sports Bookmakers and Parsons Bookmakers, range across seven police force areas.

He is in his early 50s, with craggy skin and grey hair. Cops believe his getaway car is a dark 400 series Rover with number plates cloned in Staffordshire.

Bookies have put up a £10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.