AN armed robber who carried out 31 raids on banks and building societies - in towns including Kidder-minster - over a 10-year period was jailed for 12 years at Worcester Crown Court.

Steven Bailey also targeted premises in towns ranging from Redditch to Nottingham after running up gambling debts totalling £32,000.

He posed as a customer - wearing a peaked cap to hide his face - and carried a socket spanner, wrapped in a plastic bag, to convince cashiers he had a gun, said William Rickarby, prosecuting.

Bailey also selected a bookies and a post office and widened his crime spree to other towns outside the Midlands.

The 46-year-old warehouseman from Shannon Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to 18 offences of robbery, attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. He asked for 44 similar crimes to be taken into consideration.

Recorder John Maxwell told him: "You resorted to very serious crimes to pay off your debts. The cashiers must have been scared out of their wits."

The court heard that Bailey, who had no previous convictions, began his crime wave with a Stockport building society in 1995 at and ended it at a post office in Walsall Road, Great Barr, in March this year when he stole £3,300.

Mr Rickarby said he drove to towns, checked out vulnerable targets and the proximity of police stations and changed into a bright yellow ski jacket afterwards to avert suspicion, getting away by car.

When the case was featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme in 2000, Bailey was scared off for four years before he started up again.

In Kidderminster, he struck at the Abbey National on December 7 last year but a cashier managed to bring down a security screen to foil him.

All together, Bailey obtained £15,865 from the spree. He confessed to police he had a severe gambling habit and also had to pay maintenance to his ex-partner for their four daughters.

Gareth Walters, defending, described him as a Jekyll and Hyde character who, despite debts, worked hard and looked after his family.

He had been "immensely helpful" to police and was taking advantage of jail to become educated.

Mr Walters handed the court references from friends and the mother of his children.

Bailey had £1,660 on him when arrested on March 16. He was initially charged with 24 offences but confessed: "Yes and there's more."