Armed robbery at building society

A large police search failed to find the suspect

A man armed with a pistol has held up a Derbyshire building society.

The robber got away with a "substantial" amount of money after threatening staff at the Borrowash branch of the Nationwide Building Society.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Despite a widespread hunt by armed police the man escaped.

Silver gun

He had walked into the branch of Nationwide on Victoria Avenue at 1610 BST on Monday, pulled out a silver pistol and threatened staff before making off with a quantity of cash.

The robber is described as white, in his 40s, stocky, clean shaven, with short, black, curly hair and about five feet eight inches tall.

He was wearing black NHS style glasses and wore a blue baseball cap.

Armed police searched the area but found no trace of the man.

A police spokesman said: "This man got away with a substantial amount of money and clearly we are keen to talk to anyone who has information on the incident or the man's identity."

Nationwide Building Society says it is not willing to comment on the robbery until police finish their initial inquiries.