A man who robbed a branch of Barclays Bank armed with a banana has been jailed.

Dorset Police said Laurence Vonderdell, 50, was holding a banana covered with an orange plastic bag, which he pointed at the cashier of a branch in Bournemouth.

Vonderdell was on Monday sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court to 14 months in prison after admitting to robbery and possessing an imitation firearm.

The robbery took place on March 25, when Vonderdell entered the bank and approached one of the tills.

He told the cashier: “This is a stick up, give me the cash.”

The cashier handed over a total of £1,100 in £20 notes, which Vonderdell took and walked out of the bank.

Shortly afterwards he handed himself in at Bournemouth police station.

Detective constable Andy Hale, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Even though the defendant handed himself in shortly after this incident and the cash was recovered, this must still have been a very distressing incident for the cashier involved.”