Passers-by take loot as raider is grabbed

Making a withdrawal was all too easy for passers-by who found crisp £20 notes floating in the air outside a Waterford bank yesterday afternoon.

Two men who had grabbed the cash from behind the counter at the AIB in Michael Street at 3 p.m. were chased from the premises by two intrepid bank officials.

One of the raiders got away, but the other was grabbed and lost his takings in the process. Pedestrians on the busy street gathered the cash. Some of them handed it back to the bank, but others adopted a finders-keepers approach.

Supt Michael McGarry said people who kept the money could find themselves charged with "larceny by finding".

A man was later being questioned at Waterford Garda station.

Gardai got a clear view of the men on the security video. They also had "good descriptions" of passers-by who had helped themselves to the loot.