PROLIFIC robber John Rooney who escaped from an open prison in Aylesbury and travelled to Oxford is no longer believed to be in the area.

Officers from Thames Valley Police are supporting Greater Manchester Police and the Prison Service in trying to find the 47-year-old, who is half-way through a 24-year jail sentence.

Police said the public could be at serious risk of harm.

Rooney was said to have links in the Manchester area, including some family there.

On Monday, Rooney, who was jailed in 2003 for robbery and kidnap, walked out of HMP Springhill and got a bus from Bicester to Oxford.

Anyone who sees him is urged to call 999 immediately and not approach him.