A PRISONER who was jailed for a series of bungled robberies, included two post office raids in Radcliffe, is still on the run after staging a dramatic escape at a funeral last week.

Thomas Francis McDonagh (22) fled after a pal threatened two prison warders with a machete.

The break-out occurred as scar-faced McDonagh was let out of Nottingham Jail to attend the funeral of a stepbrother in Northampton.

Police have urged members of the public to use caution if they spot McDonagh, who hails from Rochdale, and call them immediately.

Thomas Francis McDonagh and his 16-year-old brother, Francis Thomas McDonagh (16), were each jailed for seven years at Minshull Crown Court, Manchester, last December, after bungling up to five armed raids before trying to make their get-away in a hearse. The pair caused terror by staging a series of attempted hold-ups inside just 40 minutes on November 8, 1999. They claimed to have a gun, but it was in fact a piece of piping wrapped in black tape. On each occasion the pair fled empty handed,

Post offices at Stubbins and Smallbridge were initially raided at noon, before the McDonaghs went to the post office in Dumers Lane, Radcliffe, at 2.50pm.

One of them pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun, demanded money, but fled when the counter clerk pressed the panic alarm.

Within six minutes the McDonaghs, using a stolen Vauxhall Cavalier, struck at another post office in Bolton Road, Radcliffe, but fled empty handed.

One of them grabbed a female customer by the neck and pointed a gun at her face, but then inexplicably fled empty- handed when he smashed the handgun into a glass screen.

Bizarrely they were finally caught by police after a Vauxhall Nova they stolen from a car wash was spotted while still covered in soap suds!