Police are hunting a knife-wielding, purple-haired woman who robbed a city centre bank wearing a boiler suit.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the woman - who is described as being around 50-years-old with short spikey purple hair, forced staff at the Santander Bank in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, to hand over money - after unsuccessfully trying to rob another bank.
Police said that the crimes occurred shortly after 4.45 pm on Wednesday.
The slim built, 5ft 5ins tall woman is also described as having "a large nose and a birth mark on the left side of her face".
GMP said that the woman walked into the Yorkshire Bank posing as a customer before passing a threatening note to staff demanding money.
She then produced a kitchen knife but staff at the bank managed to activate the security shields causing her to flee empty handed.
She then made her way to the Santander Bank and demanded money while threatening staff with the same knife.
They handed over an amount of cash before the woman left the premises.
No-one was injured during the incidents.
Detective Constable Mike Reed, of GMP's City of Manchester division, said: "This woman has walked into a city centre bank at a busy time and threatened staff with a knife before forcing them to hand over money. The staff were shaken but fortunately nobody was harmed.
"We are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area at the time and recognises this woman to come forward."
Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting crime reference 93583C/16 or 93585X/16, alternatively call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.