HOSPITALS and businesses were put on alert today after serial conman Paul Bint was released from prison -- and police warned he could strike again.

Bint, who has notched up more than 20 court appearances, had served 17 months of a jail term in Scotland for stealing a £55,000 Aston Martin car.

The trickster had already been jailed in 1994 for a string of deceptions, including tricking his way into Blackburn Royal Infirmary. On Boxing Day, 1993, he tried to obtain a bleeper at BRI after pretending to be a doctor.

Earlier that day he had posed as an anaesthetist at the Royal Preston Hospital.

He was later arrested in Blackburn at the home of Jane Griffiths, grand-daughter of shoe tycoon Tommy Ball.

His many exploits, including posing as a barrister, a wealthy businessman and a city banker, were detailed in a television documentary earlier this year.

The smooth-talking conman befriended Blackburn single mum Anita Scott when he absconded from a bail hostel in 1999 after being released on licence from Preston Prison, telling her his name was Lachlan Gates and that he worked for BSkyB.

Hospitals in East Lancashire expressed anger at the time because police and probation service chiefs did not make his disappearance public for two days.

He travelled to Scotland two years ago claiming to be a lawyer in the Lockerbie trial, and was convicted of stealing the prestige car from a dealership in Glasgow.

Bint, 36, was released from Glasgow's Barlinnie Prison last week and was immediately warned by police that he would be back behind bars if he returned to his career as a conman.

A spokesman for Lancashire Constabulary said: "We would urge people to be vigilant at all times and ask for and check the identity of people they are unsure of."

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police added: "We were informed by the prison authorities that Paul Bint was released last week and officers spoke to him in Edinburgh. He indicated he would be in our area for a few days.

"Given Bint's previous track record there is no doubt that he will attempt some kind of fraud similar to those he's carried out in the past and we would urge anyone who works in hospitals or any other profession to be wary of him.

"He's very adept at conning people and duping them and people should be wary of his claims. "

Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: "I remember the case. Every hospital must be on alert to check the qualifications of anybody seeking to work in the building. There is a real problem with the security hospitals which are by definition open institutions. It's about the staff being alert to who else is doing what in the hospital.

"With any luck he will decide not to come back to East Lancashire."

Mike Hall, acting director of operations for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "We already have robust security measures in place througout the trust to ensure that bogus members of stafff do not get access to clinical areas. However, as a precaution we will be communicating the news of Paul Bint's release from prison to ensure that staff are extra vigilant."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "They must ensure that he never goes near a hospital again and must take every step to prevent him being able to gain entry to medical premises and put patients at risk.

"I would hope the police and hospital authorities in East Lancashire are put on a state of alert and are vigilant to make sure he does not return to the scene of his previous crimes. The department of health should put out a nationwide alert to hospital authorities to make sure he can never again pretend to be a doctor."

Brandon Morgan, operational services manager for security for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in Preston, said: "As with all issues of security, staff are fully trained and are aware of the situation and remain vigilant."