AN eagle-eyed building society cashier who rumbled a would-be £25,000 fraudster was praised by a judge.

Hazel Herridge, who was working at the Rawtenstall branch of the Halifax, alerted a supervisor and kept Amanda Carter talking while police were called.

Carter, who had already stolen £1,000 by pretending to be an account holder, could have got away with £25,000, but for Miss Herridge's quick-thinking, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Carter was spared an immediate jail term.

Sentencing her to 12 months in prison, suspended for a year with supervision and 250 hours unpaid work, Judge Brian Carter QC, commended Miss Herridge's public spiritedness and gave her a £250 award from public funds.

Jobless Carter, 36, of Henshaw Oval, Yeadon, Leeds, admitted using a false instrument with intent, obtaining a money transfer by deception, theft of £1,000 and an attempted money transfer, last August.

Sarah Statham, prose-cuting, said Carter used the details of a Halifax customer who had £25,000 in a fixed account.

On August 9, Carter had gone into the Rawtenstall branch, shown Miss Herridge false documents and asked her to close the £25,000 account.

Carter seemed agitated. The cashier closed the account and Carter wanted to immediately open a new Liquid Gold account and transfer the cash into it.

Miss Statham said Carter had handed over a false driving licence, with her photo but the customer's details on it, and a phone bill which had the account holder's name on it, but was not the customer's.

Carter persuaded Miss Herridge they were genuine, and an account was opened with a passbook. Carter was told she could have £1,000 from the new account and took the cash.

The building society became aware of the fraud when the customer phoned up to be told the account had been closed and address changed.

Carter returned to the Rawtenstall Halifax a couple of days later. Miss Herridge realised she was the same person who had been in before and alerted a supervisor. Miss Herridge persuaded Carter to go upstairs in the premises, saying she needed further details.

Miss Statham told the court the defendant was asking to transfer all the money out of the Liquid Gold account by a payment method, and had that been activated all the money would have been taken from the customer's account.

Carter told police she became involved in the scam to repay a drug debt.