A gang has admitted carrying out an audacious robbery at a North-East building society.

The four men, all from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to theft at Teesside Crown Court following the raid in Darlington on April 2.

Gerrard McGovern, 41, Stephen McGovern, 25, Brian James McNally, 45, and Derek Evans, 41, admitted stealing £32,285 from the headquarters of Darlington Building Society in Yarm Road.

During the raid, staff at the base were evacuated after a fire alarm was set off and when they later returned to the building they noticed a cash box was missing.

Workers reported seeing a smartly-dressed man leaving the building from a side door.

The stranger had been wearing a suit and tie and was seen getting into a car before being driven away.

At the time of the theft, Darlington Police said it had been a carefully planned and well executed raid.

Officers later recovered a dark car seen leaving the scene and an empty cash box, which was found at the town's railway station.

Stephen McGovern and Brian McNally were arrested hours after the raid and Gerrard McGovern, brother of Stephen, was charged in June with the same offence after he was arrested in Liverpool following a police appeal.

No members of staff or members of the public were hurt during the incident.

Gerrard McGovern, Stephen McGovern and Brian McNally all pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court where the case was listed for a seven day trial.

They had all been granted conditional bail to appear at court for the trial, apart from Evans who was already in custody.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to stealing the money.

No further details of the offence were read out in court and the case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports on the defendants.

Judge John Walford said the case would be listed for sentencing sometime after February 1 next year.

The building society, which is run from the head office, has two branches in Darlington and others throughout the North-East and North Yorkshire.

Darlington Building Society said at the time of the incident that it would not be making any comment.