A PASSING cyclist may have chatted to a thief as he dragged a trolley packed with money - stolen moments earlier in a nightclub robbery - through the streets of a North-East city.

Detectives investigating the raid at the dh-1 nightclub, in Durham City, say they have studied CCTV footage of the incident, which appears to show a cyclist stopping to talk to the robber as he hauled at least £30,000 along North Road.

Officers are asking the cyclist to come forward as a matter of urgency as he may hold vital information that could help their inquiries.

A man and a woman arrested in early morning raids in the Framwellgate Moor area of the city on Tuesday, were last night released on police bail pending further inquiries.

The robbery took place in the early hours of Monday when the club manager, a man in his mid- 20s, was confronted as he returned to his house in Hopper Terrace, Trimdon Grange, at about 1.30am.

He was threatened by a man who the manager believed was carrying a gun and was tied up and left for eight hours.

The intruder took the keys to the club and the man's 3-series BMW, which has yet to be recovered. At about 5am, the car was caught on camera dropping off a man in North Road, before leaving via Neville Street.

About 40 minutes later, the same figure was seen pulling a trolley away from the club and along North Road.

As he did so, a cyclist pushing a bike up the road overtook him and appeared to speak briefly to the suspect before continuing on his way.

Officers are also keen to speak to anyone who may have seen someone behaving suspiciously near the house in Trimdon Grange on Sunday into Monday morning.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 0845 60 60 365, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.