Salad-topped e-fit makes laughing stock out of police hunt for burglar

Hampshire Police are hunting a distraction burglar who stole 60 from an elderly woman in Stockbridge. He was described as having wavy blonde/greying hair and being about 40.

But the e-fit shows the man with green hair that local residents said looked like a lettuce – attracting derision in the market town.

Officers blamed a technical problem and admitted it was not the "best quality".

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: "We are, though, currently experiencing technical problems with the quality of the hair and are waiting for an upgrade to the system from the company who provides us with the software.

"It is important to point out that the suspect in this case is described as having blond-grey hair."

She went on: "We have a duty to do all we can to identify those involved in crime, prevent further occurrences and protect the public and while the hair on this image may not be of the best quality, it takes nothing from the overall clarity of the facial features. It would therefore be wrong to withhold the release of the e-fit just based on this technical issue.

Detective Constable Danielle Robinson said: "I would like to hear from anyone who has information about this incident or who recognises the man in the e-fit image as he may be able to help with our inquiries."