The packs explode when a bank robbery takes place

Smoke and Dye DNA packs - reputed to be the first in the world - have been introduced to banks across the county.

They are designed to explode during a raid, staining thieves and the stolen money with a unique coded substance.

This allows police to trace the cash and criminals back to the crime scene.

The DNA codes can be applied to a wide variety of liquid and solid materials and are resistant to washing, bleaching, UV radiation and ageing.

By working closely with the police we can make our branches a 'no go' zone for bank raiders Gordon Ferrie, Royal Bank of Scotland

Smoke and dye have been used to mark raiders for a number of years, but the DNA code will help police pin suspects to a particular raid.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) hopes the new system will increase arrests and the detection of fraud.

NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are the first two banks to install the packs.

Gordon Ferrie, head of RBS Group Security, said: "We continue to see the number of raids in NatWest and RBS branches fall and that is in no small part due to our use of smoke and dye since 1993.

"We hope that the introduction of DNA packs will accelerate this trend and ensure by working closely with the police we can make our branches a 'no go' zone for bank raiders."