POLICE are hunting a wanted criminal who has gone on the run after being released early from prison.

Jamie Wright, 24, was released early in July eight months in to a 16-month sentence after he was convicted of breaking in to a church building in Clayton-le-Moors.

But after breaching the terms of his release he is now wanted on prison recall.

He is thought to be in Oswaldtwistle but has links to Blackburn and Accrington, police said.

The raid on St Marys Presbytery in Devonshire Drive, Clayton-le-Moors, happened in September 2009.

Inspector John Clucas said: “As always, I’d like to reassure the public that as a force we have a high success rate of returning people to prison and use all methods to catch these people.

“I would also ask the public to be vigilant and report any sightings to the police. We want these people bringing to justice and any details the public may have could be crucial."

Wright is described as being around 5ft11in tall, with blue eyes.

Police said he has a number of distinguishing marks including missing the top part of his ring finger on his left hand, tattoos on his right arm of a bulldog, the name Lisa on his chest and a tattoo of the Manchester City football team crest.

In 2006 Wright was jailed for four years for a brutal attack on an 81-year-old Accrington woman, leaving her in hospital for five weeks, after he invaded her home and took her handbag and cash. The attack prompted her family to offer a £10,000 reward for his capture. He also hurt a 69-year-old woman as he tried to mug her at her home in Padiham and beat up a 16-year-old boy.

Officers are also hunting a man from Nelson after he breached the terms of his release from jail.

Colin Gibson, 24, was originally jailed in early 2010 at Burnley Crown Court for a breach of a suspended sentence after he burgled a business in Manchester Road Nelson.

Information can be passed to the police or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.