A HAVE-A-GO hero who foiled a cash card scam and helped catch the culprits has been praised for his public-spirited action.

The day after being made redundant from MG Rover, Jason Foxall heard he had been given a £100 reward for his bravery by a Worcester Crown Court judge.

He was withdrawing cash from a machine at an HSBC Bank when he spotted a device on the card slot. The fake front hid an electronic gadget linked to a video camera in a nearby car.

"It didn't look right and when I pulled it I realised it was stuck on with sticky tape," said the 35-year-old father of two.

"I thought I would take it to the police station, but when two guys started following me I said I was going to phone the police."

The men snatched the device and ran off, while Mr Foxall dialled 999, running after them and talking to the police at the same time.

"I chased them across town until they got into a BMW and I managed to get the number as they drove off," he said.

The car was stopped in Kidderminster after a high-speed chase on Thursday, November 11, last year and two Romanian illegal immigrants are now serving prison sentences for the scam.

Iulian Vasile, aged 22 and Augustin Iordache, 27, of no fixed address, admitted going equipped to cheat.

Vasile was jailed for 21 months and Iordache, who also admitted dangerous driving, was jailed for a total of 27 months and disqualified from driving for 18 months. They will both be deported when they have completed their sentences.

Mr Foxall, from Bewdley, who has already landed a new job as quality manager at Bosch, in Worcester, said it was a nice gesture for Recorder Rachel Brand QC to award him £100.