Police sharp-shooters and a fleet of armoured off-road cars have been drafted into the hunt for Britain's most wanted man.

As Raoul Moat continued to evade capture, police offered a £10,000 reward for help in tracking down the former nightclub bouncer.

Detectives revealed they had found Mr Moat's moorland hideout, along with a letter written to his ex-girlfriend, near to Rothbury, Northumbria.

Her father, Paul Stobbart, pleaded with Mr Moat to turn himself in, saying: "Raoul, son, please this has to stop, we don't want anyone else hurt."

In a letter Mr Moat wrote, he threatened former friends.

Mr Moat went on the run after karate instructor Chris Brown, 29, was gunned down in the Scafell area of Birtley, Gateshead, in the early hours of Saturday. The fatal shooting, in which 22-year-old Miss Stobbart suffered critical injuries, sparked a huge manhunt as Mr Moat declared war on police. PC David Rathband, 42, was shot early on Sunday in an "unprovoked attack" while sitting in a patrol car in East Denton, Newcastle. At a press conference yesterday, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson made another direct appeal to Mr Moat, saying: "I've said it before and I will say it again, we want to apprehend you safely. Please give yourself up."

Mr Adamson said he had a "gut feeling" that 37-year-old Moat remains on the run near Rothbury armed with one or two weapons and ammunition. He said the £10,000 reward is on offer for information leading to Mr Moat's arrest as police investigate hundreds of tip-offs from the public.