A comic is under investigation following allegations that he conned customers by claiming he had booked a string of top TV funny-men.

Northumbria Police want to talk to Mark Rough, who is believed to still live in Saltaire, following a complaint from former They Think It's All Over star Lee Hurst.

Mr Hurst, along with old-school comic legend Bob Monkhouse, had been publicised by Mr Rough as being due to appear at The Smugglers pub in Roker, Sunderland, in August and October respectively.

Now licensees Paul Walsh and Donna Gibson, who have not seen their comedy club promoter for a week, have asked police to look into the disappearance of £2,000 worth of ticket sales for the non-existent shows.

A shocked Mr Walsh said: "We only found out the show, which was due to take place on August 3, wasn't happening when Lee Hurst rang here and said he'd never heard of Mark Rough or the pub.

"He's been running his Fnrr Fnrr Comedy Club in our pub for seven months and he's always come up with the goods before. We've had some cracking comics up here before and he gave very plausible reasons why people like Lee Hurst and Bob Monkhouse would come to a small place like this."

Mr Rough, originally from Sunderland, moved to Saltaire in 1994 and started his Fnrr Fnrr Comedy Club in Fanny's Ale and Cider House four years later.

Earlier this year, he headed off to Spain for a stand-up spot in a Benidorm nightclub, but soon afterwards was running a version of his club in Roker.

The Telegraph & Argus left messages on Mr Rough's mobile phone but was unable to contact him.

Bald-headed joker Mr Hurst, playing this week at the Edinburgh Festival, said of the advertised August 3 performance: "This guy hasn't booked us, I haven't heard of Mark Rough and no, I'm not playing at this club. I shall be taking legal advice."

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "Lee Hurst made a complaint to us with regards a poster saying he would be appearing at The Smugglers pub this month when he hadn't got a booking there.

"The licensees of The Smugglers have also made a complaint to the police about Mr Rough and we are investigating an allegation of theft."

They added that they had no known address for Mr Rough apart from c/o The Smugglers pub.

A spokesman for Mr Monkhouse's agent, Peter Pritchard, said they were aware of the story but had never talked to Mr Rough.

"It's not the case Bob Monkhouse is appearing there.

"Mr Rough's never been on to us to discuss any kind of deal or business whatsoever, he's never even spoken to us.