A 'DANGEROUS' sex offender has gone on the run after fleeing from his Blackburn home, police said today.

A massive search has been launched across Lancashire for Michael Andrew Wilson, 44, who has a history of sex offences against boys.

Police said Wilson went missing from the address he was meant to be living at following his release from prison.

And today it was revealed that Wilson was one of the first people in England to breach a sex-offender order in 1999, when a similar hunt was launched for him. At that time he gained national notoriety -- and prompted an internal inquiry by the Probation Service -- after he left his Accrington bail hostel unsupervised, caught a train to Preston and approached a four-year-old boy.

Wilson, 44, had been living in Blackburn since last Friday following his release from prison where he had been serving four-and-a-half years for an offence committed in Lancaster.

However on Monday night police said he failed to return to the home as part of his licence conditions. Wilson was last seen at 1.30pm on Monday.

Police have made the appeal for information as they are concerned about his intentions in not complying with the conditions of his licence.

Detective Inspector Paul Withers, from the Accrington-based public protection unit, said: "If anyone knows the whereabouts of Mr Wilson I would ask them to contact the police.

"We believe he presents a risk to the public and anyone who comes into contact with him should dial 999 immediately.

"He should not be approached and it is important that we find him quickly.

"He is in breach of his prison licence and will be returned to prison as soon as he is found."

In 1999, probation bosses decided it was too dangerous for Wilson to live at Highfield House bail hostel in Lydia Street, Accrington.

They ordered that he make his way to Liverpool, but he went missing for three days after being left unsupervised at Accrington train station.

He was arrested after being spotted by a shop assistant talking to a four-year-old boy.

Wilson was jailed for three years for breaking a sex offender order following his previous convictions. The order prevented him approaching any person under the age of 18 without written police authority.

At that time the judge described him as a "systematic paedophile with poor impulse control".

Wilson had previous convictions for offences against boys in 1983, 1987 and 1990, 1992 and 1996. When he was released in 1998, he was found in the company of five boys in Fleetwood and made the subject of the sex offender order.

In January 2003, he was jailed for four-and-a-half years after being spotted talking to the mother of a two-year-old girl following his release from the three-year sentence.

Wilson is described as white, 5ft 4ins, of stocky build and balding with dark brown hair at the sides. He has a number of missing teeth, blue eyes, scars on top of his head and both his arms.

There are also tattoos on his forearms and both hands.

Wilson was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, a burgundy jumper, dark blue zip-up jacket and white Nike trainers. He was carrying a box for a small ghetto blaster.

Accrington bail hostel unsupervised, caught a train to Preston and approached a young boy.

Wilson, 44, had been living in Blackburn since last Friday after his release from prison where he had been serving four and a half years for an offence committed in Lancaster.

However, on Monday night, police said he failed to return to the home as part of his licence conditions. Wilson was last seen at 1.30pm on Monday.

Police have made the appeal for information as they are concerned about his intentions in not complying with the conditions of his licence.

Detective Inspector Paul Withers, from the Accrington-based public protection unit, said: "If anyone knows the whereabouts of Mr Wilson, I would ask them to contact the police.

"We believe he presents a risk to the public and anyone who comes into contact with him should dial 999 immediately.

"He should not be approached.

"

In 1999, probation bosses decided it was too dangerous for Wilson to live at Highfield House bail hostel in Lydia Street, Accrington.

They sent him to Liverpool but he went missing for three days after being left unsupervised at Accrington train station.

He was arrested after being spotted by a shop assistant talking to a four-year-old boy.

Wilson was jailed for three years for breaking a sex offender order following his previous convictions.

The order prevented him approaching anyone under the age of 18.

Then, the judge described him as a "systematic paedophile with poor impulse control".

Wilson had previous convictions for offences against boys in 1983, 1987 and 1990, 1992 and 1996. When he was released in 1998, he was found with five boys in Fleetwood and made the subject of the sex offender order.

In January 2003, he was jailed for four-and-a-half years after being spotted talking to the mother of a two-year-old girl after his release from the three-year sentence.

Judge David Boulton said at the time: "You remain an ultra-high risk to children."

Wilson is white, 5ft 4ins, stocky and balding, with dark brown hair at the sides. He has missing teeth, blue eyes, scars on top of his head and both his arms.

He also has tattoos on his forearms and hands.

Wilson was last seen wearing blue jeans, and a blue zip-up jacket.