BRITISH Transport Police has launched a region-wide hunt for a prolific luggage thief.

The man has been operating on trains throughout the north west for the past two months and, so far, officers have been unable to trace him.

Now, having released CCTV footage from one of the thefts, they are calling on the public to help identify him and bring him to justice.

The thefts have occurred on the West Coast Mainline between Carlisle and Crewe, with the earliest dating back to September 3.

On each occasion the thief has boarded the train, wandered through the carriages and selected a piece of luggage, usually a laptop case, before getting off the train at the next station.

Detective Inspector Andrea Rainey said: “This man is systematically moving about the region and, whilst genuine passengers are distracted, is helping himself to whatever he can find in the luggage and overhead racks.

“Generally he waits until the train is about to pull out of a station to steal the property as he can then see who is not leaving the service and who will not notice that their luggage has been taken.

“Everyone should have the right to travel by train without the fear of their property being taken and BTP is doing everything in it power to locate this man.

"Given the area in which he is operating it is possible that he could be from anywhere in the North West - or even southern Scotland, as some of the trains have originated from Glasgow.

“We now need assistance from the public and I would ask anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV to come forward before someone else becomes a victim of his crime spree."

If you recognise the man in the CCTV picture or have information about the thefts, call British Transport Police on 0800 405040 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.