A REGION-wide police hunt is under way 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.

Police have released a CCTV still of a man they would like to question over the incidents.

The latest theft occurred on November 4 near Manchester Piccadilly.

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 at the next station.

Det Insp Andrea Rainey from British Transport Police said: “This man is systematically moving about the region and, while 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 train 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 we are doing everything in our 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 help from the public and I would ask anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV picture to come forward before someone else becomes a victim of his Crime spree.”

Anyone with information is asked to call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.