THIS is the moment a shop thief was caught with his hand in a till.

He helped himself to £80 - but was stopped seconds later when have-a-go hero Tommy Dowie wrestled him to the ground.

The terrified thief handed over the money to the burly former security guard and fled from Busy Bee Frozen Foods in Newport Street in Bolton town centre.

Police today released footage of the episode captured from the shop's CCTV system in a bid to catch the thief.

The dramatic scenes unfolded in front of stunned shoppers at 3.50pm on Friday, December 1.

Footage captures the man walking into the store to check that no staff were near the till and managed to open the till before leaving the shop.

He returned and grabbed £80 in notes before trying to leave.

But he was collared by quick-thinking Mr Dowie, who spotted him wrestled him to the ground outside the shop.

The 35-year-old from Hall i' th' Wood injured his hand in the scuffle and was awarded a £50 voucher by managers of the store.

PC Steve Lunn, who is investigating the theft, said: "Although this thief didn't manage to get away with any money because of the brave actions of a member of the public, we are very keen to trace him.

"The way he calmly walked in to the shop and knew which button to press on the till suggests he may have done this before.

"We want to speak to anybody who thinks they recognise him or knows who he is."

Anyone with information should call PC Lunn on 0161 856 5537 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.