POLICE in Hampshire are building a case against a thief who has stolen thousands of pounds worth of Lego from a Hampshire supermarket.

The one man crime wave has struck nine times within just two weeks, targeting the store's display of children's Lego and fleeing with boxes worth hundreds of pounds each time.

Officers hunting the serial thief have now released a CCTV image of the man they believe to be responsible and hope someone will recognise him before he is able to strike again.

They are carefully piecing together the evidence from the last fortnight and are urging anyone who may have been offered Lego for sale to come forward with what could be vital information to help them catching their man.

The thief first struck on February 1, walking into the Asda supermarket in Fareham, picking up 46 boxes of generic Lego, worth £1,078 and walking out of the store without paying.

Just a few hours later, not content with his haul of children's toys, he stole 17 bottles of champagne, worth almost £600.

The next day staff reported seeing the same man back in the Speedfields Park store and this time he stole two Panasonic televisions from the display, worth £258.

But when he returned to the shop later that same day, he was disturbed by staff as he tried to leave the store with nine boxes of Lego worth £126 and groceries worth £6.

The thief then struck again 48 hours later, on February 4, first stealing £180 worth of Star Wars Lego, before going in again the same day and trying to steal £48 worth of groceries, but staff disturbed him, forcing him to leave the shop empty handed.

He was back in store on February 6, when he picked up £633 worth of Star Wars Lego and walked out without paying and again on February 8, when he stole £30 boxes of generic Lego worth £300.

After a week's break, the latest theft happened on Valentine's Day, when the thief entered the store and fled with more generic Lego worth £416 - bringing his total haul of Lego to just over £2,600.

The suspect caught on the supermarkets CCTV shows him wearing a light grey hooded top, with a high-visibility jacket over the top.

PC Simon Wright, from Hampshire Crimestoppers, said: “If you know who this man is, or if you have been offered Lego for sale, please do call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 where you can remain anonymous.

“It's easy to assume that shoplifting is a victimless crime and 'doesn't matter' but we all finish up paying for those who simply help themselves.”

Anyone with information about the thefts or who recognise the man in the CCTV should contact Hampshire police on 101 of Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.