Man sought over travel agency raids

Police appealed for public help today to identify an offender responsible for a string of travel agent robberies.

Detectives believe the man, who was captured on CCTV during a raid in Stone, Staffordshire, earlier this week, has previously targeted six other shops since December last year.

It is believed the robber has used a silver Vauxhall Zafira during the raids, also targeting bureaux de change in Fleetwood and Colne in Lancashire, Buxton and Littleover in Derbyshire, and Leek and Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.

The latest raid occurred at Thomson in High Street, Stone, at around 3.10pm on Monday this week.

Detective Sergeant Neil Waterhouse, of Staffordshire Police, said the man, armed with a screwdriver, threatened staff members during all the robberies, although no-one has been injured.

Thought to live outside the areas targeted so far, the robber is described as white, aged 40 to 50, around 6ft and of thin to medium build.

He is also said to have untidy, thinning grey hair and is clean-shaven with gaunt features, a large nose, and a pock-marked face.

Mr Waterhouse said: "We need to identify the offender before he commits another robbery, and are working closely with our colleagues in Lancashire and Derbyshire to track him down.

"We hope that people will recognise either him or his vehicle.

"We would encourage them to view the images on our force website at http://www.staffordshire.police.uk, where we have also posted some CCTV footage of him."

Anyone who can provide information about the offender is asked to contact Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 4455 or the Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111.