POLICE in Wellington are appealing for help catching a thief following a five-day crime spree.

They believe a series of six thefts from parked cars may have been committed by the same man, because of matching descriptions following two of the crimes.

But delays in receiving information from the public have lost them valuable time tracking the offender down.

And officers are urging people to dial 999 immediately if they see anyone acting suspiciously near parked vehicles.

PC Mick Dunn said: "The public are our eyes and ears - we rely on them to come forward no matter how trivial the information is."

Police have reminded people to remove valuables from their vehicles or stow them safely out of sight.

In the meantime, anyone with information that could help with their enquiries is asked to contact Wellington police station on 01823-363262 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555111.

But if you see anyone acting suspiciously near a parked car in the area, police advice is to call 999 as soon as possible.

For the full story, see the Wellington edition of this week's (January 23) Somerset County Gazette.