DETECTIVES hunting a thief who stole a purse from a car have released a CCTV image of a man they want to trace.

The thief had broken into a grey Peugeot 208 parked on Sutton Brook Close, Parr and stolen a purse containing bank cards.

It is believed that the incident happened between 11pm on Sunday night and 3.30am on Monday morning.

Following enquiries, it was discovered the bank cards had since been used for in-store transactions.

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Detective Inspector Jackie Guinness said: “We are very keen to speak to this man, as we believe he could have valuable information about this incident which would help our enquiries.

“While contactless technology is convenient and generally safe, there is the risk that if your card is stolen or lost it can be used or passed on to use for purchases without needing a PIN. If you spot any suspicious activity with your card or bank account, please report it to police immediately."