POLICE are searching for a gang of thieves who targeted stores during a ‘high-value’ Lego spree in Bournemouth and Poole.

Officers investigating have released CCTV of people they want to speak to in connection with the thefts which resulted in nearly £3,000 worth of Lego being stolen.

The first store to be hit was Smyths Toys Superstore in Bournemouth’s Mallard Road Retail Park.

The thieves made off with around £600-worth of Lego during the raid at 4.15pm on Wednesday, May 10.

Days later, on Monday, May 15, the gang struck twice more.

At around 7.30pm, two women entered the Tesco store at Tower Park in Poole and stole four boxes of Lego with a value of £858.

It is believed the women may have been with two men.

Around ten minutes later, it was reported that four people had pushed three trolleys containing Batman Lego out of the Toys R Us store in Nuffield Road without paying and left in a silver Vauxhall Vectra.

The total value of the Lego stolen on this occasion was £1,363.85. The Vectra bore the registration number BK56 XOB, which is known to be a false number plate from a stolen vehicle.

CCTV from Toys R Us showed the two men and two women entering the store.

PC Vicky Sims, of Dorset Police, said: “The items stolen were of significant value and it is believed these thefts could be linked to a series of similar incidents in surrounding counties.

“I am now in a position to release CCTV images of the people we would like to speak to in connection with these thefts.”

Anyone with information about the thefts, as well as those able to identify the individuals pictured in the CCTV footage or the vehicle involved, should contact Dorset Police via dorset.police.uk or call 101 quoting incident number 55170071418.