POLICE are looking for help in tracing two men suspected of targeting shops in separate incidents across North Durham during the past few months.

The first incident happened in the Market Place branch of Boots in Durham City, shortly after 5pm on Friday, January 28.

A man, thought to be in his early 20s, selected a £39 Hugo Boss gift set from an aftershave display and concealed it in his jacket, before leaving the store without paying for the goods.

The suspect, who has a slim build, was wearing a dark Adidas woollen hat and dark jacket, with red and white stripes down the sleeves.

Officers are also investigating a previous incident at the Taylors Newsforce shop, in Cowley Street, Shotton Colliery.

In that case, a stocky man aged in his mid to late 20s went into the shop just before 2.40pm on Monday, November 29, and bought £129 worth of cigarettes with a credit card.

It later emerged that the card had been lost, along with the wallet it was in, earlier that afternoon in Easington.

The card had been used by a man answering the same description at three shops in Peterlee and the Dalton Park shopping centre to buy goods totalling almost £750.

The card was retained by staff, but the suspect, who was between 5ft 10in and 6ft, with light blond or ginger hair, escaped.

At the time of the incident, he was wearing a light-coloured baseball cap with an NY logo, a grey and blue hooded jacket with a Le Coq Sportif logo across the front.