POLICE have released an image of a lone man who they believe is at the centre of 40 burglaries carried out in two Lincolnshire villages.

Since May, he has stolen tens of thousands of pounds of jewellery and cash from properties in Nettleham and Saxilby.

The homes targeted have been empty with many of the occupants having gone on holiday.

And it remains a puzzle how the thief seems to know the properties are vacant.

The images from August 15, which have been exclusively revealed to the Echo, show the man in Horncastle town centre, where he has also allegedly struck six times.

The Echo previously reported on the Nettleham burglaries, but the Saxilby and Horncastle incidents were revealed yesterday.

Officers asked the Echo to publish the pictures in an attempt to uncover the perpetrator's identity.

They are offering a £1,000 reward to information leading to a conviction.

Through detailed investigations, including increased patrols in the area and, in some cases, covert work, police are confident the man is from the South Yorkshire area.

DCI Shaun West said: "The detailed work we have done with these images means we are very confident this is our man.

"Although we can't go into detail for operational reasons, we are also extremely confident he lives in or regularly visits the South Yorkshire area.

"We need people in Lincolnshire to study these images and tell us if they think they know this man."