POLICE hope banning a prolific shoplifter from several major stores in Barrow will prevent him from stealing.

Ian Riddick has been banned from a number of shops in the area following dozens of thefts in previous years.

Now the 43-year-old has been made the subject of a criminal behaviour order after police appealed to magistrates.

Riddick faces committing an offence if he breaches the order.

Under the order he will be banned from entering several stores he has shoplifted from including supermarkets Aldi, Co-op and Asda.

He is also banned from shops including B&Q, JD Sports and Sports Direct.

The order also bans him from placing any item for sale in anything other than a shopping bag or trolley before paying.

Riddick has previously been convicted of shoplifting items after putting them into a rucksack or a bag lined with foil to evade security alarms.

The serial thief is also banned from concealing items on his person before paying and from covering his face when entering any retail premises.

The order will last for three years.

Riddick was last before South Cumbria Magistrates' Court for shoplifting in December.

He admitted seven charges of shoplifting after he took more than £1,000 worth of items from multiple stores.

The court heard Riddick attempted to steal a coat worth £139 from Barrow's TK Maxx on November 22 but the item was taken back by staff as he tried to flee.

On December 3 he stole a chainsaw worth £224 from B&Q and ten days later on December 13 his shoplifting spree continued when he stole Nike fleeces and joggers from JD Sports worth a total of £580.

He returned to B&Q on December 15, taking a knife to remove security tags from a drill in a theft worth £193.

The court heard two days later he stole £134 worth of alcohol from the Co-op in Abbey Road before returning and taking £64.50 worth of food and drink items.

The court heard Riddick had 89 previous offences on his record at the time.

He was jailed by magistrates for a total of 26 weeks for the thefts, with a further ten days for breaching his post-sentence supervision having previously been released from prison.