Valuable items including cash and phones were stolen from changing rooms at THREE sports centres in Rushmere St Andrew on Saturday, police have said.

In one theft at Ipswich School’s Rushmere Sports Centre in The Street, two football teams were each given a key to individual changing rooms.

As one of the team members was locking up the changing room, he was approached by a man posing as a member of staff, who offered to take the key and hand it back to reception.

The team member handed over the key, but it later emerged that phones and money had been stolen from inside the changing room from at least 12 people.

The theft took place from 2pm-2.30pm.

A man described as white, aged between 60 and 70 years old who was wearing a dark polo shirt, is wanted by police.

Meanwhile, officers believe the theft is linked to two other similar incidents that took place on Saturday afternoon.

An injured player returned to a set of changing rooms at Ipswich YM RUFC, meaning they were unlocked from 1.45pm-4.40pm, a force spokesman said.

It was later discovered that an iPhone and money had been stolen from the pockets of a pair of trousers left in the changing room.

Meanwhile, a wallet containing bank cards and cash, and an iPhone 5, were stolen from a set of changing rooms in Humber Doucy Lane from 3.15pm-4.45pm.

Witnesses or people with information relating to this incident are urged to call police on 101.