A TROUBLED former North-East football star has been on the run from the police for the past four months after being named as a suspected burglar, it emerged last night.

Ex-Sunderland striker Chris Byrne is being hunted by police investigating a £1.5m series of burglaries in North-West England.

The 30-year-old, who made ten appearances for the Black Cats in 1997, is wanted by detectives in Lancashire who are investigating a spate of 150 burglaries from plumbers' merchants throughout the region.

Mr Byrne has not been seen since November 29, when two burglaries were carried out in the same day at The Plumb Centre on Westgate Trading Centre, in Burnley, and Plumbase, in Chorley, both Lancashire.

Police have visited his home in Barrack Street, in the Hulme area of Manchester, but found no sign of the former Republic of Ireland international.

Lancashire Constabulary's serious and organised crime unit set up a region-wide investigation last year, working closely with colleagues from Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Staffordshire Police.

The move followed an upsurge in burglaries from plumbers' yards, in which condensing heating boilers were targeted.

Since February 2005, there have been more than 150 burglaries at plumbers' merchants across the North-West, in which a total of £1.5m-worth of boilers alone have been stolen.

Yesterday, Detective Inspector Andy Murphy, of Lancashire's serious crime unit, said: "We are keen to trace Mr Byrne as soon as possible, as we believe he has been involved in a number of high-value thefts.

"It is not just the cost of the stolen property that impacts on the owners of the plumbers' merchants, but they also face the costs in excess of £1m to repair their premises and damage to security systems."

One man has already been charged in connection with the burglaries.

Mr Byrne had the world at his feet when the 22-year-old signed for Sunderland in 1997 from non-league Macclesfield, scoring a hat-trick on his debut for the reserves.

He impressed in the club's first competitive game at the Stadium of Light alongside fellow debutant Kevin Phillips and was quickly called up to the Republic of Ireland squad.

But just months later, he quit Wearside claiming to be homesick for his native North-West.

He joined Stockport County in a £200,000 move but his later career was blighted by brushes with the law, culminating in a court appearance where the £80,000-a-year player admitted his part in a burglary at a Manchester chemists' shop.

His football career was ended in 2002 when, by then having returned to play for Macclesfield, he was shot in the leg by masked gunmen

Anyone with information on Mr Byrne's whereabouts is asked to ring Lancashire Police on (01772) 614444 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111