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British Transport Police (BTP) is appealing for the public^s help to identify a man officers would like to speak to in connection with an assault on a member of railway staff.

On Thursday 15 October, the guard on board the 17.15hrs Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Parkway service was checking tickets when he encountered a man refusing to pay his fare.

The man made a head butt gesture towards the guard but did not make contact, stopping about an inch from the guard^s nose.

The guard was uninjured but left shaken by the incident which British Transport Police is treating as an assault.

The man got off the train a short time later at Worle station.

BTP has today released a CCTV image of a man they believe can help with their enquiries into the incident.

It coincides with a national BTP campaign launched this month which aims to crack down on assaults on members of railway staff.

Operation Garland aims to ensure passengers and staff stay safe on the rail network throughout the festive season. It will see an increase in high-visibility patrols across the rail network which will target anti-social behaviour and assaults on staff.

As part of Operation Garland, police will be handing out cards to passengers at stations, reminding them to look after themselves, to keep their belongings safe and be respectful to other passengers and rail staff. On the back of cards are the safe travel numbers and space to write the times of your last train.

The man police would like to speak to about the assault on the train between Weston and Worle is described as white, about 30 years old, with blond hair. He was wearing a green tracksuit top with black and white trim and a brown baseball cap.

Anyone who knows the man^s identity or his whereabouts is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, quoting log reference 484 of 15/10/2009.