Wiesbaden, Germany  - One or more mysterious snipers have been firing bullets into new cars on the backs of car transporters for the past year in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, German police said Friday.

From July 2008 to this month, police logged 225 cases in Germany alone. No one has been injured.

BKA federal police in Wiesbaden said there was no pattern to the attacks, it was unclear what calibre of weapon was being used, and detectives were unsure if they were hunting one person or a group.

"All the cars that have been hit are brand new, but there is no recognisable preference for a particular brand, style or value," said an investigator. BKA, Germany's police agency, has been coordinating a cross-border hunt for those responsible since mid-August.

Truck drivers mostly notice the damage when they are unloading the transporters and cannot remember hearing shots.

"It's not just the loss of the cars that is the problem," said a police statement. "Shooting is terribly dangerous to the truck drivers and other traffic."(dpa)