WALK-IN burglaries in Darlington have been dramatically reduced thanks to a police campaign launched last month.

Darlington Police's Operation Velvet is aimed at reducing home and garage break-ins, especially during winter, when it gets dark earlier.

Information leaflets are being distributed around the town giving simple advice to people about protecting their homes and property.

Latest figures suggest the operation has been a success, with a 20 per cent fall in house burglaries in the past few weeks.

Before the initiative began, more than 60 per cent of house burglaries in Darlington were committed by thieves who got in through an unlocked door or ground floor window.

But this has been slashed to 25 per cent since Operation Velvet was launched.

As well as asking people to take care of their property, police have been appealing for information about suspicious people.

This extra vigilance has also paid off with a number of people being arrested in connection with burglaries in the Haughton and Redhall areas of Darlington, including what the police described as "two prolific criminals".

Detective Inspector Ian Phillips said: "We are very happy with the results so far.

"People are being more vigilant and looking after their property.

"The leaflets have proved popular and we have been handing them out to people who want advice."

He said: "It has gone well so far but people must continue to take care. We want people to look out for elderly relatives or neighbours who are often the target for sneak-in thieves and to ring us if they need help.

"As Christmas gets closer I would appeal to people not to put presents under the Christmas tree or where they could be seen through a window.

"We want to cut down on the number of distraught families we have to speak to at this time of year because they have been burgled and lost everything."

Copies of the leaflet can be obtained from Darlington Town Hall and North Road and Cockerton police stations.