HUNDREDS of householders in an east Cleveland town are taking steps to put burglars on the run.

Specialist property marking kits have been sent to 1,000 homes in Redcar and all the valuables registered will be logged on to a computer database accessible to police officers.

In addition, 130 homes in the Kirkleatham and Coatham wards that have suffered a break-in over the past 18 months have been fitted with alarms and security lights to cover both the front and back of their properties.

Crown Security, of Guisborough, has carried out the work while officers from Cleveland Police have visited each house to offer further security advice. The Redcar and Cleveland Burglary Reduction Task Group and the West Redcar Single Regeneration Budget Programme have funded the project.

Burglary in the borough has fallen from more than 5,000 in 1996 to just over 1,000 last year, but the scheme was brought forward to be carried out in three months.

Chief Superintendent John Kelly, district commander for Langbaurgh police and joint chairman of the Redcar and Cleveland Community Safety Partnership, said hundreds of people had already signed up to the facilities and he hoped more would follow.

"People in West Redcar will benefit from this and I hope to see a reduction in house break-ins in this area. The police are committed to cutting house burglary and this is one of several projects that through the Community Safety Partnership will help us deliver," he said.

The scheme seems to be working. One resident in the Coatham area who received a light and an alarm said it was reassuring.

"Gone are the days of leaving doors unlocked, but receiving the alarm and lights has made me feel a lot more comfortable in my home," she said.

The police in the area have also been busy promoting Neighbourhood Watch as part of the burglary crackdown campaign.

A meeting to discuss Neighbourhood Watch further takes place today, at the Oxgang Community Centre, Redcar, at 10.30am.