BURGLARY victims are getting Smart - with a little help from Stockton Heath police.

Following a spate of house thefts, community support officers gave 50 households the opportunity to protect their property with a unique initiative.

And 99 per cent of residents who have fallen foul of thieves have taken on Smartwater, a unique traceable liquid that can be painted on items and later identified and traced back to owners.

CSO Bree Lanyon said: "We have been working hard in the south Warrington area because there has been a spate of burglaries.

"It's a bad time of year because of open windows and a lot of people go on holiday.

"Smartwater gives a unique code, so if these houses are targeted again the items, if found, can be traced back to the owners."

The homeowners in Appleton and Stockton Heath were advised to install good quality locks and bolts on windows and doors.

Inspector Stuart Woodcock, of Stockton Heath Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: "It's a chemically-enhanced liquid that's invisible to the naked eye and, when applied to property or sprayed on to criminals while stealing or handling stolen property, is virtually impossible to remove."

Each bottle is unique to the address to which it is registered and because of the DNA-type properties of the solution, no two bottles are the same.

And because of its unique identification abilities, Smartwater provides the police with forensic evidence that places the offender at the scene of a crime.

So far, more than 400 criminals across the country have been convicted as a direct result of Smartwater being used in evidence in court.

For more information about Smartwater, visit: smartwater.com.