CREDIT card and chequebook fraudsters have been given the thumbs down by a new scheme pioneered in East Lancashire.

The new fingerprinting scheme, which is the first of its kind in the North West, aims to stamp out fraud by asking every customer to put their thumb print on the back of their cheques and credit card slips when they shop.

If the cheque of credit card is reported as stolen the police will then have a copy of the culprit's print.

The scheme was launched in Hyndburn yesterday and shops, banks, and restaurants have all been urged to take part in a bid to reduce card and cheque crime in the area.

The ink-less fingerprinting system works by staff asking customers to provide their thumbprint on the back of a cheque or credit card slip using a small disc pad kept on the counter.

No residue is left on their thumb and providing the print take just a few seconds.

This is the end of the process for a law-abiding customer, but if the cheque or credit card comes back as stolen the police have an immediate lead to investigate and a print to compare with existing fingerprint records. Police hope the system will deter fraudsters from using stolen credit cards and cheque books -- especially if they already have criminal records.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by PC John Chapman, of Hyndburn First, who said: "Law-abiding citizens should not be worried about providing their prints, the process is simple and all they are doing is verifying that they are the genuine credit card or cheque account holder.

"The pad used is ink-less, there is no mess, but it will leave a permanent record of the identity of the actual presenter, therefore the only person to worry is the criminal.

"The knock-on effect of this system will also have a huge impact on other related offences, especially burglary, due to thedeterrent factor of rendering the card or cheque book useless and of no value unless in the hands of the true owner." He added that 40 kits were currently available in Hyndburn, and each pad can take 400 to 600 prints, lasting up to 18 months.

The scheme is the first of its kind in the North West and will be launched county

-wide in all divisions by Lancashire police next Friday.

It has already enjoyed considerable success during trials at shopping centres in Kent, the city of London, and Hull, with a 100% reduction in credit card fraud in some areas.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope -- himself a former victim of credit card crime -- welcomed the crackdown.

The Labour Whip said: "Good. A couple of years ago my wallet was stolen on a train.

"It was taken by a criminal who, among other things, targeted politicians and tried to steal Michael Howard's wallet when he was Home Secretary.

"He stole my wallet, got off the train at the next stop, went straight into the supermarket, brought £6 worth of goods and got the maximum £50 cash back.

"He did this repeatedly and ran up bills of several hundred pounds.

"Luckily, I realised the theft quickly and rang the bank but if I had not he could have cost me all that money.

"This type of technology would have prevented him from doing this and I am all in favour of it.

"Many of my constituents could not afford to find a huge credit card bill because of a criminal.

"If they ring the bank quickly they are covered but if they didn't realise in time, they would have to pay.

"They will welcome this initiative as I do. I'm very pleased its being rolled out in Hyndburn.

"The man who stole my card was eventually caught, prosecuted and jailed.

"I don't think he realised who I was, but having personally been a victim of this sort of crime I think this is a very valuable initiative."