KNOWN car thieves in Hyndburn are getting home visits from police officers who warn: "We're watching you!"

Chiefs in Accrington say the project is already paying dividends after they curbed a spate of car thefts in the Hyndburn Road area of the town.

The crackdown, part of a "targeting" operation, began after a sharp rise in auto theft was reported in the borough. Accrington, Oswaldtwistle and Church have all suffered particularly, with crimes fluctuating between 40 and 70 a month.

Inspector Julian Platt said: "Our targeted operations, which have included visiting known offenders at home, appear to be working.

"It's a case of telling them that we know they are around, and if they get up to no good, then they will be caught.

"We've done similar operations with burglaries which have also paid off. Persistent offenders will find themselves in court. We're determined to catch the minority who are determined to commit crime. If the people visited don't do anything wrong, then they have nothing to worry about."

One area which has particularly benefited from the car crime crackdown is Hyndburn Road in Accrington.

Home to a variety of big stores, such as Aldi, Homebase, Matalan and Asda - with Hyndburn Sports Centre and the cinema complex also close by - cars parked there had been targeted by thieves.

In addition to the home visits, police officers also put up warning signs in supermarket car parks to remind motorists to lock their cars and hide any wallets, coats and other belongings out of sight.

Police officers and council wardens have also stepped up uniformed patrols in and around the town centre and at Church.

Older Fords and Vauxhalls had been a favourite for the thieves. It had been thought the increase in thefts from outside the town centre was down to improved CCTV coverage in the town centre.