People in Durham and Cleveland are far more likely to be the victim of a distraction burglary than residents elsewhere in England, new figures show.

And they are up to five times more likely to be burgled by someone gaining entry by deception than people in neighbouring North Yorkshire.

There were ten distraction burglaries per 10,000 homes in Cleveland in the 12 months to March 2004 and nine per 10,000 households in Durham.

The average across England and Wales was seven. And the figures in North Yorkshire (2) and Northumbria (3) were among the lowest in the country.

Meanwhile, distraction burglaries accounted for 7.7% of total burglaries in Durham - the highest proportion in the country. The average was only 4%.

In a distraction burglary, an offender gains entry by pretending to be an official such as a meter reader, police officer, council worker or someone needing help in an emergency.

The figures add weight to The Northern Echo's Doorstoppers campaign that aims to stamp out the menace once and for all. Doorstoppers has the backing of the police, trading standards, politicians, utility companies and organisations which look after the welfare of the elderly.

The aim is to raise awareness of the dangers of bogus callers and distraction burglaries, and press for a change in the law to combat door-to-door property repair tradesmen.

There were more than 15,000 distraction burglaries across England and Wales, but it is the first time the figures have been collated, so no comparison with previous years is possible.

With 672 distraction burglaries across the North East and North Yorkshire in 2003/4, it means that 13 residents were victims every week.

The highest total was in Cleveland (227), followed by Durham (219), Northumbria (153) and North Yorkshire (73).

Overall quarterly figures, also released yesterday, revealed that general crime was down 7% in 2003/4, according to householders interviewed for the British Crime Survey.

Crime figures recorded by police also showed a 5% fall, but neither statistic is broken down by police force area.

There was a 3% climb in gun crime, following a 2% rise the previous year. And the statistics revealed a 35% rise in crimes involving imitation weapons.

But there was a 15% drop in the number of shooting-related deaths, which fell to 81 from 97 in the previous 12 months.

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said the government had to get across the message that "carrying a gun is not a cool thing to do".