RESIDENTS who want to secure their homes without turning them into fortresses are invited to attend an event this weekend.

PC Steve Davies, Hartlepool's burglary reduction officer, and Colin Hopkins, crime prevention officer for Hartlepool New Deal for Communities, are holding two Plants Against Crime sessions at the town's Stranton Nursery.

They will visit the Tanfield Road nursery and explain how the use of spiky, thorny and very dense shrubbery can act as a barrier to thieves. They will also give out a range of general advice on home and garden security.

The first session takes place tomorrow from 9.30am to 12.30pm and a second will be held on Saturday, May 29.