Criminals have been warned they face a crackdown.

Police in North and West Yorkshire are mounting joint patrols in the Harrogate and Selby areas in the run-up to Christmas.

Operation Waltz is a seasonal campaign to curb cross-border criminals while at the same time providing reassurance to residents with a highly visible police presence.

Detective Sergeant Dave Horne, of Harrogate CID, said: "Over the past 12 months we have experienced numerous occasions of criminals travelling across both North and West Yorkshire to commit offences.

"They are breaking into houses to steal car keys, using them to steal a vehicle, usually from outside the owner's home."

As part of the operation, police in marked cars will patrol Harrogate and Selby districts bordering West Yorkshire.

"Our officers will be pro-actively targeting criminals, but these additional patrols will mean we will also be able to respond quickly to calls from the public, so we are encouraging them to report immediately anything which they feel is suspicious," said Det Sgt Horne.

"I would much prefer these people to stay at home, but if they insist on coming into our county to commit crime, they know that we are waiting for them."