A CRACKDOWN on crime had been ruined - by padding pet cats.

Residents of Jesmond in Newcastle have been badly hit by thieves who climbed the walls of their back gardens and yards.

So police handed out tins of anti-crime paint, which stays sticky and makes walls too slippery to climb, deterring would-be thieves.

But pet cats have been returning home to leave paw prints across expensive sofas and carpets.

Three years after the paint was bought, there are still thousands of gallons in storage.

Members of the local residents' association have now been given permission to hand the left-over paint to Newcastle City Council.

Councillor Joanne Kingsland said she had received complaints from people whose cats had brought in the paint on their paws.

She said: "It was such a shame, because there was not much take up on the paint scheme."