A CRACKDOWN on theft from students' houses over Christmas has been launched by Teesside University's Student Union.

Student homes are a frequent target for burglars over the festive season when they know many students have returned home to be with family and friends.

The Students' Union is using funds allocated by the Home Office to Middlesbrough police to provide storage for students' valuables while they are away.

The scheme is being offered as a free trial to all students at the University of Teesside.

The union has enlisted the help of a Stockton storage company, Devereux, to house students' belongings in a safe environment so they can go home and enjoy a trouble-free break.

The union's welfare and education officer, Tracy Goodfellow, said: "With hundreds of students in a similar situation, take up is expected to be extremely good. If the scheme proves to be a success, the Students' Union hopes to provide the service throughout the rest of next year."

The Students' Union has also been heavily promoting a scheme to increase the security of students residing in the Middlesbrough area, offering free burglar alarms, window locks, door locks and dusk till dawn lights.

It has helped more than 114 households to make their properties more secure so far.