A COUNCIL is using microchips to dig the dirt on thieves who steal its trees and shrubs.

Spennymoor Town Council has been left counting the cost of various thefts in recent years.

It is now planning to buy devices known as Datatags, which can help to recover stolen items.

The tags, which can be as small as a grain of rice, will be implanted into trees and shrubs belonging to the council.

They contain a unique code which can be read with a hand-held scanner, and if any are stolen and recovered, the owners can be traced using a database.

As well as the trees and shrubs, Spennymoor town council also plans to implant the tags into other property.

Town clerk Terry Robson said: "Some years ago we bought 36 special Leylandii trees to screen the tennis courts in Jubilee park and they were all stolen.

"It costs a lot of money to replace council property but these tags will hopefully help us to prevent people who think they have a right to take things from public parks and open spaces."

Spennymoor council is planning to spend about £1,200 on buying the tags from Scotland-based LA Tag, which has a franchise to sell Datatags.