LAZY shopkeepers are playing into the hands of identity thieves, investigations have revealed.

Middlesbrough Borough Council has uncovered a number of failures among the town's businesses, relating to proper disposal of waste containing personal information.

The findings include:

* Sensitive personal data about a phone shop's customers were scattered across a Middlesbrough town centre street, after a bin bag taken by a rough sleeper, for bedding, burst open.

* The wages slips of five employees, complete with their full national insurance numbers, were discovered in an open bin bag, dumped in an alley behind a pub.

* A till roll containing the names of 17 customers and their credit card numbers, printed in full, was found in a torn bin bag, dumped behind a department store.

* A swoop on a parade of shops this week found a quarter of the premises did not have waste collection and disposal contracts in place.

All businesses are legally required to make proper arrangements for the collection and disposal of waste.

Failure to comply is an offence.

Dr Anthony Luke, head of the council's enforcement team, said: "If this, from what is only a small sample, is repeated across the town, you are talking about hundreds of businesses.''

The team has sold hundreds of discount-priced shredders to residents in a bid to thwart identity thieves targeting their neighbourhoods.

However, it is now having to shift its attention to lax businesses.

Dr Luke said: "To take proper responsibility for their waste and to make sure it's disposed of in accordance with the law is not free; it entails cost.

"It may be people are trying to avoid paying the proper costs. It is something we are trying to tackle by education and enforcement.''

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: "Cleveland Police would encourage anyone who has not already done so to review their fraud prevention policies.

"This includes safe disposal of confidential items such as pay slips, bank statements etc.

"Fraudsters can use personal information to commit all kinds of fraud, including setting up false bank accounts, obtaining loans in your name and also applying for credit cards.''

Councillor Barry Coppinger, executive member for community safety and leisure, said: "It's extremely worrying that a significant number of local businesses do not have proper arrangements in place to have their waste removed, and that we are seeing an increase in the amount personal information found around these premises.''