RESIDENTS and business on Teesside are getting smart to find ways of beating burglars.

So far, 1,500 homes and 50 businesses in one area of Middlesbrough have taken up a free offer to have their valuables given a forensic fingerprint.

From Monday, community caretakers will be knocking on doors in the town's Gresham and university areas, in a bid to get more people to sign up to SmartWater markings, which only become visible under ultra violet light.

The security marking, which brushes on, has led to a dramatic fall in burglaries from properties in the West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust area.

Trust chairwoman Joan Ford said: "In fact we're not aware of any break-ins in homes treated with SmartWater in west Middlesbrough.

"It's already helped hundreds of people feel safer in their own homes and I'd highly recommend it to residents in other parts of the town."

Councillor Barry Coppinger, executive member for community safety at Middlesbrough Council, which is funding the offer, said: "I hope people pick up on this free offer as it will make their homes and properties much safer. The statistics show that SmartWater makes possessing stolen property a risky business, which is why police forces estimate it cuts burglaries by around 60 per cent."