DETECTIVES in Accrington have launched an undercover "hit squad" to tackle burglary in the town.

A rising number of break-ins in East Lancashire has prompted the move, which follows a similar scheme in Blackburn.

The team of three officers led by a detective sergeant will be dedicated to hunting down burglars responsible for break-ins in the town and arresting them.

The scheme is the latest phase of Operation Enforce launched before Christmas in a bid to crackdown on burglary and car theft. The scheme resulted in the arrest of 34 prolific criminals.

Its launch comes after police admitted the amount of drugs on the streets has led to a sharp increase in burglaries.

In Accrington, 85 burglars have been caught in the last three months, a rise of 80 per cent on the previous three months, but burglaries have still been rising.

They have fallen dramatically in Blackburn since the launch of the dedicated team and officers are hoping for a similar success in Accrington.

The new Accrington team will be using a number of tactics to try to reduce burglary in the town, including visiting known offenders to let them know they are being watched, targeting burglary "hotspot" areas with extra patrols and plain clothes investigations.

The scheme has already proved successful with 16 suspected burglars arrested since the start of the month. Ten have since been charged with burglary.

Two burglaries which occurred in the town last weekend have already been detected and property returned to the owners