POLICE have launched a crackdown on mobile phone muggers after a series of attacks over the last few months.

Officers are marking phones with secret identity codes as part of a drive to reduce street robberies.

Several people, many of them youngsters, have had phones stolen in attacks over the last few weeks.

Around 500 people have already taken up the offer of getting their phones marked.

If the scheme proves a useful deterrent it will be rolled out to the rest of East Lancashire.

Inspector John Clucas, who is responsible for Burnley East which includes the town centre, said: "We cannot claim it is a nationwide first but it is the first time in East Lancashire that mobile owners have been given this opportunity."

In three days at the end of last week 500 people had their mobiles marked as police set out their stall in Burnley town centre.

The scheme will continue again later this week. Mr Clucas said: "We have had a handful of incidents in which mobile phones have been stolen in street robberies.

"We are looking ahead in an attempt to prevent it becoming the bigger problem that it already is in some other areas. Crackdown

on phone

muggers

"We are trying to learn from their experience and we are trying to head it off at the pass."

Each phone is marked with a identification code unique to the owner so that it is easier to trace if stolen - just like on bicycles. Mr Clucas said: "There has been an excellent response with a good cross section of the community getting their mobiles marked but with a particularly high number of youngsters becoming involved."

Town centre retailers are also supporting the scheme with some agreeing to mark the phones at the point of purchase.