The theft of lead from homes and businesses across Northumberland has prompted officers in Ashington to invest in a number of DNA marking kits, containing a special liquid with a unique code.

If property marked with the liquid is recovered by police they can then scan it and return the property to its rightful owner.

Detective Constable Steve Crane, of Ashington CID, said: "Due to the rise in price of these materials there has been an increase in the number of these crimes, an increase that this system is tailor-made to tackle.

"Each bottle contains a unique forensic code which is assigned to a particular household or premises, and once applied to the material or item of property to be protected, it cures hard and invisible to the eye making it virtually impossible to remove."

The kits, containing liquid and instructions on how to use it, are being sold for £15 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, from the front counter of Ashington police station.