A 27-YEAR-OLD woman has become the first in Bolton to be fined for falsely claiming her home had been burgled.

Police used new powers to issue a fixed penalty fine of £80 to the woman who admitted that making up a story she had been burgled to avoid paying her landlord a repair bill for a damaged door. New legislation means police can now hand out fixed penalty fines for a variety of minor offences, including making false crime reports, being drunk and for public order offences.

The woman told officers that more than £200 worth of damage had been caused when thieves forced their way through the door of her home in Astley Bridge.

Police found flaws in the woman's story and she later admitted she had asked someone to break into the house after she had locked herself out.

She made the false crime report because she wanted to avoid paying her landlord for the damage.

Insp Tony Kenyon, of Bolton Police, said: "We will discover the truth when false reports are made.

"Anybody contemplating making a false report to the police should remember that all burglary crimes are investigated thoroughly.

"False reporting is a waste of police resources which could be spent investigating genuine incidents."

Police were given the power to serve fixed penalty notices under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 which came into force in January.

They estimate that about a third of all reported crimes are false. Many are people who claim their mobile phones have been stolen to get a free upgrade to a newer model.

Last year two Bolton men were jailed for four months after one of them claimed he had been robbed of his phone in Bridgeman Street.

The second man gave a statement saying he had witnessed the incident.

In this latest case the woman was given a fixed £80 penalty notice, but Insp Kenyon warned that others could face more serious charges if they are caught.

"In this case, the woman quickly admitted to what she had done. Others who make false reports could be arrested and charged with serious offences such as perverting the course of justice," he said.

The incident occurred at the end of August.

GMP is holding an amnesty and urges anyone who has reported false thefts to come forward or face a fine.