RESIDENTS in Great Lever are among the first to benefit from a new hi-tech invention which aims to beat criminals.

Around 2,000 homes are being given bottles of Smartwater Instant - a clear, water-based solution which is brushed onto products and contains millions of microscopic particles encoded with the owners' details and a unique identification number. When dry, it can only be seen by ultra violet light.

The product was launched in Great Lever, and Langford Gardens resident Frank Cooke was one of the first to receive a free sample.

Smartwater is part of joint initiative between the Police, Great Lever Neighbourhood Management Project and the charity company Bolton WISE. Insp Karan Lee from Bolton's Operational Policing Unit said "The homes have been chosen using crime pattern analysis which has identified the most vulnerable properties.

"We hope it will act as a deterrent to burglars and, in turn, reduce the chances of people becoming a victim of this type of crime."