'GET your property coded' is the message to locals this week.

Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the Tatton, Adlington and Coppull areas are stepping up their fight against petty Crime as part of Crime Awareness Week.

And they are offering free property and bike coding with special ink which shows up under ultraviolet light at sessions which will also offer advice and information on crime prevention and how to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

Lynn Culshaw, a spokesman for the Police Specials, said: "We want to make people aware of crime and how they can prevent it."

Tom Watson, Lancashire Neighbourhood Watch and Tatton Community Group chairman, said: "Ten thousand crime awareness leaflets are going out in east Chorley. And we at Tatton and the Neighbourhood Watch group are doing a crime awareness event at Tatton community Centre, Silverdale Road, on Saturday, October 21, from 11am-3pm.

"This will involve the Chorley and District group doing a display and showing people how to security mark their property. Plus a Crimestoppers display will be set up."

In Adlington, a coffee morning will take place at the United Reformed Church in Railway Road, on Friday, October 20, from 10am-12.30pm. Advisers will also be on hand to mark property and code bicycles.

And Coppull folk can visit the crime prevention display caravan at Corrigans Shop, Mill Street, Coppull, on Wednesday, October 25, between 2pm-6pm. Bike and property coding will once again be on offer. In addition, a second property coding session will be held at 1 Birchwood Drive, Coppull, on Saturday, October 28, 10-4pm.

Lynn said: "All the facilities are free. There is no cost at all involved. We will also take names and addresses and go round an mark property at people's houses if they want. Basically, if they cannot bring it with them we will go and show them how to mark it or do for them.

"We have electronic etchers which we use on bikes and so on and we have marker pens with an ultra-violet light so we can show people how we've marked their property."

She added: "We also have the old-style hammers and punches for bikes, because sometimes the etchers will not go through the paint on new ones."

The crime prevention display vehicle will also be on display at Asda Clayton-le-Woods car park today (Thursday, October 19), as the store receives a Secured Car Park award to certify it is a safe and secure environment. CRIME fighters: Special constables Steve Jones and Gordon Bateson with Tom Watson and John Richardson of Lancashire Neighbourhood Watch and Tatton Community Group.