BURGLARS could soon be stopped in their tracks in Ledbury thanks to a plan to give every home a free forensic kit to mark treasured items.

The 'smartwater' plan would make stolen goods difficult to pass on - thereby protecting the whole town.

The cost of the scheme could run into tens of thousands of pounds - and would be paid for by the town council with a contribution from West Mercia Police.

But it will only go ahead if town councillors believe there is enough crime to justify the cost to roll it out to 4,000 homes.

Burglary is low on the reported crime statistic figures for the Ledbury area, which runs from the borders of Bromyard in the north down to Bromsberrow Heath in the south.

In April, six cases of burglary were reported. There were five in March and four in February.

If the scheme gets the go-ahead, the smartwater would be painted on cherished household goods, creating a long lasting and unique identifier, invisible except under an ultraviolet black light.

Signs would also be display that Ledbury is a 'smartwater town'.

A town council spokesman said: "John Campion, the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia is offering local town and parish councils a contribution of 25 per cent towards the introduction of 'smartwater' schemes to help reduce acquisitive crime in local communities.

"Ledbury Town Council has agreed that before they make a decision on this project they would like to consider crime figures for the area to establish whether Ledbury would benefit from the introduction of such a scheme."

The spokesman added: "Ledbury Town Council will be considering the scheme and consulting with the public about the possible introduction of the smartwater scheme in Ledbury.

"If adopted in Ledbury the scheme would be funded by the town council, subject to funding being available in their 2020/21 budget.

"The smartwater kits would be free to house holders listed on the electoral roll and would be issued on a one kit per household basis."

The town council is yet to put a figure on how much it would cost the public purse to purchase enough smartwater for at least 4,000 households in Ledbury.

But this is not the first time that town councillors have considered the expense.

In 2015, Cllr Liz Harvey said about a similar project: "The project would have a one-off cost to the council of £40,000. If we did this, we could ask households to donate £8 back (still an 85 per cent discount on the price) and we could put the monies returned in a fund for community projects, or we could just take it as a hit on the council tax next year."

At the time, town councillors decided against the idea, but now it's back on the table.

On this project, Cllr Harvey said: "The figures and finances on offer may be somewhat different this time around. We could still become the first large town in the county to implement the blanket protection which the scheme offers.

"As regards the local crime statistics, if crime figures are low – let’s not be complacent, apologetic or shy about taking pre-emptive action to ensure they stay that way."

However, some Ledbury residents question whether it's the role of the town council to get involved, and whether it is worth it.

Posting this week on the Voice of Ledbury Facebook site, former town mayor Annette Crowe said: "This was raised a number of years ago by Cllr Harvey and rejected by the town council. Surely it is the individual's responsibility to pay if they wish to mark their property, not the town council's?"

And Russ Smith said: "I would say that six burglaries across the policing area last month would suggest that this would be an unnecessary expense."