A CRACKDOWN on criminal damage in Northwich and Winsford is already getting results.

In Winsford, five people have been arrested for criminal damage offences while in Northwich one man has been arrested and charged and will appear before magistrates shortly.

Police say it shows that their Crackdown on Criminal Damage campaign, launched earlier this month, is having the desired effect by preventing vandalism to vehicles and buildings.

In Vale Royal, criminal damage offences account for around 45% of all crimes and undercover officers and high-visibility patrols are patrolling hotspots in the towns and surrounding villages and persistent offenders are also being subject to one-to-one work.

Winsford's Insp Ian Gallagher said: 'This work has got off to a really positive start. Arrests have been made and I'm confident many more will follow.'

Northwich's Insp Pete Minghella added: 'Targeting known offenders alone will not make the problem go away. We need to identify why we have the problems.'