Prolific burglars and thieves have received hand-delivered letters from detectives in Telford warning them they are being watched in the run-up to Christmas.

The letters, signed by senior police officials in the town, tell criminals that officers know who and where they are and warn them not to commit offences.

They have even been delivered to 13 people currently in jail warning them they are being monitored no matter where they are.

The letters are part of an initiative to crack down on incidents of burglary and theft, which commonly increase during the winter months.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards, of Telford police, said: “We have written to people that we know are burgling at this time or are most likely to commit crime in the coming months, especially in the run-up to Christmas.

“We identified 24 individuals to write to and as it happens, thanks to information from the public and the excellent work of police officers and staff, 13 of those individuals are actually serving prison sentences.

“We have nevertheless still written to them to make them aware we are still monitoring them.

“The purpose of the letter is to warn offenders that we know who they are and that we’ll be keeping an eye on them.”

He added: “Incidents of burglary and theft do increase during the winter months, mainly due to the fact that the nights are darker and people bring more goods into their homes for Christmas.

“But police in Telford want to disrupt the common crime pattern and reduce incidents of burglary and theft.”