A NORTH YORKSHIRE MP will attempt to win people the right to use greater force to defend their homes against burglars.

Anne McIntosh, who represents Vale of York, will unveil plans to introduce a Householder Protection Bill, after she came fifth in a ballot to allow MPs to pilot legislation through Parliament.

She wants to allow homeowners to use stronger measures to defend themselves against intruders, who often wield weapons, without fear of being prosecuted.

The law currently lets people use "reasonable force".

The Tory front-bencher says people should only be arrested if they use "grossly disproportionate" force to tackle a housebreaker.

Miss McIntosh decided to revive the proposals, which failed when introduced by Tory MP Patrick Mercer last year, after a spate of cases where constituents had been confronted by burglars.

She said: "The problem is that while defending your life is clear under law, defending your property is not."

A test of "grossly disproportionate" force would make householders more confident about their rights, and burglars less confident about entering homes. But Ministers are unlikely to back the measures - so Miss McIntosh's Bill is likely to fail.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke has already said the definition will not be changed.

After conducting a review earlier this year, he said householders who injure or even kill intruders are unlikely to be prosecuted - providing they were acting "honestly and instinctively".

New guidelines said the law also protected those who used "something to hand" as a weapon, such as a knife or baseball bat.

Updated: 12:17 Monday, June 13, 2005