Criminals have been exploiting the misery caused by the floods in York by going on a thieving spree.

A spate of burglaries committed while police officers were distracted by the struggle to hold back the Ouse has pushed York's burglary rate higher than that in some crime-ridden areas of Leeds and Bradford.

And the recent massive seizure of heroin in the city - valued at about £100,000 - has pushed up prices for the drug, meaning users have to steal more to fuel their addictions.

Today, York police's operations chief called on residents to rally round to confront this new threat to the city.

"Let's fight back against the criminals like we did against the floods," urged Superintendent John Lacy.

"We took our eye off the ball to protect the city and the villains took advantage."

Crime figures released today reveal that 83 house burglaries were committed in York during the two weeks the city was under siege by the rising waters of the River Ouse.

"There is now a major burglary problem in the city which has coincided with our resources being stretched to the limit by the floods," said Supt Lacy.

He said the rise in crimes may have been made worse by the recent drugs haul.

"Since our major seizure of heroin on October 19, our sources say the price of heroin has risen and this could be a factor in the number of burglaries as well, because addicts need to steal more," he said.

"When you take a kilo of heroin off the streets - the equivalent of 10,000 'wraps' - the price will go up."

More than a third of the burglaries were committed in the South Bank area. Supt Lacy said cash was stolen in the majority of crimes, together with CDs and video recorders worth £6,000.

"This is a relatively small amount, but the heartache caused at a time of major flooding is immense," he said.

The crimes took place in the early hours, and thieves entered by forcing rear doors and windows or through unlocked doors and windows.

Supt Lacy urged residents to remain vigilant and to invest in security devices.

"For the want of a couple of pounds we can tackle this problem," he said.