POLICE have launched a new security marking system following a spate of 4x4 thefts in East Yorkshire.

A total of 19 of the vehicles were targeted in the last six months. Now Humberside Police have joined up with Datatag to launch the new marking and registering system.

A number of the stolen vehicles have been Land Rover Defenders belonging to farmers in the region.

They are often stolen by organised and opportunist thieves who break them up and sell the parts, a police spokesman said.

The system means that each vehicle will have a unique and multi-layered “fingerprint” that cannot be removed by thieves.

For further information on how to register a vehicle, or to discuss farming and agricultural crime prevention, phone PC Julie Turrell on 0845 60 60 222 or visit the Datatag website datatag.co.uk