Residents are to be offered burglar alarms costing only £20 each to protect their homes following a spate of burglaries.

The Council of Mosques has secured £26,000 in funding to deter house breakers by bolstering security at 100 vulnerable homes in West Bowling, Bradford, with the installation of alarms.

Pensioners and the elderly will be prioritised in the scheme, which has been bankrolled by Bradford Trident and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

It will offer 100 burglar alarm kits to residents at a fraction of their usual retail price.

The kits feature two infra-red sensors, two electric door sensors, a panic button, control box and an alarm speaker box. These will be fitted free of charge in residents' homes by the SPEED project (Securing Property Economically Effectively Daily).

It is hoped that if the scheme is successful more funding could be found to improve security at other homes.

Mohammed Akhtar, co-ordinator of the Ryan Street Centre of the Council for Mosques, said: "Many people live in fear of burglary and this will improve the quality of their lives immeasurably.

"Vulnerable people and vulnerable homes will be prioritised and we hope it will have a major effect on crime in the area."

The Speed project work closely with the police visiting victims of burglary and reinforcing their homes against future break-ins.

Gary Rathmell, the group's acting project manager, said the scheme was a unique chance for people on low incomes to have their homes protected by an effective security device.

"We are hoping it is going to have a dramatic affect on crime in the area," he said. "The rate of break-ins has risen in West Bowling in the last few months and we want to address that."

Nawab Ali, 43, of West Bowling, was one of the first to have an alarm installed following a break-in at his home.

He said: "I feel a lot more secure knowing my home is protected. It is a constant worry that someone could break in while we are out.

"I don't think we would have been able to buy an alarm at the full price so this is a wonderful opportunity for us to protect our home."