Motorists in Wharfedale are in for a shock with a police initiative to dish out countless "fixed penalty notices."

But the familiar looking envelopes attached to windscreens will not contain fines. Instead they will carry advice leaflets about beating car thieves.

In a first for this area police will target vehicles which have left goods on display urging their owners to "keep a clear car."

And officers are also planning a similar scheme for householders - with advice postcards pushed through the letterboxes of homes which are felt to be insecure.

The two initiatives will be running over the next few weeks in the Addingham, Ilkley, Burley and Menston areas, and police are now looking for volunteers to distribute the penalty notice envelopes and the postcards.

Officers expect the schemes to make a real impact on crime and they say that when the penalty notices were tried in the Shipley area last year they proved extremely successful.

Neighbourhood watch officer Gary Smith said vehicle crime tended to be opportunist, and even simple measures could deter thieves.

He stressed: "We are not just saying don't leave valuables in the care, we are saying don't leave anything on display in the car.

"It might just be a carrier bag with a loaf of bread in but the criminal doesn't actually know what is in that bag. And they can cause a lot of damage to the lock and to the window to get to it."

He said people could become complacent, and there were cases where expensive goods such as laptops and leather jackets had been left in full view.

He stressed: "If you have to leave anything in the car get it out of sight and in the boot.

"If a thief sees something that catches his eye he will break the lock and get it."

He added: "What we are trying to do with the fixed penalty envelopes is to make people aware that by taking a few simple steps they can prevent their vehicle being targeted."

Mr Smith said the scheme had ground-breaking in the Bradford area when it was launched in Shipley last year.

"It was very successful," he said. "It did cut vehicle crime down dramatically."

He said simple measures could also prevent opportunist burglars from breaking into a house.

He said open windows in an unattended part of the house were one area of concern.

Another common problem was householders leaving garden tools or ladders around outside giving thieves the perfect equipment for breaking in.

The police are now enlisting volunteers to help with the two anti-crime initiatives.

Anyone interested can contact Mr Smith on 01535 617041.