Screws are being handed out by police following a spate of number plate thefts.

Officers said a staggering 438 plates were lifted from vehicles in Sussex last year, used to avoid detection for other crimes including robberies and speeding.

A further 94 plates have been stolen so far this year, prompting police to issue the one-way "clutch head" screws.

About 15,000 are now available from stations across Sussex on a "first come, first served" basis.

Inspector Richard Newman, of the neighbourhood police and partnership team, said: "I think these thefts are happening for a number of reasons, one of which clearly is people trying to avoid detection when they are going through speeding cameras.

"Others are going to petrol stations, filling their cars and leaving without paying.

"Of course it is difficult to catch them when the number plates give details of a completely different vehicle.

"With road charging and congestion charging, stealing number plates is becoming an extreme way of overcoming penalties."

Police also believe the plates are being used in more dangerous crimes, from armed robberies to smash-and-grab raids.

Professional criminals often place stolen plates on stolen vehicles to better disguise their movements, Insp Newman added.

He said: "It's all levels of crime. If you transfer it to your higher schools of crime, stolen number plates get used because stolen vehicles show up quicker on our automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system.

"To play safer criminals use stolen plates on stolen vehicles, making them more difficult to trace.

"You can't just buy number plates off the shelves any more so these criminals have to be pretty devious about where they get them.

"In terms of actual cost this scheme is minimal but it could have a great impact in stopping these crimes. Every crime we prevent saves the tax payer a small fortune."

The three-quarter inch screws can be fitted using a standard screwdriver, but lock so they cannot be unscrewed.

Dennis Donovan, crime prevention adviser, said: "Stolen number plates render your car unfit to drive and can be expensive to replace.

"The problems only get worse when somebody else starts using them, and the tickets start landing on your doormat for unpaid speeding, parking and congestion charges, or worse."

Officers are seeing their sets of clutch head screws, worth about 50p, as a cheap solution to the problem.

Insp Newman said: "Using the ANPR is part of combating these crimes, the Safer Screws initiative is another.

"They've been used successfully throughout the country to combat crime. Not just car crimes but to stop burglaries from sheds, for example, as well."

Motorists are asked to take one of their existing screws to any Sussex police station to be matched to the correct size. The screws are available now.

Have you had a number plate stolen from your car? Post a comment below