A Wild West poster offering £500 rewards is being circulated to help stem an increasing number of burglaries.

There were 712 break-ins in Brighton and Hove between April and July, more than six every day and nine more than in the same period last year.

Police said the value of goods stolen, mainly electrical items such as DVDs, laptops, mobile phones and videos, ran into tens of thousands of pounds.

One burglary in Brighton last week netted thieves a pair of bronze Giovanni da Bologna statues worth £3,000.

The poster, carrying fake bullet holes and a picture of an unshaven, masked villain, appeals to members of the public for information bringing burglars to justice and leading to the recovery of stolen property.

Community support officers are this week distributing 2,000 of the posters across the city asking people to call a confidential phone line.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Fowler, head of Brighton and Hove CID, said: "The initiative is aimed at increasing the flow of information and intelligence.

"We want to reassure the public and victims of crime of Sussex Police's commitment to tackle burglary by bringing offenders to justice."

Mr Fowler said the poster's "Wild West" theme was designed to be as eye-catching as possible.

A reward of £500 will be given to those providing solid information but Mr Fowler said: "Each call will be dealt with on its own merits. The source of the information will speak to an officer who will conduct an initial 'quality control'.

"These officers will assess the information."

Helping is Suzanne Heard, Brighton and Hove police Press officer and a burglary victim herself.

She said: "I had a computer hard drive, video player, jewellery and cash stolen. Despite the best efforts of police, no one was caught.

"It meant I lost personal items which were irreplaceable. This campaign will hopefully bring people like that burglar to justice." The hotline number is 07769 931306.