HANGING baskets are being stolen from Hyndburn streets in an unusual new criminal racket.

Police believe scores have been taken by crooks who are looking to sell them on.

And officers have joined councillors in attacking the thieves, claiming they are ruining community spirit.

Thieves are already known to have taken more than 20 hanging baskets and garden ornaments, many of which have been recovered by police.

But officers fear that the culprits, often working in the middle of the night, have escaped with many more and the thefts have yet to be reported.

Councillor Peter Britcliffe, St Andrew's ward representative, and chairman of Oswaldtwistle area council, said: "It's shocking to hear of something like this.

"People work hard to try to improve the area and it's just sad and very low that there are people around who would do something like this."

The thefts occurred mainly in the Oswaldtwistle and Rising Bridge areas, but police officers fear that the thieves could have got away with even more of the ornaments in the wider area.

Now members of the public are being urged to check their gardens and report any missing items. Some of the hanging baskets are still unclaimed and are being tended to by officers at Bacup police station, ready to be handed back to their Hyndburn owners.

Inspector Julian Platt, of Accrington Police, said: "Such crimes as this are very disappointing because hanging baskets are a way for the community to improve the environment everybody lives in.

"I think the motivation is going to be stealing them to sell on to other people. It's a very unusual theft."

The thefts have often took place in the early hours, with many residents unaware their prize garden ornaments were gone until the day after.

Among the roads believed to have suffered thefts in Oswaldtwistle are Lancaster Street, Stanhill Road, New Lane, Mount St James and Stanhill Lane.

Stanhill Road is lined with houses sporting the baskets. One resident, Euna Goode, found her precious hanging basket gone when she went to water the plants. It has still not been recovered.

Euna, 77, said: "We thought they might have just thrown it over a garden wall. I didn't know then that any others had been stolen until the man next door said the lady across the road had had hers stolen."

Sergeant Claire Holbrook added: "If people have had hanging baskets stolen in the last three weeks and haven't reported them, we would ask that they inform us of the details."

A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft of hanging baskets and going equipped for theft.

The 36-year-old, from the Rossendale area, is on police bail until July 9 while further inquiries are carried out. Anybody with information should call 01254 382141.