"SmartWater" security marking kits are being issued as part of Operation Impact, which aims to bring down the number of break-ins in the county.

They allow people to mark their property with a clear liquid containing individual DNA indicators, each one unique.

The markings show up under ultraviolet lights, enabling police to identify any stolen goods and trace the owners.

By marking such property it reduces its value to a thief as they are unable to sell it on Detective Sergeant Martyn Stephens

More than 500 kits have already been handed out to local residents.

Detective Sergeant Martyn Stephens, of the Community Safety Unit, based at Nuneaton police station, said marking property in such a way reduced its value to a burglar.

"If the property has been reported stolen and is found in the possession of a suspected offender, it enables the police to build a case which may lead to a conviction," he said.

"By marking such property it reduces its value to a thief as they are unable to sell it on to handlers of stolen property.

"It also means that if we are able to identify who the property belongs to we are able to return it to the rightful owner."

The substance provides a unique identification system for property, which is invisible to the naked eye and which cannot be wiped or washed off.