POLICE have struggled to return items to their rightful owners after recovering stolen biked and garden tools.

Officers have urged people to record serial numbers and store items in a safe place.

A spokesperson for East Dorset Police: “We have recently recovered stolen items including bikes and garden tools and have struggled to return some items to their rightful owners.

“Please take a moment to record serial numbers and store in a safe place. These can then be passed to Police should any item be stolen.

“You can also create a free account with Immobilise, the national property register. Here you can upload your serial numbers which can be searched by Police in the UK and can aid us in returning items. Find out more at www.immobilise.com

“It is also recommended to mark your property with either UV or another marking agent, more info can be found at http://www.dorset.police.uk/.../protect-your-property/”