A South Wales Argus fightback against car crime won a major boost as magistrates pledged tougher sentences in a bid to end the menace.

One of the main planks of the Argus' Car Safe campaign, launched in July, was to win bigger fines and longer jail terms for persistent car criminals.

Now magistrates say the dramatic rise in car crime in Gwent over the past 12 months must be reflected when they sentence offenders.

At their annual meeting, they resolved that the increase in car crime must be taken into consideration.

Although only the most serious offences and persistent offenders will be dealt with by imprisonment, larger fines and increased hours of community service are intended to show offenders that magistrates are aware of the local problems.

Argus editor Gerry Keighley said: "We welcome this decision by magistrates.

"Our campaign has already secured a number of important victories, including persuading the owners of major retail parks to step up security in their car parks.

"Since the launch of our campaign, car crime has shown a decrease from a level described by police as an "epidemic".

"There is still a long way to go but I am delighted the campaign is gaining such widespread support."

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