Residents in Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire are being encouraged to be aware of scams during this festive period as part of a new campaign called STOP the scams.

The Community Safety teams from both localities have joined forces to launch this campaign to help raise awareness of what fraud could be and how to identify if something is a scam. 

Fraud is when a person lies to you, or 'scams' you, to gain an advantage, such as taking your money or learning private information about you. The fraud can be committed either online, in person or via post.  

Cannock Chase Council and Staffordshire Police are calling on residents to be extra vigilant following a spate of car thefts.

This follows a number of cars being stolen in Rugeley over the past week and follows similar thefts Staffordshire Police are dealing with elsewhere in Cannock Chase District, in Lichfield District, South Staffordshire District and Tamworth Borough.

Two Staffordshire councils will be sharing nearly all their services after the proposals were overwhelmingly approved by councillors this week.

The move is aimed at improving services to residents and businesses in Stafford Borough and Cannock Chase District while saving local taxpayers around £1.2 million.

The business case for sharing has also been given the seal of approval by the Local Government Association (LGA) - the national organisation which supports local authorities - who said it was “compelling” and had been “well researched and evidenced.”