Stolen mobiles blocked within 24 hours

And 98 per cent also barred on other networks within two days

All mobile phones reported as stolen are blocked on their home network within 24 hours, according to a new report.

Through tests conducted during September, The Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF) also found that 98 per cent of handsets reported stolen were barred by all other UK networks within 48 hours.

The MICAF said the number of phones blocked so soon after they had been stolen had more than doubled from two years ago. It said the results exceeded a target set in July 2006 that mobile phone providers were obligated to block 80 per cent of stolen phones by this year.

MICAF chairman Jack Wraith said: "This test demonstrates the ongoing commitment by the industry to ensure that when a mobile phone handset is reported stolen it is barred."

The Home Office, which found that 800,000 people last year had their mobile phone stolen, also welcomed the findings. Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said: " These results send a powerful message to anyone thinking of stealing, or buying, a stolen mobile - that it will not work.

"By working with industry to take stolen mobiles out of action on the one hand, and enacting tough legislation to give police powers to close down unscrupulous retailers who offer to unblock stolen phones on the other, we are cutting the oxygen of mobile phone crime."

In June this year the Home Office also introduced its "R U Getting the Msg" campaign, hoping to persuade young people that buying a stolen phone is a waste of money. This is because once a phone is reported stolen to a service provider its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is added to a blacklist database.

The IMEI number is a 15-digit code used to identify an individual mobile telephone. It is often printed on the phone underneath the battery, and can be displayed by typing *#06# on the handset. People should check this number and keep it safe as soon as they buy a new phone as it will make it easier to report the phone if it is stolen.

Once a phone is put onto a national blacklist database, which is checked by all service providers, it will not be able to be legally unlocked by any manufacturer. Recycling companies check the same database, and will not buy stolen phones.

However, not all second-hand phones are illegal. Anyone looking to buy one can check its legitimacy by asking the seller for the IMEI number and typing it in to the Home Office recommended global stolen property database, Check Mend.