The mobile phone industry has pledged to disable the majority of stolen handsets on all UK networks in an effort to help cut the number of people mugged for these devices.

The Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF) and industry bosses have unveiled a charter through which they have promised to block eight out of ten stolen phones within 48 hours of the theft being reported. The aim is to make stealing phones less attractive to criminals.

All the five major networks - Vodafone, O2, T Mobile, Orange, and 3 – have now agree to use a central database, initially suggested by MICAF in 2002, to ensure handsets are blocked in the UK.

Last week crime figures revealed there had been an eight per cent jump in the number of robberies in England and Wales; the rise is blamed by the Government on muggers stealing electronic gadgets and in particular, mobile phones.

"We are committed to doing all we can to reduce the number of phones being stolen in the UK," said Jack Wraith, the MICAF chairman.

"The charter clearly sets out the key steps the industry will take to help cut mobile phone theft further so as to ensure that people can continue to use their phones, safe in the knowledge that measures are in place that will make them worthless to thieves if they are stolen."

However, many of the phones are exported abroad to continental Europe as well as Africa and Asia. The UK mobile phone industry is unable to do anything about blocking networks abroad.

In addition to the charter, the Government is to give 1.35 million to the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit. This specialist group, set up just over two years ago to tackle the problem also runs a specialist website for a lost or stolen handsets.

Police have welcomed the moves but said people can help stamp out this crime by registering their details on NMPCU site.

Registration is free and simple only involving typing in the mobile phone's 15-digit IMEI number (serial number). When a mobile phone is recovered, the IMEI number is checked against the register.

This means it is easier to reunite stolen or lost handsets with their owners and makes it easier for the police to prosecute the thieves.