A new app has been developed to make it easier for people to crack down on heritage crime in Kent.

'Country Eye' allows people to report anything suspicious around the county's historic castles, cathedrals, stately homes and conservation sites.

Users can upload any pictures and information they may have to the app and those details are then assessed and passed onto the relevant authority.

It's all part of Heritage Watch, a new crime prevention organisation supported by Kent Police, to help preserve heritage assets for future generations.

It was launched this morning at Leeds Castle.

Mark Harrison is National Police and Crime Advisor for Historic England. He said:" The app is designed to encourage people to be our eyes and ears in the countryside to protect our historic environment.

"It allows users to record and share information on crime, suspicious behaviour and damage so we can then gather intelligence and have a better chance of identifying offenders and bring them to justice.

"We know people are passionate about the past and hope to engage with those people."

What is Heritage Crime?

Heritage crime covers a wide variety of activity that is responsible for damaging assets that are of a particular historical interest

This activity can damage assets beyond recovery which can lead to the loss of a piece of history for ever

Due to the nature of heritage assets, putting right damage is costly to the public purse.

For example the theft of metal from ancient monuments is leading to repair bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds when damage is caused by removal of the metal and weather damage when roofs are left open to the elements.

The app has been developed by Heritage England in partnership with Country Eye.

Matthew Scott is Kent's Police and Crime Commissoner. He said: " The cost of rural crime to the economy is around 800 million pounds a year, and heritage crime makes up a big part of that.

"There has been particular issues with a large number of historical sites being targeted in the county and we need to make sure we're tackling it.

"It not only has a financial impact but it stops people visiting those sites."

Kent has almost 20 thousand protected sites in Kent and Medway (and the seas around):

• 17,944 Listed Buildings
• 422 Scheduled Monuments
• 62 Registered Parks and Gardens
• 11 Protected Wrecks
• 2 World Heritage Sites

According to Historic England an estimated 70,000 listed buildings in the UK were physically affected by crime last year.

Sandra Matthews-Marsh, MBE, is Chief Executive of Visit Kent. She said:" Kent is packed with some of England's finest heritage treasures, so it makes sense for us to be involved in Heritage Watch.

"It's about working together with other organisations to keep these sites safe.

"We should all keep our eyes and ears open to maintain these wonderful paces for the future."

The app is free and available for Android and iOS http://heritagewatch.co.uk/

It cannot be used to report crime: call 101 for non-urgent issues or dial 999 if crime is taking place or safety is at risk.