Computer theft is a huge and growing problem. Yesterday it was revealed that an MI5 spy's laptop, containing sensitive data about Northern Ireland, had been stolen at a London railway station. This was a high-profile and unusual case. But police are becoming used to dealing with break-ins in which professional thieves strip companies of every last microprocessor.

Now, at last, the technology is fighting back. If the MI5 man had fitted WebDetect software into his computer, his blushes may have been spared.

This clever programme sits dormant in your machine until it is stolen. The moment the computer is reconnected to a telephone landline it sends an electronic cry for help to WebDetect's North Yorkshire headquarters. It even uses the telephone wires to tell head office its new location, making life much easier for detectives.Q

This is an ingenious and timely new weapon in the battle against computer crime. More and more people's lives revolve around their computer, both at home and at work. The loss of these machines is far more than just an inconvenience: many businesses' profits rely on this technology. So WebDetect is likely to appeal to a mass market.

The firm is based at the Whitemoor Mine business park, making it an excellent example of a new industry developing on the site of the old. Its bosses are confident that they can conquer the PC world from here.

If it does, the company may expand and create more high quality jobs. Who knows - in a few years' time we could be looking at a new silicon valley, improbably based on the former Selby coalfield.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.