MP Kali Mountford has been the victim of identity fraud.

It was revealed today that thieves bought hundreds of pounds worth of goods on her credit card.

But it was six weeks before the Colne Valley MP discovered the bills run up in her name.

Today she urged people to remain vigilant with their cards and cheque- books.

But she admitted: "I've never, ever worked out how it was done."

Ms Mountford told of her shock when she checked her bank statement and found £500 charged for mobile phone calls and £300 for goods she had not bought.

She said: "I rang up the credit card company and they were very good.

"They said they may be able to find out from looking at the payments when somebody was and where they were.

"But I had to cancel my credit card and bank cards. It was a real pain in the neck."

Ms Mountford said she had not had to pay anything in the end. But it took her several weeks to sort out the mess.

"The inconvenience was huge," she said.

Credit and debit card fraud shot up by 18% to £478.8m in the 12 months to last October.

The number of cards lost or stolen in the post as they were being sent to people soared 51% and accounted for £61.2m.

Card-holders should check their accounts regularly in order to spot fraud.