CAMPAIGNERS say a domestic violence ­disclosure scheme known as Clare's Law will help to crack down on serial abusers.

The scheme, which gives people the right to know if their partner has a history of domestic abuse, will be ­piloted in Ayrshire and Aberdeen.

It will run for six months starting in late November, before it is potentially rolled out throughout Scotland.

Clare's Law is named after Clare Wood who was strangled and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton at her home in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2009.

The 36-year-old mother-of-one met her attacker on Facebook.

She was unaware of his horrific history of violence against women, including the kidnapping at knifepoint of one of his ex-girlfriends.

The scheme was rolled out in England and Wales earlier this year.

Chief Constable Steve House proposed plans for a Scottish version of Clare's Law in May.

The pilot areas were ­chosen because they both have a varied population and include people who may ­benefit from the scheme.

Karen Gardner, manager of East Ayrshire Women's Aid in Kilmarnock, said it could help prevent long-term abusers from carrying out crimes.

She said: "We meet a lot of different women and you do find that the same partners come up - they're well known.

"The women have no idea of their partner's abusive past, they don't know that the man they are with has been abusing women all his life. I can see in cases like this that this scheme has potential.

"It will be interesting to see how it fits in with women in this area. It seems to have worked well elsewhere."

Karen added that Clare's Law should be viewed as a "positive" move but had to be part of a "wider range of measures".

She said: "I think anything that is done to try and reduce risks to women and children or their wider families, is a positive thing It definitely has the potential to be a good thing and we look forward to working with the police and other partner agencies in East Ayrshire to see how the pilot goes."

rachel.loxton@eveningtimes.co.uk