NEIGHBOURHOOD wardens in the North-East have been hailed a success with fewer youngsters drinking on street corners and a decrease in bullying.

An independent report has praised the scheme in Sedgefield, County Durham - one of the first in the country - for providing activities for bored young people, including troublemakers banned from schools and shops.

The public were also more willing to report crime and the warden had worked closely with police to fit free security doors for people over 60.

Sedgefield Borough Council was given £51,500 over four years for the one-man scheme when it became one of 84 nationally to get under way in 2000.

It will be extended across the borough this summer, when funding switches from the Government to the local authority.

Among the initiatives praised in the report were:

* Community Ranger Cards, in which points are given to primary and secondary school children who do good deeds in the neighbourhood or who do not skip school.

* 3D Project, which aims to reduce anti-social behaviour by encouraging young people into training, education and employment.

* Youth Exclusion Scheme - for young people excluded from school, who are offered "diversionary activities" ranging from litter-picking to training with Darlington Football Club.

Allan Blakemore, Sedgefield's community safety manager, said: "The range of initiatives we have put in place is now showing real signs of paying off."

Since then the idea has seen patrols extended to other towns, including Middlesbrough and Darlington.

Sedgefield was one of four areas where an in-depth study took place into the operation of the warden scheme, including interviews with local people.

The report showed that crime fell nearly 28 per cent across the 84 areas where wardens were introduced - but there was no figure for Sedgefield alone.

There had also been a ten per cent fall in fear of mugging and street robberies and a 6.5 per cent decline in the number of people worried about bogus callers.

Yvette Cooper, the neighbourhood renewal minister, said: "Neighbourhood wardens in these areas have helped cut crime and fear of crime - making a real difference for local residents.

"It is no surprise that the wardens are proving so popular and so many areas are now choosing to set up their own warden schemes.

The Government has set aside £91m for warden schemes between 2000 and 2006. About 500 have been set up, employing a total of 3000 wardens.

The evaluation was conducted for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by Social Development Direct between June 2001 and May last year