A £100,000 grant is helping improve security for up to 1,000 east Durham homes.

The money, approved by the Government Office North East (Gone), will provide security products for homes in the Dawdon Village and Ropery Walk areas of Seaham.

The award is from the Single Regeneration Budget initiative and will pay for dusk-to-dawn lights, door and window locks, door viewers and restrictor bars.

Residents can have their valuables marked with Smartwater, a compound composed of a mixture of chemicals that is unique to each household, enabling police to trace the owners of stolen property.

"Although the number of house burglaries is falling steadily, we can't afford to be complacent," said crime prevention officer PC Graham Johnson, who is working on the initiative with Dawdon beat officer PC Peter Siddle.

Project manager Helen Hindmarch, of Disc/Home-safe, a local registered charity, said: "All materials and labour are free of charge and anyone who is contracted by Disc/Home-safe to carry out the installations and fittings are police-checked and will carry identification."

Dave Swan, secretary of Dawdon Residents' Association said: "This initiative will be of great benefit to the area.

"This type of opportunity only comes to a community once in a lifetime and I urge residents to seize the chance to have their homes made more secure."