FAMILIES have been given the key to a safer future through an anti-crime initiative that locks out people who blight their lives.

Residents of three streets in Coundon are the first in County Durham to have their back lane blocked off with 8ft steel gates called Alleygates.

If the 18-month trial is a success, the gates could be used in other problem areas.

In Coundon the scheme covers 23 homes in Hillside Road, Collingwood Street and East Avenue.

It will mean that the youngest resident of the area, two-year-old Luke Stephenson, will be able to play outside in safety for the first time.

Thora Bussey, 74, who has lived in Hillside Road for 42 years, is confident it will change her neighbours' lives.

She said: "We are proud to be the first people in Durham to get the gates. It will bring back a sense of community.

"We are all sick of the gangs hanging around and people drinking and taking drugs and causing damage."

Alleygates have been used in London since the mid-1990s. They have been particularly effective in Liverpool, where more than 1,000 have been installed in the past four years.

In the North-East they can be found in Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Stockton and Billingham.

In Coundon, people complained that drug-users and gangs were gathering in the back streets leaving litter, needles and syringes, breaking into homes and causing damage.

People who attended a public meeting voted for the gates, which are managed by community agency Disc for the Wear and Tees Community Safety Partnership.

Chief Superintendent Robin Trounson, who chairs the partnership, said at the launch of the scheme in Coundon on Saturday: "We are very excited by it. The gates have been tried elsewhere and been proved to work.

"They reduce crime and restore order and make residents feel safe and secure.

"This is an experiment. If it is successful we will be looking to support other communities who want help."