REPORTS of crime at Darlington's Bank Top railway station are at an all-time low, to the delight of the town's community safety chiefs.

Train operator GNER installed 25 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the station, one of the main stops on the East Coast Main Line, in 2001.

Since then, the police and borough council have seen incidents drop to a record low, which is proof, they say, that the town is one of the safest in the region.

In 2000, the year before the cameras were installed, 33 crimes on the railway station premises were recorded.

But the following year saw the number of reported offences fall to 15, and then to ten last year.

Darlington Borough Council yesterday said the success of the scheme had gone further, with only one incident revealed in the first five months of the year.

The results far exceed crime reduction targets presented to the Home Office two years ago.

Paul Baldwin, the council's cabinet member for community protection, said: "It is very pleasing to see that CCTV is having a positive impact on reducing reported crime at Darlington's Bank Top railway station, one of the main stations on the East Coast Main Line.

"The council's CCTV team monitor the pictures 24 hours a day working closely with GNER teams, Darlington police and British Transport Police to make Darlington a safer place for residents and visitors."

Wayne Kyte, operations manager at GNER, said the station's car parks had just been re-audited for Secure Car Park Accreditation and had passed with flying colours.

"Together with our partners, we are working hard to stamp out the potential for crime in order to give our customers peace of mind and deliver a safe railway," he said.

The cameras send live pictures from the railway station to Darlington Town Hall where they are monitored around the clock.

Dozens of security cameras set up by the borough council are already in place in the town centre, parks and other crime-affected areas.

The system was installed in 1994.