THE successful CCTV system in Darlington is set to be extended to new areas of the town thanks to a Home Office grant.

From September, 12 new screens will be operational in the control room in Darlington's town hall.

These screens will ensure that footage from each of the 97 cameras in the town can be viewed more frequently and will make it easier for new cameras to be installed.

The 12 new screens are being installed at a cost of £20,000 which was given to Darlington Borough Council by the Home Office.

From September there will be 33 screens monitored around-the-clock by at least two control room staff.

The CCTV system was first introduced in Darlington in 1994 and since then £1.5 million have been invested in the scheme.

The cameras have made a huge impact to crime figures in the town with more than 3,000 arrests being made as a direct result of the system.

Crime in car parks around the town has been slashed from 374 incidents in 1994 to just 27 last year, since 40 cameras were positioned on the sites.

People living on the Firthmoor estate have also seen a huge cut in crime since cameras were trained on their streets.

Crime has been cut by 40 per cent on the estate since the cameras were switched on last June.