CAR crime at Darlington railway station has been dramatically reduced since closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were focused on the area.

Darlington Borough Council has been working with train operator GNER since last year to try to cut the number of car thefts and break-ins around the town's Bank Top station.

In July, 25 security cameras at the station were linked up to the local authority's CCTV control room in Darlington town centre.

This meant that, for the first time, camera operators had a direct link to Darlington police if they spotted suspicious activity.

This co-operation between station management, staff at the council control room, British Transport Police and Darlington police has led to a 75 per cent reduction in the number of reported car crimes at the station.

GNER figures show that in the first six months of last year, immediately before the link-up, there were 12 incidents of car crime reported in the area, but after the station's cameras were linked to the council's CCTV control room, the number fell to three in six months.

Commenting on the drop in crime, Councillor Stephen Harker, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for public protection, said: "This is excellent news. The figures speak for themselves and prove that CCTV really does act as a powerful deterrent to car crime.

"The number of incidents reported is now less than one per month, giving station car park users reassurance that their vehicles are safe."

GNER said it had entered into the working relationship with the local authority, in a bid to make its passengers feel safer.

Chief operating officer Jonathan Metcalfe said: "Car and personal security is important to our passengers, and we are very pleased with the success of this joint venture, which has substantially reduced car crime at the station. We will continue to work hard to deter and detect crime at all of our stations through partnership with local authorities and the police.