THE new Mayor of Middlesbrough, Ray Mallon, took to the streets yesterday to fulfil his first public engagement since his landslide election victory.

Mr Mallon, who, while head of Middlesbrough CID, vowed to take back the streets of the town from the criminal fraternity, was out and about greeting and chatting to pensioners who dropped into the local council's trading standards advice centre to pick up their new bus passes. The passes are being distributed in alphabetical order to residents over the next ten days.

Middlesbrough Council is reminding users to collect their passes in person, and to take along their current pass and pension book, or other official proof of identity and address.