MONEY recovered from drug dealers could be used to make parts of Darlington safer if a bid for £250,000 of Government cash is successful.

New security cameras and extra uniformed wardens are among the measures expected to be introduced in Darlington town centre and surrounding residential streets with the cash.

The move by Darlington Borough Council follows the authority's success in two other bids for Government cash to pay for closed circuit television cameras to cover the Northgate and Colleges areas.

While those two schemes are the council's last from the Home Office Grants Scheme, the latest call for cash has been made to the Government's Recovered Assets Fund.

This fund uses the ill-gotten gains of drug dealers recovered through the legal system.

And it is believed one of the areas focused on will be the Borough Road area, where Darlington police are increasing patrols.

Already this month, there have been 12 reported crimes in Borough Road alone, and the area has been troubled by car crime and vandalism.

As well as Borough Road, vehicles in the neighbouring Brunswick Street, Melland Street, Sanderson Street and Middleton Street, have been attacked and house windows have been broken.

And a 12-year-old boy was forced to flee on foot when three young thugs threatened him and demanded money.

Since the start of the month, there have been eight reported incidents of criminal damage, three thefts from vehicles including damage, and a car was damaged in a fire.

Of the latest bid for cash, which will fund two new wardens, Coun Bill Dixon, cabinet member for social services, said: "This new approach means that we can manage the whole environment to ensure community safety, so we are not just working in one area, but in a range of them.

"It means we can back up CCTV camera work with wardens and we can back up the wardens' work with cameras and we are confident this will bring even better results."