A ROVING clean-up team which looks after the centre of Hartlepool has been awarded a £120,000 cash boost.

Hartlepool Borough Council already has a three-strong rapid response team, which moves around the town's central area to tackle litter or fly-tipping.

Now the team will be joined by three more full-time workers, who have been recruited with funding from New Deal for Communities. Stacey Robinson, Gary Jones and Peter Rudge, will work in an area bordering the town centre.

The New Deal for Communities initiative in Hartlepool has received £54m of Government money to spend over the next ten years transforming the area bordering the town centre, which stretches from Hart Lane in the north to Belle Vue in the south.

Projects aim to improve health, raise education standards, reduce crime, improve housing and the environment, create jobs and build a stronger community.

Brendan Arnell, of the steering group, said: "I'm delighted to see the new environmental team in action in the New Deal area."