COUNCILLORS will today decide whether to fund extra protection for two streets plagued by burglaries.

Most of the houses in Bruntoft Road and Dowson Road, in Hartlepool, are council-owned and back on to an area of green land next to the Hartlepool-to-Sunderland railway line.

The only protection to separate the houses from the land is an old wooden fence, and there have been a number of break-ins and attempted break-ins in the area.

Council officers believe the lack of security is making it increasingly difficult to let some of the properties in the area.

A council spokesman said: "Regular requests have been received from residents of the area over a number of years asking for security improvements to be made.

"Unfortunately, it has never been possible to secure sufficient funding to move the idea forward."

In an attempt to solve the problem, it has now been proposed to erect a two-metre high steel security fence with gates along the length of the houses.

The North Neighbourhood Forum will discuss the proposal, costing £11,663, at a meeting today.

The forum will also discuss plans to build a £900 security fence at the side of a house on Warren Road to separate it from The Queens pub, as well as proposals to create car parking and road safety measures in the town's Clavering Road