MORE neighbourhood wardens are to be recruited to help fight crime in Darlington.

An extra £120,000 is to be provided to support Darlington Borough Council's uniformed warden scheme, it was announced yesterday.

The money has been made available by the Government as part of a multi-million pound initiative to improve community safety and combat deprivation.

The extra grant money for Darlington will enable the council to appoint three more neighbourhood wardens to patrol problem areas of the town.

The overall aim of the scheme is for the wardens to work in partnership with residents to improve the quality of life for people living on various estates.

They work alongside police, focusing on crime prevention and anti-social behaviour.

Only last month it was revealed that neighbourhood wardens have helped police to cut crime by 40 per cent in some areas of the town.

Councillor Bill Dixon, deputy leader of Darlington Borough Council, said he was delighted that more funding was being made available.

"We would love to have dedicated beat officers in all of the communities, but this is not always possible," he said.

"The neighbourhood wardens are good because they work in areas familiar to them and know where the problem areas are, or who needs help."

Andy Errington, the council's head of youth offending and community safety, said: "Cutting crime by 40 per cent in some areas of the town is excellent, but it is still no good enough, because there are other areas which have not had this reduction.

"We want the wardens to work with the police to cut crime and improve the living conditions for local people."

Home Office Minister Charles Clarke said the grant will cover all the costs of the warden scheme.

"Neighbourhood wardens can make a real difference to the quality of life in our communities, playing a key part in tackling crime and the fear of crime," he said.

Local Government and Regions Minister Hilary Armstrong said: "Neighbourhood wardens are an important part of the Government's strategy to improve the quality of life in our most deprived neighbourhoods."

The three new wardens will double the number working in Darlington