A CRIME prevention panel led by a Chester-le-Street pub landlady has been praised for its outstanding work in the town.

A fundraising golf tournament, organised by Black Horse landlady Irene Boyers, was the key event in a string of initiatives launched by the panel during the past 12 months.

Mrs Boyers, a leading member of the eight-strong panel, succeeded in raising £2,000 from the event.

The cash has mainly been used to cover the cost of a series of schemes tackling domestic violence, car crime and burglary across the town.

PC John Hedley, the town's crime prevention officer, said: "The work of the panel, in the wake of some excellent fund-raising, has been outstanding, and a testimony to their collective determination and commitment to fighting crime throughout the Chester-le-Street area.

"The initiatives that have been launched, and those currently in the pipeline, are a stunning achievement for such a small band of volunteers."

The panel first bought mobile telephones, and handed them over to victims of domestic violence.

It then distributed 300 security marking kits, designed to discourage car thieves and lead to the easier identification of stolen vehicles.

Panel members also bought a batch of large street signs, saying that 15 petrol filling stations in the district were now protected by closed-circuit television, and supported a scheme offering safety advice to 1,300 youngsters from three dozen junior schools.

They sponsored a scheme in which 24 teenagers won lessons from a golf professional, and launched a campaign in which 4,000 items of household property were security marked.

The campaign involved 90 pupils from Lumley, who had the chance to win prizes.

PC Hedley said: "There seems to be no end to the sterling work the panel's volunteers are prepared to do. They have had a year that will be truly hard to match, but I know they want to keep the momentum going."