CUSTOMERS at a Darlington supermarket can go shopping for crime prevention advice with their weekly groceries from next week.

The Asda store, in Whinfield Road, is hosting the area's local beat officers, who will be holding a series of police surgeries there in the next few weeks.

Space has been made available near the store entrance for PC Jonathon Stoker and PC Steve Brown to meet shoppers and discuss police-related issues. A privacy screen will be set up for anyone wishing to talk in confidence.

The "bobby in the lobby" scheme was piloted last August, but because the surgeries were generally held every other Wednesday, PC Stoker and PC Brown felt they were seeing the same people each week.

From next Tuesday, between 10am and midday, they will run four more surgeries but on different days. After the first session they will be in the store on Wednesday, February 21, Thursday, March 8, and Friday, March 30, between 10am and midday.

They are also starting police surgeries in the Red Hall area on a regular basis. The first drop-in session will be at the community centre, in Headingley Crescent, on Monday, between 5pm and 7pm.

The police will be joined by representatives from the local housing department and residents' association, a local councillor, a neighbourhood warden and community worker Jean Thain.

PC Stoker said: "Haughton East and Red Hall have pretty low crime rates, but we know there are problems with anti-social behaviour such as the illegal use of motorbikes and stolen cars occasionally being abandoned in the area.