A HOTLINE allowing residents to express their worries has been launched on Teesside.

The phone link, the idea of PC Nick Edgar, is believed to be the first of its kind in the region and has been set up for the residents of South Bank and Grangetown.

Open 24 hours a day, it will enable people to leave taped messages on matters of concern. All the area's 10,000 households have been notified of the scheme prior to yesterday's launch of a three-month trial.

The project, Drawing a Line on Crime, will be based at Victoria Street, South Bank, where the messages left will be checked regularly.

PC Edgar said: "People in the area know who is committing crime and who is responsible for the anti-social behaviour, but many don't want to speak to the police directly.

"This is a number purely for our area. It will allow us to act quickly on the information given and will bring the community closer to us, forge stronger links, and hopefully give us the information we need to make the area a safer and better place to live."

PC Edgar is one of a squad of ten, covering South Bank and Grangetown, who will be responsible for the scheme.

"People sometimes look at the national Crimestoppers line as something to so with more serious crime. This is for local issues such as kids causing trouble on the streets that people want the community police team to deal with."

Anyone calling the number - 0845 3000 330 - will hear a short message and will then be able to speak for as long as they wish. The cost of calls will be negligible.

Sergeant Kevin Scott, who leads the team involved, said: "This is an excellent initiative for the people who live and work in the area."