EFFORTS to make Hartlepool's streets safer have received a £10,000 cash boost.

Hartlepool Borough Council's grants committee agreed to allocate the money to fund an ongoing programme of improvements to street lighting around the town.

The money, which will pay for ten new street lights, has been made available from a portion of the council's capital budget set aside to support community safety projects around the town.

Mayor Stuart Drummond, a member of the grants committee, said: "It is important that people feel safe enough to walk the town's streets after dark."

Head of community safety and prevention Alison Mawson said: "It is clear that the scheme has played a key role in helping to reassure residents in various parts of the town in recent years.

"Poor, or no street lighting, can heighten people's concerns over their personal safety, and it is important that we tackle this to improve their quality of life."

Locations for new streetlights will be selected on the basis of representations from councillors, parish councils, residents and referrals from the police.

Potential sites will be inspected after dark with the police crime prevention officer to determine which areas deserve highest priority.