A TEAM of volunteer countryside wardens is to be created in an attempt to drive anti-social behaviour away from nature reserves.

After a series of alarming incidents at several sites, Sedgefield Borough Council's countryside team called for help to tackle the problems.

Six residents answered the appeal and have volunteered to become countryside wardens to regularly patrol local reserves.

They will be given basic training and a uniform and though they will not approach anyone suspected of crime or disorder they will report incidents to council officers.

They will also be in regular contact with police beat officers and wildlife liaison officer PC Keith Todd to report ongoing incidents and evidence.

The main area of concern has been Ferryhill Carrs, a wetland, grassland and woodland site, in Ferryhill. It will be the first area targeted by the volunteers.

Visitors have reported drug and alcohol abuse, criminal damage and evidence of air rifle use and last month, conservation workers were repulsed by the brutal killing of a young swan.

Local nature reserves officer Tammy Casey said: "The incident with the swan led to a public meeting, which was well attended in Ferryhill and we came up with this new way of protecting sites.

"There is already an active friends group with members carrying out maintenance work and feeding.

"And work is being done to open up the Carrs to disabled users with new footpaths being installed with money from the Countryside Agency's aggregate levy sustainability fund.

"Hopefully that will increase the number of responsible visitors, which will itself deter anti-social behaviour.

"We could try fixing everything that gets destroyed and hope they lose interest and we carry out education work to encourage kids to look after local wildlife and nature reserves.

"And I'm hopeful that the volunteer wardens can strengthen our efforts to protect sites with constant monitoring and drive this unacceptable behaviour out."

Ferryhill Carrs won a Northumbria In Bloom conservation award in recognition of work by Sedgefield Borough Council's sustainable communities team and local volunteers. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.