PEOPLE living next to a crime-ridden pathway that even the police have described as dangerous - say they are furious that more is not being done to protect them.

It was more than a year ago that residents in Ullswater Avenue, off Neasham Road, Darlington, first started complaining that a footpath linking them to a development was causing crime levels in the area to soar.

Home owners reported thefts, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, threats and thugs driving motorbikes, and even cars driven on the path - just weeks after it was opened.

Durham Police said the walkway had become a crime haven and issued a warning that a child could be abducted.

So seven months ago Darlington Borough Council voted to close the link - but it remains open.

A resident, who is too scared of reprisals to be named, said: "In recent days we have had a window smashed, an attempted break-in and a car driven into the bollards.

"We are so frustrated. One of my neighbours just moved to North Yorkshire and says his life is changed.

"I have told the council it is a toothless entity, it can't do anything."

The problem is that the closure of the path must be taken at a national level - because it is a public right of way - and there have been some objections to its closure.

Darlington Borough Council said it was working with police to gather more proof that the path was dangerous, so it could present the evidence to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Earlier this year the council received 28 letters and a petition containing 54 names supporting the closure of the link.

John Hedley, architectural officer for Durham Police, said at the time: "The footpath, once considered convenient, has become a liability. Such footpaths are considered crime generators."

A spokesman for the council, said: "We are aware of the concerns of local residents and work is now ongoing to monitor the extent of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area before any decision can be made."

Residents can report any problems to uniformed wardens on (01325) 346831.