WARDENS who have made a difference to the streets of Middlesbrough had their hard work recognised.

The team scooped an award for diversity, came second in the community engagement category and picked up four life-saving awards at a ceremony to mark the work of the 23 North-East warden services.

In the diversity category, Tracy Daynes and John Holmes were recognised for helping a family of asylum seekers deal with gangs of youths who were intimidating them.

Sean Hatton and Geoff Illingworth were rewarded for their quick thinking when they discovered an unconscious man in a burning building and contacted the fire service to rescue the man.

A smoke alarm alerted Liam Goodall and Bernadette Jones to a house fire where they spotted a man asleep in his front room with smoke billowing out of his kitchen. The pair called the fire service and banged on the window to wake the man who managed to get out safely.

Michael Crosby was praised for his work in community engagement, picking up the second prize in the category.

Councillor Brenda Thompson, Middlesbrough Council's executive member for health and social care, said: "The street wardens play a major role in making communities safer and bringing people together. They are true ambassadors for the town and the council."