FIRMS operating in a Tees-Valley town's night time economy could be given a £750,000 security boost to attract more customers.

Firms in Middlesbrough are presently being consulted on turning the town's shopping centre into a Business Improvement District (Bid), which would see them pay a levy, with the money then used to enhance the area.

A draft business plan for the Middlesbrough Bid is currently out for consultation among the 465 businesses that would make up the district.

If backed, the businesses would contribute up to £510,000 a year with Middlesbrough Council contributing a further £40,000 a year plus the management and administrative costs.

As part of the proposals the Middlesbrough Bid would pump up to £750,000 into the town centre over the next five years to improve the safety of both the daytime and night time economies of the town.

It includes increasing investment in existing CCTV, stepping up street patrols, beefing up the town's Pubwatch and adding further weight to its Safer Shopping Scheme.

Those campaigning for Bid status hope it would make Middlesbrough a more attractive place in which to work and shop, while the crackdown on crime in the town centre would also have a positive impact on stock loss suffered by firms.

Bedford, has reported a 40per cent reduction in business crime since starting a Bid and Rugby has seen shoplifting incidents plummet by 54per cent since April 2006, after introducing one.

Alan Weston, Middlesbrough's town centre manager, said: "The experiences of more than 100 successful Business Improvement Districts across the UK shows that this initiative would be a win-win for companies in a Middlesbrough bid area.

"Not only it attract more people to the town and get the tills ringing, it will also make Middlesbrough a safer place for all workers and a more attractive place for visitors and shoppers to visit."

The proposals include investing an additional £200,000 in enhancing CCTV, with an additional operative employed, building on current activity carried out by the police and street wardens by investing £375,000 in an additional presence on the streets, and taking on additional staff solely to support the Pubwatch and Middlesbrough Safer Shopping schemes.