MORE wardens are to be recruited for the streets of east Cleveland.

And bosses at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council are pledging more visible patrols in the future.

At present, the borough is patrolled by 30 wardens, split into six area teams.

Council leader Councillor George Dunning said: "The number one issue for Redcar and Cleveland council is community safety and we recognise the worth of the team that delivers this high-profile service.

"In order that we can protect our citizens, we will endeavour to make sure that the community safety team has the resources to deliver a first-class service."

Councillor Dave McLuckie, the council's cabinet member for community protection, said: "Now we're beginning a process that starts with the new wardens, building the teams back up to strength and ensuring a high-visibility for them will be the norm, not the exception.

"And we're also looking at new and innovative ways of delivering community protection to the streets of Redcar and Cleveland, examining what we do across all services and see how some of these roles can be integrated."

The wardens' service won the council's Team of the Year title in its recent Pride awards.

Warden supervisor Carolyn Bircham, who won the corporate management team's special award, became a Redcar and Cleveland warden two years ago.

She had previously worked with Cleveland Police for 17 years as a civilian radio dispatcher.

She said: "It was a huge career move. What I was doing on the phone became what I'm doing outside in person. But I wanted to have more personal contact."