An 83-year-old woman is set to patrol demolition earmarked streets to keep arsonists at bay.

Cleveland Police, community police support officers and neighbourhood support workers, employed by the Guinness Trust, are carrying out daily inspections of 150 terraced houses which are to be bulldozed at South Bank, near Middlesbrough.

Notices have also gone up on the buildings to deter would-be thieves and vandals.

Pear Hall, chairwoman of South Bank Residents Association, upset at the publicity triggered by the security measures, says she will police the area herself while other residents keep a sharp look out.

Cleveland Fire Brigade and Police are taking no chances in an area where one in ten fires are started deliberately.

Neighbouring Grangetown was recently hit by a spate of fires and emergency services are keen to see the menace does not spread to South Bank.

Mrs Hall said: "They are not going to succeed here; we won't let them. We don't want any more bad publicity for South Bank. The residents' association has fought hard to get South Bank right and we are nearly 100 percent there and putting the image right.

"We are rising up, out of the image we have had in the past and it was only a few weeks ago, I was told South Bank was the lowest in the local league for fires.''

She added: "I'll be going down there myself and keeping an eye open. We are fighting for the future of South Bank and want to build it up.'' Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council are tearing down streets of empty, terraced, vandal-hit houses, as part of a programme to rejuvenate the area and improve the quality of life of residents.

Tony Churchill, manager at Grangetown station, which also covers South Bank, said recently: "With this group of houses being identified for demolition, working with other agencies is essential to minimise problems and reduce the risk to the community.

"When we get called to a fire at a derelict house, especially if it has been repeatedly hit by arsonists it becomes more dangerous, the building becomes very unstable, ceilings can cave in and the whole building could collapse. These are very risky situations to be in and put lives at risk."