DOZENS more street wardens are to patrol a town's neighbourhoods and problem areas.

Middlesbrough Council has won £1.1m in European funding to employ another 25 community wardens.

It comes as Middlesbrough charity The Wise Group, which works with the long-term unemployed, has said it will train a further 25 community wardens.

Bill Thompson, Middlesbrough Council's street wardens manager, said: "The addition of the new wardens makes the Middlesbrough Street Warden Scheme the largest in the country.

"We now have more than 75 dedicated wardens, who will focus directly on the 16 target communities of Middlesbrough, plus mobile wardens, who will be deployed to hot spots when and where a warden presence is needed."

The influx of wardens is a realisation of a promise made by Mayor Ray Mallon.

He pledged to have 90 wardens on the streets within a year, their goal being to cut crime in Middlesbrough by 15 per cent.

The mayor's vow echoed a challenge he set himself when, as head of the town's CID in 1996, he said he would cut crime by 20 per cent in 18 months or ask to be transferred.

He brought down crime by 24 per cent in half that time.

Mr Thompson said yesterday: "The success of the scheme is continuing to grow.

"Our scheme will get bigger and better, and we will become even more effective within the communities.

"Working in partnership with the police and the police community support officers, we are making a significant difference to the town."

Joy Nolan, community safety manager for Middlesbrough Council, said: "There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to bring in additional funding for crime reduction work.

"This is the largest bid community safety has pulled together so far, and we hope to build upon this success.

"We already have more innovative bids in the pipeline that will target crime and the fear it generates."

The areas of Middlesbrough that the wardens will cover are Ayresome, Beckfield, Beechwood, Berwick Hills, Easterside, Gresham, Grove Hill, Hemlington, North Ormesby, Pallister Park, Park End, St Hilda's, Southfield, Stainton and Thornton, Thorntree and Westbourne.