A SUCCESSFUL neighbourhood watch scheme has been given a boost by a local motor dealer.

Bedale Mobile Watch has been loaned a new Toyota Yaris by Northallerton dealers Lookers.

Its dealer principal Colin Tipton handed over the keys to watch supervisor PC Chris Walker and voluntary co-ordinator Maria Fothergill.

The car is on loan from Toyota for one year and will be run with £2,500 of funding from the Single Regeneration Budget co-ordinated by North Yorkshire County Council.

Bedale Mobile Watch scheme has been in existence since 1988 and involves volunteers taking to the roads to carry out patrols.

They act as an extra set of eyes and ears for the police, reporting anything unusual or suspicious.

The volunteers do not have any police powers and do not become directly involved in incidents.

However, over the years they have helped police arrest a number of travelling criminals and provided information which has led to crimes being solved.

Previously, members of the scheme used their own vehicles when going out on patrol but the new car and additional funding means they will no longer incur their own expenses.