A community safety initiative involving the use of wardens to patrol the streets of Hartlepool has taken a big step forward.

Officials from Hartlepool Borough Council have launched a drive to recruit nine community wardens, three senior community wardens and a community warden scheme manager.

It is anticipated the successful applicants will undergo two weeks of training in early November with patrols taking to the streets shortly afterwards.

The community warden scheme is to receive funding of more than £600,000 from the Government's neighbourhood renewal fund during the next three years.

The main aim of the patrols, which will cover Dyke House, Burbank, Brinkburn, Owton Manor and parts of Rift House, will be able to tackle house burglaries although they will also be able to deal with a range of anti-social behaviour, including vandalism and fly-tipping.

The scheme will be managed by the council's community safety team and the wardens will work shifts, covering six days a week, from 8.30am to 11pm.

Alison Mawson, community safety strategy officer said: "The wardens will have no formal enforcement powers, but we see them as being the eyes and ears of our communities and acting as a link between those communities and organisations, such as the police and the council.

"The training they will undergo is fairly rigorous and will include issues such as evidence gathering, basic personal safety, mediation, protecting a scene of crime and appearing in court as a witness.

"This is part of our on-going commitment to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and we would urge residents to give their full support to the scheme."