REPORTED incidents of domestic violence in the Darlington area have risen sharply.

The increase was revealed in statistics for the Christmas period which were released last night.

Last month there were 142 incidents of domestic violence reported, compared with 109 for the previous December.

With the raising of public awareness, Darlington Domestic Violence Forum, says that more victims felt able to seek help than previously.

That resulted in the Darlington Refuge, which offers a place to stay for those affected by domestic violence, experiencing one of its busiest Christmas periods.

Claire Seymour, coordinator for the Darlington Domestic Violence Forum, said: "We are not saying the number of incidents has increased, just that more people than before have reported the incidents.

"Christmas is normally one of the quieter times because a lot of women think they will see Christmas out for the sake of the family.

"It would seem that more women decided that last Christmas the best present they could have for themselves and their children was a safe one, free from the threat of violence.

"With increased publicity and assurances that action will be taken to help the victims of domestic violence, it would seem that women felt more able to take the step away from the abusive home."

This week also sees the launch of an initiative by Darlington Domestic Violence Forum to collect and evaluate statistics from various organisations in the town, in an effort to improve services for victims.

Ms Seymour said: "With this rise in recorded violence, we must explore more fully the impact on both government and voluntary services that domestic violence has in our community, so that we can target areas for improvement of services to the victims of domestic violence.

"Many organisations, such as the police, social services, housing and ourselves, all work with victims of domestic violence, but each uses different systems of recording them.

"To have a fair picture of the situation in Darlington, we need to work together to improve services, and that is what we will be trying to do."

One in four women is said to experience some form of domestic violence at some time during their lives.

A website set up by the forum last autumn has been visited more than 1,000 times.

Anyone who wishes to seek advice or information about domestic violence issues should contact (01325) 364486, or alternatively visit the forum's website on www.domestic violence.fsnet.co.uk