A STREET Angels scheme launched after three university students died in the River Wear within 18 months has been controversially scrapped.

The first Durham University student volunteers trained to help keep their course mates safe on nights out only hit the streets in late February and city chiefs hailed the number putting themselves forward as evidence of a new attitude to river safety following the deaths of Sope Peters, Luke Pearce and Euan Coulthard.

However, the scheme has now been ended.

A Durham University spokeswoman said: “The Street Angels night-time volunteering scheme was introduced as a pilot and was reviewed at the end of the 2014-15 academic year.

“On review and after consultation it was considered that student night-time volunteer patrols would be more effective as part of established community groups.”

Students have launched a campaign calling for the scheme to be reinstated and an online petition at change.org has attracted more than 400 signatures in just four days.

The petition reads: “We felt as though we were making a hugely positive impact upon the Durham community... we question why the university would want to stop a project that keeps its students safe.

“As a project run for students, by students, it is one of the most effective ways of responding to issues of student safety in Durham.”

Project leader Roshini Turner told the student newspaper Palatinate none of the former or current project leaders were consulted on the decision and added: “Many of us have sometimes had too much to drink, regardless of the messages given to us through campaigns, successful or not.

“I just would hate for someone making that mistake to result in tragedy or an accident of some sort.”

The university has introduced other safety measures including a night bus and better taxi services and jointly funded an independent river safety report and paid a third of the £230,000-worth of changes it recommended, which included new fences and lights and improvements to footpaths and riverbanks.

The Durham Students’ Union is also running a sensible drinking campaign.

The volunteers of Durham Streetlights have been helping the vulnerable on Durham’s streets late at night for more than five years.