A TEAM of Ninja knitters have unveiled a 20 metre knitted, thin blue line to raise awareness of local fire and police services.

This morning a team of fire officers unveiled the stretch of blue knitting, handmade by local Age UK customers and volunteers.

The 20 metre police and fire service themed creation appeared overnight and covers the railings on Darlington’s High Row.

Gillian Peel from Age UK said: “It is called the Blue Line because it is in support for our partners, the police and fire service. It is to raise awareness of their work and also the work we do together.

“We have attached little things which you want to keep safe over Christmas so we have knitted presents, phones and keys but also things which are related to the fire service like a little ‘no smoking’ sign.

“Most of our customers are aged 60 plus and they can be the most vulnerable to crime such as scams as well as house fires. People can be forgetful and might go on the phone and forget they have left the cooker on.

“We have got the message across to our customers but we also want to get the message across to other people in Darlington too.”

This is not the first collaborative event between the three organisations.

Ms Peel said: “We do all sorts of activities with the fire team. Crew have helped out at Christmas lunches and two members came down to one of our knitting clubs and joined in. The customers loved it.

“We also have a unit with the fire and police at the Cornmill Shopping Centre and we are using it to recruit volunteers and give advice.”

Fire crew member, Stephen Dry said: “We have been working with Age UK and the police for about three years now.

“It’s an important partnership to be a part of the team has really enjoyed getting involved.”

Colleague, Andrew Wells said: “We hope this will raise awareness and promote safety in the community of Darlington over the Christmas period.”

Ms Peel added: “We want to go even bigger and better next year but those plans are top secret.”