A VOLUNTARY group which helped turn a rural area into one of the safest places in the country is to disband.

Teesdale Crime Prevention Panel, in County Durham, is to close after members agreed it had been superceded by a number of different groups and other organisations.

While the panel has 23 members, only half a dozen regularly attended meetings - and at its latest meeting, to discuss whether the panel should close, only three members turned up.

Since the Crime Prevention Panel was set up, a number of similar organisations have started, including the Local Strategic Partnership, Safety Advisory Group and Teesdale Tasking Group.

The dale also has successful Farmwatch and Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Panel chairman Peter Stubbs said: "It will be missed, there's no doubt about that. It's just that new groups have come into being that are more in keeping with what the Government is wanting with regard to the funding and that's the crux of the matter.

"I've been a member for six years and it had been going for some time before I joined.

"Also, the work is continuing through these other groups, it's not as if we're throwing in the towel. It's just a case of changing times."

Last year, Teesdale was voted the best value place to live in the country in a survey that compared house prices with crime levels, which at the time stood at 18 crimes per 1,000 households.

In April, the dale went a full week where the only crime reported was an aborted attempt to break into a shed.

Mr Stubbs said he felt one of the panel's biggest achievements was the way it increased security in homes, especially those of elderly people.

Inspector Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle police, said: "The panel has done excellent work for many years in support of the police.

"This wasn't a decision taken lightly and it was with regret and reluctance that we chose closure, but I believe it was the right decision."