ANTI-CRIME campaigners have expressed concern at a rise in violent incidents along riverbanks in the Darlington area.

They are also worried about the dangers presented by young children visiting the Tees without responsible adults to look after them.

The rise in incidents has been revealed by Brian Pavey, chairman of crime prevention group Darlington Rural Watch (DRW), which covers the countryside around the town.

Mr Pavey, a Darlington gamekeeper, said the problem was particularly bad on the Barmpton stretch of the Tees, near Whinfield.

He said: "The problem is that youths and adults are trespassing on our members' land to fish or go shooting. They are even sleeping in tents on the islands.

"We are seeing them drinking alcohol and taking hard drugs, which we know is happening because we are finding syringes.

"There has been a lot of confrontation when landowners point out that they are trespassing.

"Our members have experienced verbal abuse and threats of violence. We have also seen damage to fencing and a lot of litter."

He said DRW members were also concerned at the age of some of the children on the riverbank.

Mr Pavey said: "It is clear that their parents do not care where they are. I have seen children as young as five years old and we are worried that one of them will be drowned."

DRW, which is this year marking its fifth anniversary, works closely with the police to gather intelligence about people committing offences on rural land.

Initially, most members were farmers, but increasingly the group is including people who run businesses or live in the countryside on the fringes of the borough. Details of incidents are sent to all DRW members via a texting system and the organisation mounts day and night-time patrols in conjunction with police officers.

Mr Pavey said the idea of DRW was to co-ordinate the response to crime and also reduce the sense of isolation often felt by people living in rural areas.