MORE than 100 youngsters and their parents have taken part in a clean-up of their run-down neighbourhood.

Residents in South Moor, near Stanley, rolled up their sleeves to join Fire Busters, yesterday.

Teams cleared back yards of fly-tipped rubbish and cleaned off graffiti.

The project aimed to cut the number of minor arsons in the area and give people a sense of pride in their surroundings.

Dave Turnbull, from County Durham and Darlington Fire Brigade's community safety team, said: "This has been a big success.

"We publicised the clean-up and nuisance fires stopped completely in the run-up to this event."

Derwentside District Council helped the clean-up teams access empty properties. It also provided a JCB to tear down fire-damaged garden sheds and a truck to take away all the rubbish.

The partnership also included Greenland Community Infant School, Durham Constabulary, Stanley Green Corridor Neighbourhood Management Team, Groundwork West Durham and SureStart Stanley.

The Asda store, in Stanley, provided a free lunch to all those who took part in the project.

"People were communicating and working with local agencies and a lot of barriers were broken down," said Mr Turnbull.

"Any one agency could have gone in and tried to make a difference without any visible success. But unless the people take ownership it is worth nothing."

The scheme may run in other districts in County Durham.