A DRAMATIC landscape of green dales topped by remote moorland, it is an area justly billed as England's Last Wilderness.

It is appropriate then, that it is also gaining a reputation as a place where nothing happens, much to the delight of residents.

Teesdale may be a frontier area, forming County Durham's south-west border with Cumbria and North Yorkshire, but it seems far from lawless.

For the local constabulary said there has only been one crime reported over the past seven days.

And even that turned out to be a failed raid on a garden shed in Cockfield.

Sergeant Victoria Errington, who is based at Barnard Castle police station, said: "It has been a really good week for us.

"But I would not like to say too much about it in case it tempts fate."

Five months ago, a national report showed Teesdale was the best value area in the country when linking property prices with the rate of crime which, at the time, stood at 18 crimes per 1,000 households.

By comparison, the City of Westminster, in London, had a crime rate of 225 per 1,000 households. The national average was 131.

So, with a population of 24,100 people, spread over 84,000 hectares, the almost crime-free clean sheet recorded by police in Teesdale is quite an achievement.

However, it is not always the case. Sgt Errington said: "We had some poor weeks not long ago with the theft of farming equipment and other goods, along with quite a bit of vandalism around Barnard Castle town centre.

"In view of that, it is pleasing to have so little to report. We had a couple of domestic incidents to deal with, but apart from that, it was really quiet."

Even the one crime reported over the past seven days was hardly major-league.

The owner of the garden shed in Cockfield reported that a padlock on the door had been broken, and nothing inside was stolen.

Police have recently gone on the offensive against crime. Last month, officers teamed up with volunteer farmers and gamekeepers to mount night patrols.

It resulted in a number of vehicles being stopped and poachers arrested.

And after a spate of vandalism in Barnard Castle town centre, mainly involving shop windows being smashed and vehicles damaged, Inspector Kevin Tuck arranged for closed circuit security cameras to be hired for a trial period. They already seem to be having an impact.

Sgt Errington said: "We are being vigilant and continuing our patrols in line with current intelligence. And we will be trying to ensure there are no problems during the Easter holiday weekend.