Darlington has the safest car parks in the region thanks to heightened security measures.

The town has added four more car parks to its secured car parks list, taking the total to 15 - the most in any town in the North-East.

Car parks in Kendrew Street East, Kendrew Street West, Central House and Archer Street have also been awarded secured car park status.

Secured car parks must have a number of crime prevention measures including 24-hour CCTV coverage, help and information points, appropriate landscaping to reduce hiding places for criminals and improved lighting.

Darlington Borough Council was presented with Secured Car Park awards for the four additional car parks by Andrew Duckworth, Durham Police's architectural liaison officer.

Mr Duckworth said: "Darlington has seen a drastic reduction in reported incidents of car crime in car parks - this is helped by the 15 secure car parks the town now has which offer drivers safer environments in which to park their vehicles."

Latest figures indicate that car crime in car parks covered by CCTV has been virtually wiped out.

For the first three months of this year, the statistics reveal only two incidents have been reported in the car parks which are covered by the borough council's spy camera system.

The cameras provide 24-hour coverage of town centre car parks and live pictures are relayed to the town hall, where they are monitored by control room staff.

The investment in the scheme so far is £1.5m, with a total of 91 cameras now operating in key areas.

The system was introduced in 1994 at a cost of £750,000 - and 374 incidents were recorded in that year.