THE Safer Stockton Partnership has made another successful bid for money which will fund more community wardens to patrol the town's streets.

The first team of wardens began work primarily the Mandale and Victoria Estates in Thornaby, and the Hardwick Estate in Stockton earlier this year under a pilot scheme which was jointly funded for two years by the Government and Stockton Borough Council.

Now, the partnership is in line for a further £211,000 over the next two years.

This will fund two schemes in central Stockton and Norton, and in the Grange and St Aidan's wards in nearby Billingham.

Councillor Steve Nelson, the council's cabinet member for housing and community safety, said: "This is excellent news. We're confident we can complete the process by providing the Government with a detailed action plan.

"We will base this on our existing schemes in Hardwick, and in the Mandale and Victoria wards, in Thornaby.

"We aim to get eight new wardens on the road by late January or early February next year."

Chief Superintendent Kevin Pitt, police district commander for Stockton and chairman of the partnership, said: "This is further proof of the effectiveness of our Safer Stockton Partnership.

"These existing warden schemes work very closely with the local police teams in the areas they cover and are having a good impact on the anti-social behaviour and disorder, which helps us to free up more police time to concentrate on crime.