ELDERLY people in Cleveland are flocking to obtain personal attack alarms being offered free in a pioneering scheme.

Response to distribution has been described as phenomenal. More than 1,000 people have jumped at the chance for extra protection, and another batch is on the way to meet demand.

The man behind the scheme, Coun Dave McLuckie, is delighted. He aims to deliver alarms to every ward in Redcar and Cleveland borough by the end of the year. The move follows a spate of muggings of pensioners.

"Elderly people are seen as a target," said Coun McLuckie, lead councillor for community safety. "They are easy to knock over and often can't defend themselves or even call for help.

"These alarms are making them feel much safer on the streets and in their homes."

The alarms cost about £2 each. "It is money well spent," said Coun McLuckie.

He took action after his postbag became full of letters from pensioners worried about their safety. He got £500 for a pilot scheme in Eston, using alarms he adapted to link up to windows and doors. At a feedback session, people said they had felt much safer.

Encouraged, he asked the council for a grant to buy more alarms.

He got £5,000 and immediately spent £2,000 on more of the gadgets which have been handed out in Eston, Normanby, Guisborough, Skelton and in Brotton this week.

Coun McLuckie also e-mailed all councillors saying if they had people in their wards needing alarms to get in touch. "The response was phenomenal," he said. "My diary is almost full of arrangements to take round the alarms.

"I now want to spend another £2,000 and hope that by the end of the summer I will have handed alarms out to every ward."

He says new ones are a bit more expensive but have a proper fixture which means doors and windows can be alarmed separately from the personal alarm.

In Skelton alone, more than 160 alarms were handed out after a couple of muggings. At one advice session, 100 were snapped up in less than half an hour. "There is clearly a need for them," said Coun McLuckie.

"If for a small amount of money people are being given confidence and a feeling of being safer than of late, then it is money well spent.

"The alarms give people the ability to at least make a lot of noise in the event of an attack and this can be enough to scare people away or to get help."

The alarms also have a torch on them and this flashes if the sound goes off. "The alarms are making a huge difference to people's lives," he said.

Cleveland police are backing the scheme, which is completely free.

Coun McLuckie says people who want alarms should contact their ward councillor. "If I haven't already arranged to visit that area then I will set something up," he said.