FOUR recruits have been welcomed to the community safety warden service on Teesside.

The new additions, two men and two women, were welcomed by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council as they took a stroll down Redcar High Street.

Peter Roberts will be based at Redcar Police Station. He was a warden in Middlesbrough for three years and was in the armed forces before that.

Dave Wells will work out of Loftus Police Station, joining the service from the private sector. Before that, he was also in the armed forces.

Louise Dobson spent a number of years working with a security company before becoming a warden in Middlesbrough. She will be based in the South Bank, Grangetown and Teesville areas.

And Carolyn Bircham was a control room operator and radio dispatcher with Cleveland Police before taking a similar position in Middlesbrough and making the move to Redcar and Cleveland, where she is community safety supervisor for the Grangetown, Teesville and South Bank areas.

The wardens' role involves new powers to deal with minor anti-social behaviour, as well as anything from a faulty street light and helping residents with their problems, to issuing fixed penalty fines for dog-fouling and littering.

Councillor Joyce Benbow, cabinet member for community safety, said: "I am delighted with our new recruits.

"They will be a valuable asset to the council and will improve the quality of life for people in the local communities they work in."

The Redcar and Cleveland service, which is based at local police stations, now has 27 wardens, including six supervisors, operating seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 1pm until 12.05am.