RESIDENTS are being urged to get behind a campaign which aims to reignite the community spirit of years gone by to help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.

Since January last year, people living in the Northgate area of Darlington have been exploring ways to improve their community, with help from the council and local police.

The scheme, which was piloted in Darlington and Seaham, County Durham, aims to encourage communities to work together to identify problems in the area, and what can be done to solve them.

Following its launch, the project has helped to reduce crime in Northgate by 34 per cent.

PCSO Chris Weighill, who has worked with residents as part of the scheme, said: “We are getting communities to help themselves. We are going back to the old community spirit and having a bit of pride in where you live.

"Everyone generally has similar views on what is and what isn’t acceptable.

“Now they feel confident to stand up for their community. They know their neighbours will support them and we are here to support them if they need us.”

He added: “Part of the process is that we are not allowed to do things for them or sort things out.

“Things have to be learnt, so it takes longer. But the benefit from it will be greater and they will have more confidence to do things for themselves.”

As part of the scheme, brightly coloured biodegradable paint is being given out to residents to spray on dog poo left in the street.

The aim is to highlight the issue to local residents and embarrass dog owners who do not clean up after their pet to pick up their dog's mess.

A new scheme to tackle graffiti is also being trialled, which involves stringing up huge sheets of cling film between trees or lampposts for people to paint on. The sheets can then be thrown away or kept.

Mick Tolley, a Barningham Street resident who has been taking part in the scheme, urged people to take part in a free community engagement event at Corporation Road Primary School on Saturday, May 16 from 11am to 1pm.

“It has taken a while but more people are getting involved which is marvellous," he said.

“When I was a child there was a real sense of community spirit, and we didn’t have problems like antisocial behaviour.

“We are very lucky to have a police team who are willing to get involved and help us.”