FORMER traffic wardens are being trained to become Community Safety Wardens and will soon be walking the streets of Lancaster.

The new wardens will help the police on a number or crime prevention issues and their visible presence on the streets is expected to deter anti-social behaviour.

The new wardens will also be the eyes and ears of their colleagues in the constabulary and they will act as ambassadors by promoting good local relations.

The patrols will be in new uniforms, but have no powers of arrest, other than those of the ordinary citizen. They will, however, be working alongside police officer colleagues and will help to monitor problems such as vandalism and juvenile nuisance while also keeping a close watch on elderly members of the community.

The patrol scheme will be piloted first in the Bulk Ward of Lancaster, taking in the Ridge estate and parts of Freehold and the city centre.

If it is successful then it will be promoted in other parts of the district.

Local traffic wardens have been recruited because some of them faced redundancy due to new legislation decriminalising on-street parking. The constabulary was keen to retain their expertise and local knowledge and after talking with Unison, the union representing them, it was decided to devise the community scheme.

Superintendent Jerry Graham, Operations Manager at Lancaster, said: "We consulted with many local groups before deciding to go ahead with this pilot. Everybody has been very supportive and we are now convinced that the community safety patrols will have an important role to play in fostering good relations.

"We hope their highly visible presence will help the communities in Bulk Ward feel safer and at the same time the wardens will play a role in deterring crime and disorder. Our aim is to involve everybody in the area in our efforts to make it a more pleasant place in which to live and work."

Dr Ruth Henig, chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority and the local county councillor, said: "I am very excited about this project. It is the first of it's kind in the country and I will be looking at it very closely to see what sort of impact it will have on life in the Bulk Ward area. I know that the Home Secretary is taking a keen interest in the pilot, particularly since he has only recently talked of his vision for a police service where more uniformed officers work alongside street wardens."

The scheme started this week and six former wardens will be involved.