EXTRA Community Safety Wardens are going on patrol across the borough, thanks to European funding.

The £71,500 grant will also pay for a specialist "hit squad" to tackle environmental problems and carry out repairs.

The money, awarded under the European Social Fund Objective 3 programme, will increase the warden ranks to 22. There were only 12 wardens when the scheme was launched three years ago, with a remit to help the police tackle crime and the fear of it.

Mr Ged McGee, wardens project manager, was delighted with the grant. He said it would meet a "significant" amount of the running costs and expand the service beyond the usual patrols.

"We will set up a dedicated team who, as well as carrying out the accepted functions of the wardens, will be able to cut through red tape and normal council procedures to tackle environmental and community safety problems," he said. "These can range from cutting back overhanging shrubbery to fixing unsafe paving stones, seating and signage, simple tasks but often ones which can cause serious problems if they are not resolved quickly."

Mr McGee said the grant was designed to give unemployed people the chance to get back into work.

Wardens are drawn from the dole queue, and 76 per cent go on to permanent jobs after their one-year warden contract is over.

Bury's scheme has proved so successful that other councils are using it was a blueprint to set up similar projects.

Mr McGee and several of the wardens have been invited to attend four major conferences before Christmas and pass on their experience.

The highlight will be their contribution to the National Wardens Conference, which will be held in Nottingham in November.