County funds to clean its act up

Projects that have cleaned up neighbourhoods and made streets safer have been awarded extra funding from Derbyshire County Council.

A total of £65,000 will be shared between two community safety projects which focus on cleaning up graffiti and providing street lighting in areas with high levels of crime and disorder.

The clean–up work took place sites last year and further places have been earmarked for improvement with the new funding.

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Work has included removing vegetation and bushes, cleaning general debris and litter, removing fly tipping, painting and decorating.

Graffiti has been removed around the county including on bridges, subways, signs, railings, fences and walls.

The aim of the street lighting initiative is to make people feel more secure in areas with higher levels of crime and antisocial behaviour. At the same time the lighting is intended to deter criminals who are more likely to be identified or witnessed.

An evaluation of the project showed crime rates fell by 13 per cent since the extra lighting was installed, assaults fell by 19 per cent and damage and arson by almost 16 per cent.