Half of Cleobury Mortimer signs up to neighbourhood watch

More than half of residents in a south Shropshire town have joined an online neighbourhood watch group.

Cleobury Mortimer Neighbourhood Watch, the first town-wide scheme in the county, has created a group on social networking site Facebook which already has more than 630 members, and could now be rolled out throughout Shropshire. Constable Tony Sewel said: "It's like a one-stop-shop for information."

The local policing officer added that it helped officers to find out what's going on.

"Normally it will be a few streets that join up but here we've got a whole town one and then one of the residents set up the Facebook page.

"I've got a Cleobury Mortimer local policing team log in which means I can answer questions," he added.

"We're watching and we're interested in what's going on.

"If people have got problems they can put them on the site and we can follow up on the information.

"It gives us more access to the community, the younger generation use the internet and the older generation still attend the meetings.

"If it's successful and it continues it could be used as a model for other towns in Shropshire."

The website at www.face book.com/cleoburynhw was set up by Florence Hadley and Betsy Pratt.

Despite only being operational for a few weeks the site is already having an impact in the town.

Resident Penny Mumford wrote: "I think that the lower end of Cleobury is being used as practice for the Grand Prix again.

"There are speeding cars almost every night at this time now, going too fast to get number plates.

"Is anything going to be done about it before someone gets killed?"

Constable Sewell said officers were able to track down and contact the drivers as a result of information placed on the page.

For more information contact Constable Sewell on 0300 333 3000 or e-mail anthony.sewell@westmercia.pnn.police.uk

By Paul Mannion