A new team of Community Wardens are getting set to support residents and businesses throughout East Lothian.

In their smart red and black uniforms, the eight-strong team of Wardens will soon become familiar faces across East Lothian, offering advice and support to local areas, listening to their concerns and acting as a link between communities and the Council's departments.

Their highly visible presence is intended to reduce and deter crime and provide reassurance to the community. At the same time they will also engage with communities to find the issues that are most affecting them, support them to drive forward improvements and promote responsible citizenship and social inclusion. As the eyes and ears of the authority they can quickly report back issues contributing to antisocial problems - such as lighting faults, graffiti or repairs- to the appropriate Council departments.

As well as working with the community to identify and deal with the issues that matter most to them, the Wardens can also issue fixed penalties for civil offences such as littering or dog fouling.

Cabinet member for Community Services Councillor Stuart Currie met with the team and said: “Often the best people to identify the problems and potential opportunities in their communities are residents themselves. The wardens are keen to work within local areas to provide a reassuring presence in the streets but more than that, to hear from our residents and businesses on the issues that matter most to them. They will be able to offer guidance and support on the best way to drive forward improvements and community-based initiatives. I'm sure that our local residents and businesses will welcome their presence in East Lothian and work with them to make our areas better and safer.”

The Wardens bring a wide range of skills and experience, and collectively form a very versatile team. Since their appointment they have all undergone a programme of training, some of which was run in conjunction with Lothian and Borders Police, before heading out into the communities.

East Lothian Council's Environmental Protection Manager, Finlay Mackay, said: “The community warden team role is unique in that they will be out patrolling in and engaging with the community working closely with the Police, ASB team and other East Lothian Council departments to provide a service which will ensure community concerns are addressed.”