A grant from the Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership has paid for new lamps to illuminate a lane running between the town's West Road and St Andrew's Drive. By day the path is a shortcut used by people walking to and from their homes. But after dark it also offer potential thieves easy access to back gardens.

Grampian Police and Aberdeenshire Council hope the new lighting will act as a deterrent, and make people using the lane feel safer. And they are looking for suggestions for other areas in North Aberdeenshire which could benefit from the same treatment.

The West Road-St Andrew's Drive project has cost about £1,000. And the community safety partnership has made another £2,500 available to spend on similar schemes in the next financial year.

The Community Safety Partnership, the police and the local authority's lighting department have worked in partnership on the scheme.

North Aberdeenshire crime prevention officer Constable Gordon Farman said:

"Better lighting makes residents feel safer, and the criminals feel more exposed. I'm keen to hear from communities in North Aberdeenshire who feel they could benefit from improvements like this."

Fraserburgh West councillor Brian Topping, who chairs the Fraserburgh and District Community Safety Group, said:

"It's a very simple but effective way of combating crime."