THE first of 35 extra beat bobbies have started work in East Lancashire.

An extra 27p-a-week in council tax was levied this year after residents said they were happy to pay more if it meant a greater police presence in communities.

This week, PCs Wendy Eastham and Amanda Gibbons started work in the Blackburn areas of Highercroft and Mill Hill respectively.

The council tax rise, coming in at a total of £2million across Lancashire, is funding an extra 80 community beat managers across the county this financial year. Of those, 17 will be in the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, and a further 18 in the Pennine Division for Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

The 80 recruits will be placed into other areas of the force, allowing established officers to take up the new beat manager roles.

Sgt Paul Goodall, in charge of beat bobbies in Blackburn, said the appointment of PCs Eastham and Gibbons had effectively halved the workload of officers who had been covering the patches.

He said: "The areas the officers had were huge and it will help them. It means people should see more of their own officers in their communities.

"There will be another six beat managers in Blackburn before the end of March and this will benefit the communities further."

Beat bobbies were reintroduced to Blackburn in January after a six-year absence.

Chief Supt David Mallaby, when he took over as commander for the area in April, said he wanted beat managers to stay in their posts for a long time as they formed a key part of his strategy.

Officers have a patch to patrol on foot to help reassure the public and solve long-term problems. They also have to find a base in their community, perhaps at a school or neighbourhood centre.