REDDITCH MP Jacqui Smith was recently given an overview of the work which has been carried out as part of the "designing out crime" project being undertaken by the council and the police.

Last Friday, Ms Smith was on site at Matchborough Centre for a meeting with borough council officials Sue Hanley, Guy Revans and Carl Taylor along with Pc Phil Bryers, who works on schemes to develop community safety, and project contractor Andy Hall from Blythe Valley.

Ms Smith was shown how landscaping work has been undertaken to make the centre more welcoming, open and safer.

With the addition of extended CCTV to cover the centres, Ms Smith said she believed areas such as Matchborough centre were once again becoming places where people wanted to live, not leave.