The commander of Harrow’s fire service has become the borough's 1,000th neighbourhood champion.

Richard Claydon, London Fire Brigade borough commander for Harrow, is the 1,000th person to join the scheme, which was launched by Harrow Borough Council in 2009.

The Neighbourhood Champions scheme allows people to report anti-social behaviour in their street or area to the council, which then works with police to resolve the issue.

The council is currently aiming to recruit a volunteer for every road in the borough.

At the Neighbourhood Champions conference on Wednesday evening ten other fire officers also signed up to the scheme, meaning the council is half way towards its goal.

Mr Claydon said: “The Neighbourhood Champions scheme has been a great success and London Fire Brigade in Harrow is a key part of this. Becoming champions ourselves is a way of showing how committed we are.

“We already work closely with the council, police colleagues, and serving as champions just brings us closer to the people we serve and will enable us to be able to raise the profile of fire safety in the community.”

Council leader Cllr Susan Hall said: “It is fantastic news that we have now gone through the 1,000 barrier for Neighbourhood Champions.

“This is a scheme which has clearly captured the imagination of Harrow people and is proving a major help to both the council and the police in making our borough cleaner and safer.

“We’re half way to our goal of a Neighbourhood Champion on every one of Harrow’s streets.”