Victims of domestic abuse in the Burton area can now get help 24-hours a day.

It comes after a charity has taken over running services to help victims in East Staffordshire. They will be able to get advice and support 24-7 after the move.

Pathway, an award-winning charity, which already has an office in the voluntary services centre, in Union Street in Burton has taken over running the domestic abuse services, after operating similar ones in Lichfield and Tamworth for the last 26 years.

Home Group, a housing association which works in the UK used to supply the services, but the contract to run them paid for by Staffordshire County Council has now gone to Pathway.

From now on, whenever someone in the area is seeking advice regarding domestic abuse, they will speak with the charity, where staff will aim to support them and give them advice aimed at sorting out the issue.

A 24-hour call-line is available, and can be contacted by calling 01543 676800.

A spokesman from Pathway has spoken of changes the charity will bring to the services now it has taken over control.

He said: "We are delighted to be bringing our services to the communities in Burton and Uttoxeter now and will be looking forward to meeting other people involved in the community in those areas.

From Pathway, Claire Adamson, Gina Holland and Jackie Hodgkinson
Claire Adamson, Gina Holland and Jackie Hodgkinson from Pathway

"Our service will be slightly different from the previous one. We will have our 24-hours help line available, which anyone can ring for immediate help in a crisis, for someone to talk to or for advice and information.

"We have an office in the voluntary services centre in Union Street, Burton, and will soon have a team of five people including for the first time, a young person's domestic abuse practitioner for East Staffordshire.

"Domestic abuse is a terrible crime which affects people of all ages, genders and lifestyles. Our service is open to anyone who needs support – male or female – and we will offer a service for the time it takes to deal with the immediate crisis and then to re-build lives."

To get in touch with Pathway to talk about domestic abuse, call the help line on 01543 676800 or visit their website online at www.pathway-project.co.uk .

Staffordshire Police see drop in domestic abuse

Back in September, it was reported that thanks to an introduction of orders which help to protect victims of domestic violence by Staffordshire Police, the force estimate they have avoiding dealing with more than 3,000 calls.

Since police forces across the country started using domestic violence protection orders, there has been a significant drop in the number of incidents reported with an average of eight domestic-related incidents being recorded before an order was issued, dropping to an average of just two recorded incidents when the orders came into force.

Staffordshire police started using the orders in July 2014 and since then have secured 521 orders to help them prevent incidents of domestic violence.

These statistics mean that more than 3,000 calls to the control room and then the subsequent officer deployments have been avoided since the orders began as the protection has been in place to reassure the victim.

A domestic violence protection order can be granted by a magistrate and then by law requires a perpetrator to not contact the victim or return to the address where the victim lives or is staying, even if it is the perpetrator’s home too, for 14 to 28 days.

However before a domestic violence protection order can be issued, a Domestic Violence Protection Notice must be authorised by a superintendent or someone of higher rank.

It exists for just 48 hours, but in that time the police can apply to the courts for a domestic violence protection order to extend the victim's protection if the police think it is necessary.