A COUNCILLOR plans to get on his bike and hold impromptu surgeries in the street, with his constituents .

John Shuttleworth is to ditch his car for some engagements on his Weardale patch and replace it with a Raleigh racing bike.

Coun Shuttleworth, who represents Weardale as an independent on Durham County Council, and St John's Chapel on Wear Valley District Council, said he hoped the effort would get him fit and make him more visible to his constituents.

But he rejected suggestions that he was "doing a David Cameron" by showing off his green credentials in the same way as the Tory leader.

Coun Shuttleworth said: "I never even thought of that, although there is a little bit of a green issue in it.

"I feel there is a keep-fit agenda for us all to be aware of, and this gets me out and about and keeps me fit.

"I will be riding through the villages on a Saturday morning and if people want me, they can pull me up and chat."

Coun Shuttleworth's patch is one of the most rural in County Durham and stretches from Witton-le-Wear to the Cumbrian border, a distance of more than 20 miles.

He said: "It is a bit of a gimmick, but I can go here there and everywhere on the bike. I paid a tenner for it at auction and its green and yellow, so I should be easily identifiable."