WORKERS at a North-East water company are giving lazy lunches the boot by joining in a number of walks near their workplace.

Northumbrian Water has introduced six walks near its offices in Durham City and Washington, to entice workers to stretch their legs during lunchbreaks.

The scenic routes are between three-quarters of a mile and two miles long, which should take walkers between ten minutes and half an hour to complete.

The walks have been designed so that employees juggling a busy work and family life can get some time for exercise.

Sharon Ravenhall, Northumbrian Water's human resources operations manager, said: "These walks will hopefully help our staff to easily integrate regular exercise into their lives as part of a daily routine.

"Our people are the most important resource Northumbrian Water has so, anything we can do to encourage them to improve and maintain their well-being is a positive step."

She added: "Obviously we also encourage staff to ensure they drink enough tap water while walking to keep hydrated."