A BUS company has drawn up proposals for restoring direct services between Seaham and Sunderland.

A public meeting was held with residents concerned about the withdrawal earlier this year of services to the Station Road and Dene House Road areas of the town and to the city.

Operator Go North-East has now written to Durham County Council offering to restore a direct service to Sunderland provided that the council pays the company to run it.

The company is proposing an hourly service on a single route serving Dene House Road and Station Road.

The council is being offered the choice of a service that would run outside of peak hours only on Mondays to Fridays or one running between 8am and 6pm including Saturdays.

The company's business development manager Phil Southall said: "We recently joined the county council in listening to the views of local people and the proposals we have drawn up meet the majority of those views.

"If the council chooses to fund one of the options outlined we would be delighted to run the service on their behalf.

"We would anticipate a decision in the next few weeks when a number of decisions on council bus tenders are to be announced."