A busy road through a County Durham village was closed for several hours today (July 9) for a community carnival.

The A688, between Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle was closed at Staindrop until 5pm for the village carnival.

A parade is set off through the village at 1pm, with a host of activities being held throughout the day, including a classic vehicle display, market stalls, pet shows and a funfair. 

The Northern Echo: The A688 will be closed for a number of hours in Staindrop Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT The A688 will be closed for a number of hours in Staindrop Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

Read more: Newcastle man faces trial after alleged assault at Sunderland Ed Sheeran gig

The A688 has, in previous years, only been closed for about an hour to allow the Staindrop Carnival parade to take place, but this year remained shut to traffic until 5pm. 

The road closure was put in place for health and safety reasons on advice of Durham Police. 

There will be a traffic management team who will supervise specific access for emergency vehicles and carers to come through. 

We will bring you photographs of the day's events later.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054