County Durham's passport office has been forced to close after it sustained damage from strong winds over the weekend.

HM Passport Office on Freeman's Place in Durham City confirmed the news with a sign taped to a barrier blocking off the entrance to the building.

This comes after strong winds from Storm Ashley battered the region, which was under a yellow weather warning by the Met Office with top speeds of up to 55mph. 

It is not known when the office will re-open.

The sign, seen by The Northern Echo, reads: "Unfortunately, the Passport Office is currently closed to the public for safety reasons out of our control.

"Please contact the passport advice line for questions around passport applications. We hope to re-open in due course."

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The Home Office confirmed the closure, stating that applications will still be processed despite this.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Durham Passport Office was damaged by strong winds over the weekend, and the building is currently closed for the safety of our staff and customers.

“We do not expect this to impact our ability to process standard passport applications.”