THE sun shone on the vast majority of the region yesterday, but a swarm of bees turned the blue skies black above one North-East street.

Residents of Tristram Avenue in the Brinkburn Road area of Darlington fled for the safety of their homes when thousands of bees descended on the street yesterday afternoon.

The insects gathered in the garden of Elizabeth Chard, 50.

Mrs Chard said: “I have a joiner in at the moment and he came in and said ‘you’d better close your windows, there’s a swarm of bees’.

“It happened really quickly, and when we looked out the front window, the street – and I’m not exaggerating – was black.

“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

“There were thousands and thousands of bees, swarming all around the cul-de-sac.

“Everybody cleared the street. It was quite dramatic.

“The police turned up, but there was nothing they could do.

“I wasn’t particularly scared, although it was a bit eerie. It was like something from a film, not something you would expect in your street.”

Pest controller Steve Horner said the swarm over Darlington yesterday contained as many as 10,000 bees.

He said: “Bees swarming at this time of year get a new queen, meaning a number of queens could live in some hives.

“The queens will then either fight to the death, or leave and take the colony with them.”

Mr Horner captured the bees within a cardboard box, and they were last night being relocated to a hive in Staindrop.

They will spend the rest of the year settling in to their new home and are expected to begin producing honey in time for next summer.

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council said the authority was not involved on this occasion, but said residents encountering swarms in the future can call 01325-388777 to get help.

She said: “The season is coming up for flying ant swarms, but they can be left alone and they won’t cause any harm.”