A drilling machine has solved a problem that threatened to create traffic chaos on Teesside.

The construction of a new junction on the A66, near Stockton, meant that exist- ing gas pipes had to be diverted.

National Grid Transco and contractors Balfour Beatty had a choice of either suspending pipes across the bridge, which would have involved lane closures, or finding a way to tunnel underneath the River Tees.

A drilling machine was brought in to tunnel under the river, at Surtees Bridge.

Ritchie Read, the operations manager with National Grid Transco, said: "The operation involved boring a control rod into the ground below the riverbed and then connecting it to the new gas pipe on the other side before pulling it back under the river. The whole operation took less than three days to complete, saving motorists the misery of weeks of traffic congestion on the A66."

Network officer Steve Pigott said: "Everything has gone exactly to plan.

"We have worked in partnership with Balfour Beatty to ensure that motorists were not inconvenienced in any way and, at the same time, we have invested in a brand new gas main to serve this part of Teesside."