VILLAGERS screamed with delight at a surprise announcement that £8.5m of Government money is to tackle an accident blackspot.

The cash will go towards building a new interchange at the Long Newton junction of the A66 between Darlington and Stockton.

The multi-million pound project will mean traffic can pass over and access the A66 more safely.

And a new roundabout south of the junction will allow a direct link to the Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Transport Minister Tony McNulty made the funding announcement as he was opening the new South Stockton road link.

Residents in Long Newton formed a campaign group earlier this year after plans for the new junction were shelved indefinitely last December.

They also took part in a delegation to London headed by Stockton South MP Dari Taylor to press the case with transport ministers.

Long Newton Parish Councillor Nora Rosser, who attended yesterday's bridge opening to hand a petition over to Mr McNulty, said: "We weren't expecting this at all. We're absolutely delighted.

"This is going to make a very positive difference to the people of Long Newton."

Work on the new interchange is expected to start next year.

The villager's campaign was backed by Durham Tees Valley Airport managing director Hugh Lang, who said the new link would improve road safety as well as benefiting customers of the airport.

Mr Lang said: "Since we submitted our proposals to Darlington and Stockton Councils in January, there is no doubt that the issue of the interchange has been a key concern amongst local people.

"We have made clear our long standing commitment to this project and I am sure that our enthusiasm for today's announcement will be shared by the entire local community."

In the last decade the Long Newton junction has witnessed an average of 17 casualties a year.

Angry residents wrote dozens of letters of protest to the Secretary of State for Transport and many other individuals and organisations and collected hundreds of signatures for a petition.

Local MP Dari Taylor said: "We've worked very hard for this. We've carefully nagged ministers for a long time and we've finally got the right result."