A haven for wildlife is being created in the heart of a busy industrial estate.
A thousand trees have been planted on a field at manufacturer 3M's site, in Newton Aycliffe, to support native flora and fauna.
Half of the field, next to the company's Heighington Lane plant, on Aycliffe Industrial Estate, is now covered with traditional English forest saplings including oak, rowan and birch and fir trees for rapid coverage.
The firm has also installed bird and bat boxes to help encourage wildlife to flourish there long-term. The project was planned during the company's centenary year in 2002, after which 3M commissioned a survey of the land, carried out by the archaeology department at Durham University.
During their investigation, the team discovered potential features of interest including a ditch and a circular feature, possibly dating back several thousand years.
That part of the site is being left for the archaeologists to carry out investigations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article