THE future of a notorious river crossing is again in doubt after four new incidents of cars becoming stranded over the past few days.

Stanhope Ford was not in flood when any of the drivers got into difficulties. Their cars either slipped off the causeway or simply broke down during the crossing.

In the most serious, on Sunday evening, a family of four were rescued from their trapped Honda Accord, raising new concerns about the safety of the popular tourist attraction.

Weardale residents want to keep the crossing, but emergency services fear that lives could be lost if drivers continue to ignore clear warning signs at both sides of the crossing.

Stanhope parish council chairman Harry Irwin was due to raise the issue at a meeting last night and has already complained to Durham's fire chief George Herbert about the procedure used during a rescue last year which involved two helicopters and cost over £20,000. A former retained firefighter, he claims that services often over-react by scrambling RAF and air ambulance helicopters as well as fire crews and police.

He said: "I am sure there is a hidden agenda here. They want the ford closed.

"There are some instances when people flood their engines and have to be pulled out but they are in no danger.

"Nobody has been in any danger over the past few days because the water was normal. I think people over-react and waste public money with unnecessary call-outs."

Paul Reay, head of operations for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Services, said: "There is no hidden agenda.

"We are concerned about the number of incidents at the ford. It is only a matter of time before something more serious happens.

"It costs thousands of pounds for each of these incidents and clearly that is unsustainable."

Durham County Council are putting up extra warning signs but say that drivers should be more careful and use common sense.