A Wildlife trust has teamed up with local authorities throughout the region to help raise public awareness of threats facing the endangered water vole.

As part of the campaign by Durham Wildlife Trust, an information panel was unveiled yesterday at Wapping Burn, Shotton Colliery, in east Durham.

Other panels will later be installed in Darlington, Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside.

The North and East Durham Strategic Water Vole Recovery Project is being funded by the "Your Heritage'' lottery fund and is the first scheme of its kind to be funded this way.

As well as habitat restoration and creation in urban areas, the project is also working with DEFRA's Rural Development Service to encourage the farming community to do more protect the vole.

The work on the Wapping Burn section of the project is now well under way and is being aided by workers at two east Durham companies, whose bases are located along the vital water vole waterway.

At NSK Bearings, located on Peterlee's South-West Industrial Estate and at the npower offices at Bracken Hill Industrial Estate, at Shotton Colliery, employees have already been helping to improve the environment around their places of work to help improve conditions for the water voles.

Representatives from both companies were present at the official launch of the panel, which gives information on the water vole and on what can be done to help protect the charismatic creature before it becomes extinct in the North-East.

Anyone wanting further information on the project should contact the North and East Durham Strategic Water Vole Recovery Project on 0191-584 3112.