PEOPLE who go green after Christmas and have their festive trees recycled could be in for a warmer winter.

Durham County Council is organising a free prize draw to encourage people to take their trees to household waste recycling centres in the area after the Christmas break.

The used trees will be turned into garden mulch while names will go into the competition to be drawn on January 30, with the top prize of a fleece jacket - made from plastic bottles.

Two other winners will receive a solar-powered radio and a wind-up torch.

"It's a fun competition which hopefully, will encourage people to think about recycling their trees," said Councillor Brian Myers, the county council's cabinet member for waste management.

Funds raised through the scheme this year will support the Woodland Trust's Tree For All Campaign, which aims to give each child in the UK the chance to plant more trees.