THE new offices of the North Yorkshire Health Protection Unit (NYHPU) were opened yesterday.

The unit is an independent body responsible for fighting infectious diseases and chemical hazards and boosting the county's emergency planning capacity.

It was set up last year following the creation of a national Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Yesterday, HPA chief executive Professor Pat Troop opened the unit's offices, which are based at York University's Science Park.

Louise Coole, director of NYHPU, said: "This is an exciting development for our unit. Our team is responsible for protecting the health of the local community, ensuring that risks to their health are kept to a minimum and making them aware of local health protection issues.

"Our role is to provide effective services for health protection in the face of threats from infectious diseases and environmental hazards."