VILLAGE police officers are settling into their new offices in a redundant factory.

A former industrial unit in Derwent Road, Blackhill, Consett, has been converted into a section police station over the summer.

Placemat manufacturer Pimpernel, which owns the site, has agreed to lease an empty building on its site back to Durham Constabulary for a peppercorn rent.

It followed the sale of the former office and police house in Churchill Close, Shotley Bridge.

Durham Police Authority sold the building as part of its rolling plan to dispose of inefficient sites and house more rural officers in leased accommodation.

The new site is closer to the main shopping area in the village and police hope it will be more accessible for residents.

Acting Inspector Peter Dawson said: "The old office was in Shotley Bridge and very few people in that area had a need to speak to the police.

"As a result, it was used by our officers as a base, but the public didn't really come in.

"We wanted to be right at the heart of the community. Now people can literally come in as they do their shopping."

The office, which covers an area from Leadgate to Hamsterley Mill, will be manned by both beat bobbies and core officers, who respond to 999 calls. It is due to open by the end of this month.

It will not operate 24 hours a day, but a phone has been installed so anyone finding it empty can still contact the police.

Blackhill is the eighth police office in County Durham to be occupied on a leased basis.

The Police Authority is well under way with plans for a ninth, in east Durham.

It will sell the existing section house in Middle Street, Blackhall, to Monk Hesledon Parish Council.

The council will then rent part of the building back to the force for a nominal sum. Parish council staff will be available to take messages for the police, if the officers are out when a member of the public calls.

Sylvia Best, support services manager for Durham Constabulary, said: "We are looking constantly at the force estate and seeking opportunities to relocate wherever necessary.

"The leasing arrangements we have in place provide the means to ensure our officers are right at the heart of the communities they serve."