THE resurrection of the Weardale Railway has given prison inmates a chance to contribute to the project from behind bars.

About 100 prisoners have been busy in the workshops, making the finishing touches for the stations at Stanhope, Frosterley and Wolsingham in the County Durham dale.

Responding to a plea for help from staff and volunteers restoring the railway, which reopens tomorrow, they have built and painted seats and signs for each one and made bird and bat boxes to install along the six-mile route.

Steve Raine, chairman of the volunteer-run Weardale Railway Trust, said: "It allowed us to save money and they are so keen to do a good job that I'm sure we have got better quality items than some professionals would have made."

Through the North-East Restorative Community Partnership (NERCP), inmates at the region's eight prisons were able to get involved in the project.

John Galley, of NERCP, said: "The railway provided the specifications and materials and I took them into the prisons where inmates worked hard to produce good quality items.

"Everyone benefits. The prisoners get out of their cells to do something constructive and can be part of a community project without leaving prison.

"They also increase their skills, so when they leave prison they are more employable and that reduces the risk of re-offending.

"The railway also benefits because they keep down costs with free labour. And local suppliers benefit because all the material was sourced locally."