A village's 65-year-wait for a bypass finally ended yesterday.

Government Minister Alistair Darling confirmed that work on the £9m bypass for Chilton in County Durham, first mooted in 1939, will start this May.

The Secretary of State for Transport made the announcement during his first ever official visit to the North-East today.

Traffic volume on the A167 through Chilton is estimated at 18,000 vehicles per day and has long had an adverse impact on the community. The scheme involves the construction of a single carriageway bypass to the west of the village.

Mr Darling said: "By removing approximately 80 per cent of the traffic currently passing through the heart of the village, local residents will benefit from improved road safety, particularly for pedestrians, an improvement in air quality and a much enhanced overall environment. "Road users will also benefits from a 20 per cent reduction in journey time on this busy section of the A167."

The new 2.2km stretch of road, from south of West Close to the Rushyford roundabout, is due to be completed in July 2005. It will include a segregated footpath and cycleway.

The total cost will be £9,089,000. Of that £8,364,000 will come from the Department of Transport and the rest will come from Durham County Council.

Margaret Taylor of the Chilton West Residents' Association said: "I'm pleased that everything's been sorted out because it's been a long time coming.

"We couldn't go on with this amount of traffic going through the village - no village could sustain that amount, especially one our size.

"Now that it's going ahead and finalised, the residents' association are very happy about it."

Mr Darling made the announcement during a visit to Stockton, where he he inspected a CCTV camera system fitted to buses, designed to deter violence. He also visited Gateshead, where he officially opened an improved Metro and bus interchange.

* A public meeting has been arranged for residents who have any questions about the bypass. It will be held at Chilton and Windlestone WMC on Tuesday, April 6 from 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 9pm.