COUNCIL tax payers will help shoulder the huge cost of policing an expected visit by US President George Bush to the North-East, it emerged last night.

The Northern Echo has learnt that any security operation will be paid for directly from the Durham Police Authority budget.

Police forces can, in exceptional circumstances, claim back large bills from Government for policing unexpected events should they go over budget.

But a Home Office spokeswoman said: "It would be the local police force that would be involved in the security arrangements and they would be the ones resourcing it."

Anne Wright, chairwoman of County Durham Police Authority, said: "I would hope the Home Office would pay for the cost of this visit.

"The 24-hour protection required by Tony Blair at his Trimdon home is already recovered from the Home Office, so why should the people of County Durham have to provide for this just because the Prime Minister lives here?"

In London, all police leave has been cancelled and as many as 3,800 officers are being mobilised at a cost of £5m during President's Bush three-day state visit to the capital next week.

When that ends, he is expected to fly to the North-East on Friday to take up an informal invite from Mr Blair.

A visit to Trimdon has been mooted, as well as a sight seeing trip, possibly to Durham City.