THE sky above a North-East town was lit up on Saturday evening as thousands of people enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show.

Organisers of the Darlington display, in the town's South Park, said it went without a hitch and attracted visitors from all over the region.

The fun began at 6.30pm with a music roadshow presented by 96.6tfm radio and Magic 1170 presenters.

Boy band Most Wanted entertained the crowd before the huge bonfire, including a 12ft Guy Fawkes built by local children, was lit.

A 25-minute fireworks display, featuring music and visual effects by External Combustion, followed.

Paul Robinson, operations manager for Darlington Borough Council, which organised the show, said: "It was an excellent turnout and everything went according to plan.

"The show was a great success and we didn't have any incidents at all.

"I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves."

Road closures were in place around the park and local residents were issued with parking permits.

Acting Inspector Steven Steen, of Darlington Police, said the evening passed without incident.

"Nothing untoward happened at all, we were pleased with how smoothly it went."

North-East ambulance services said yesterday there had been no reports of fireworks-related injuries over the weekend.

Many more organised displays will be held this week across the region.