A FUNDING gap of £180,000 must be plugged if a North-East county is to be protected against the threat of disaster or terrorist attack, MPs have been warned.

Patrick Cunningham, the County Durham's chief emergency planning officer, has said £635,000 was needed every year to implement the Government's new Civil Contingencies Bill.

But the County Durham and Darlington Emergency Planning Unit receives only £455,000 - £277,000 from the Government and almost £20,000 from each of nine local authorities.

The Bill, a long-awaited shake-up of legislation - which dates back to the 1920s - following the September 11 attacks, is designed to tackle the fear of a relaxed attitude towards civil defence.

The lack of preparation was revealed by the fuel crisis of 2000, when some authorities took two days to ensure supplies got through to hospitals and other public services.

Now the Bill - which goes before Parliament next year - will force local authorities to put in place plans to deal with emergencies such as terrorism, floods and train crashes, or diseases such as foot and mouth.

All councils - as well as police forces, fire authorities and ambulance trusts - will be designated Category 1 responders in case of an attack.

And the Bill, currently only in draft form, will impose a new duty on councils to ensure all residents are told of the evacuation plans in place in case of contamination or poisoning.

Mr Cunningham was among only three local authority officers asked to give evidence to a joint committee of MPs and peers examining the Bill.

He made clear that he believed it would be very difficult to meet the Government's expectations for civil protection without a big increase in funding.

Mr Cunningham said: "There is a recognition that the current grant is far too low for us to make any meaningful impression.

"I would suggest increasing the grant by £180,000 - equivalent to £20,000 for each council - then that would be a good start."

But speaking when the Bill was unveiled in June, Douglas Alexander, a Cabinet Office minister, dismissed suggestions that local authorities were underfunded for civil protection.

On top of the £19m provided annually for emergency planning, there was £330m over three years for counter-terrorism projects, he said.