A PUB badly damaged when a car crashed into the bar has stayed open after structural engineers were called in.

The Fir Tree Inn, near Bishop Auckland, suffered considerable damage when a Mercedes Vaneo left the road and crashed through the front wall of the pub-restaurant last month.

Because of the prompt actions of AMP Consultants, of Darlington, which was asked to assess structural damage, building contractors Pinkney Builders, of Tow Law, was able to clear away rubble and erect a temporary safety wall to allow the premises to reopen the next day.

Work has now got under way to restore the building to its former glory.

Thanks to the support of its customers, it has been business as usual for landlords Lawrie and Margaret Stewart.

Mrs Stewart, 57, said: "I think there is an element of curiosity, so we have tried to turn adversity into advantage by putting photographs from the night of the accident on the notice board."

The project is unusual for AMP, which has provided steelwork designs for the superstructures of major construction projects across the UK.

AMP's engineering director, David Hodgson, said: "It has provided a test across the range of our technical expertise, requiring a fast, accurate assessment of the structural damage to allow the pub to continue to operate without risk to the safety of staff or customers."