RESIDENTS in a part of Billingham could benefit from warmer homes this winter.

Assessors from the Transco-sponsored Stockton Warm Zone project will move into the town's St Cuthbert's ward from September 1 in the latest stage of their bid to lift 13,000 homes out of poverty.

Warm Zone workers offer free energy-efficiency measures such as loft lagging and wall cavity insulation to householders whose fuel bills take up more than ten per cent of their income.

Warm Zone manager Lorraine Dobson said: "St Cuthbert's is one of the last five wards in the Stockton Borough Council area to get the Warm Zone treatment and we are very anxious not to miss people who would really benefit from our free help."

Stockton Warm Zone is a government pilot project to tackle fuel poverty and is run by Stockton Borough Council in conjunction with Transco and British Gas.

Assessors will move into the last four remaining wards on October 1 - Hartburn, November 1 - Grangefield, December 1 - Fairfield and January 1 - Wolviston