ENGINEERS have successfully laid a new gas pipe line under a Darlington trunk road without any disruption to motorists.

They drilled under the A1150, near Great Burdon, a distance of 150 metres, as part of a £2m scheme to meet the town's growing demand for gas.

The 4km steel pipeline will stretch from Carcut Beck, around Haughton, finishing close to Five Arches Viaduct in October.

Project manager Anton Ridsdill said: "A top priority was to have as little effect on local people and the environment as possible during construction.

"For this reason, we have chosen to use a technique known as directional drilling to cross features like roads and rivers, instead of the traditional open-cut trenches."