LATE buses will take to the road next month to help transport revellers home once a large entertainment venue opens.

The innovative scheme, backed by the police, is being introduced to coincide with the opening of the Walkabout, an Australian theme bar complex in the former Robins Cinema building in Durham.

Licence approval was only granted following a Crown Court appeal after Regent Inns pledged to comply with a number of conditions, including helping to disperse customers leaving the 700-capacity venue in the early hours.

The company is subsidising the late buses, which will run to outlying suburbs of Durham, and towns and villages in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday.

Buses, operated by Go North-East, will depart from Milburngate at 12.15am, 1.15am and 2.15am under the watchful gaze of closed-circuit television cameras.

Service N1 will run to Brandon, N2 to Langley Park, N3 to Sherburn, N4 to Chester-le-Street and N5 to Newton Hall.

Destinations were selected after consultation with late night visitors to Durham.

Chief Inspector Mick Naill, of Durham City Police, said: "The night buses will be a boost to the evening economy, but will also make an important safety contribution.

"They will complement taxi services with a regular means of travelling home to a number of areas at times when transport options can be quite limited due to the high demand at these peak times.

"We fully support the new night buses and will be working closely with the operator over coming weeks."

Martin Harris, Go North-East commercial director, said: "The demand for a late night service in Durham has been evident for some time and we're delighted we're now able to respond to this with the support of police, city council and entertainment and leisure businesses in the city."

Mr Harris said feedback suggested there would be demand from revellers faced with long taxi queues to make their way home on weekend nights.

Buses will be for advanced ticket purchases only and begin on July 11, following the opening of Walkabout the previous day.

Regent Inns is contributing £40,000 towards the cost of the first six months of the service.