More than 1,000 people attended the first public open day held by a County Durham limestone quarry.

Lafarge's Thrislington Quarry and Works, in Ferryhill, one of the largest in the North-East, was taking part in a European initiative to improve public knowledge of the vital role minerals play in modern society.

Quarry manager Richard Page said: "It was a great success. Everyone was very impressed by the scale and nature of our operations and were interested to find how the materials from the quarry are used in our everyday lives.

"We were pleased to see lots of families having a fun time on the attractions and competitions, as well as learning about our operations and close links with organisations like English Nature."

One of the most popular activities was a fossil hunt staged by The Hancock Museum.

Children and adults hammered their way through 35 tonnes of slate from the quarry to search for 250 million-year-old fossils. They found two dozen fish fossils and many examples of fossilised fish dung.

Other activities raised a donation of £135 for The Butterwick Children's Hospice at Stockton.

On Monday, nearly 300 pupils from seven local schools were also given guided tours of the site.