A new bus service between Teesdale and Darlington begins this Saturday.

Service 70, operated by Go North East under contract to Durham County Council, will link Barnard Castle to Darlington Memorial Hospital and the town centre.

The five times a day, Monday to Saturday service will run every two hours.

As well as taking people directly to the hospital main entrance, the new service will give visitors a link between Darlington and the Bowes Museum and will call at Whorlton, Little Newsham, South Cleatlam, Staindrop, Ingleton and Summerhouse, some of which do not have current regular services.

Councillor Bob Pendlebury, Durham County Council's cabinet member for transport, said the new service would help make life easier for people travelling to Darlington Memorial Hospital, either as out patients or visitors.

"There is a high demand for a link to the hospital that is putting pressure on voluntary car driver schemes in the area, restricting their ability to meet more local needs," he added.

"This new service will mean that the volunteers can take people straight to Barnard Castle, where they can transfer to the bus to go straight to Darlington.

"The bus will be a low floor, fully accessible vehicle and we hope, in the not too distant future, to provide a brand new vehicle for the route," he added.

The first bus leaves Galgate in Barnard Castle at 8.45am for the 19-mile journey to Darlington, then at two hourly intervals until 5.15pm. The last bus terminates at Ingleton. The first bus from Ingleton to Barnard Castle leaves at 7.55am.

Copies of the timetable are available from the county council's public transport group on 0191-383 3337 or Barnard Castle tourist information centre. For further details call Traveline North East on 0870 608 2608 between 7am-8pm.