UP to £20m could be spent on improving some County Durham towns and villages.

Durham County Council is looking to carry out environmental improvement work over the next five or six years.

A dozen town centres and more than 50 villages are potential targets for the Urban Renaissance programme agreed by the authority's cabinet.

The scheme will help to revitalise commercial centres, many of which have never fully recovered from the loss of traditional industries and are showing their age.

Buildings will be given facelifts, footpaths repaved, new lighting and street furniture installed, traffic management schemes introduced and landscaping works carried out.

The council's £5m contribution will be matched by funding from development agency One NorthEast, district councils and other aid sources.

Consultation will take place through the county's Local Strategic Partnerships to agree priorities and action.

Cabinet member Councillor Bob Pendlebury said: "The county council has already done a tremendous amount to improve the environment over the years by reclaiming pit heaps and degraded landscapes - most recently through the award-winning Turning the Tide project.

"Just weeks ago, we announced the £1m Woodland and Wildlife Project through which, over the next five years, we will revisit already reclaimed colliery sites throughout the county to restore their natural features and wildlife habitats in a second and final phase of restoration.

"Now it is time to see what we can do for the urban environment. It is vital that the heart of County Durham's town and villages are enhanced and sustained for the well-being of current and future communities."

Coun Pendlebury said: "We will be working closely with the Local Strategic Partnerships and other organisations to ensure that the money is spent on schemes that local communities want to see."

Town centres targeted for improvement include Spennymoor, Newton Aycliffe, Shildon, Bishop Auckland, Crook, Willington, Durham, Chester-le-Street and Barnard Castle.