A SCHEME to breathe new life into former pit villages is being developed by Durham County Council.

Councillors hope to arrest the decline many communities have suffered since the demise of the county's mining industry, including loss of population.

The Urban Renaissance programme aims to re-invigorate the economy and environment of towns and villages throughout the county.

Durham County Council is allocating money for the project and hopes to attract additional funding from other organisations.

Cabinet member Bob Pendlebury said the council had carried out a lot of work in former pit villages such as Horden, Easington, Wingate, Seaham and Murton, in recent years, through its environment improvement programme.

He said: "Now, through our Urban Renaissance initiative, we have planned a wider- ranging programme of schemes which will reinvigorate the local economy of around ten or 12 settlements a year as well as the environment.

"We have earmarked resources with which we hope to attract matched funding from other bodies and organisations to finance the work and we have identified the criteria against which priorities will be judged.

"We are just waiting for the final pieces of the funding jigsaw to fall into place and hope to start talking soon to the communities and get these plans off the drawing board."

Councillor Morris Nicholls welcomed the scheme saying:"There are a lot of people working hard for community partnerships within these villages in a bid to improve the situation, but they are beginning to tire of waiting for the financial help to come through.

"However, while I can understand people's concern and frustration, I have been assured that their patience will be rewarded and that the funding will soon be in place to start breathing new life into their communities."

A council spokesman said a more detailed report was expected to be presented within two or three weeks