MONOPOLY enthusiasts in Durham and Sunderland will have to wait a week to find out if their city will feature in the a North-East game.

Maker Winning Moves has delayed announcing the result of an e-mail poll, which closed on Wednesday, because of the death of the Queen Mother.

"We were going to announce it immediately, but we decided to wait because the nation is in mourning,'' said spokesman Graham Barnes.

"It will be a cause for celebration for the city that wins, and we didn't think it appropriate there should be celebrations now.

"We had almost 4,000 votes and it was very close, but not very, very close.

"You would have to offer me a lot of money - and I don't mean Monopoly money - to tell you who won."

Depending on who wins, Durham Cathedral or the Stadium of Light - the major symbols of the cities - will get a telephone call informing them of the result.

The firm says it will look "very carefully'' at making an edition based on the losing city next year. When the winner is announced the company plans to have another poll in which people can nominate locations for Mayfair, the board's most expensive square, and the Old Kent Road, the cheapest.

"People think the Old Kent Road is cheap and trashy because it costs £60, but it is a cult square because on the cover of the new game it will be the most prominent square,'' said Mr Barnes.

The company decided to launch another North-East edition after the Newcastle and Gateshead edition proved a success in 1998.

Durham and Sunderland emerged from an initial poll as the front runners, well ahead of Middlesbrough, Darlington and Northumberland.

"In Pop Idol terms they were the Will and Gareth and the others were considerably less well supported,'' said Mr Barnes.

"Darlington came a distant fifth. I'm not saying it's the Old Kent Road of the North-East, but it didn't attract the support the others did.''

The new edition is due to be in the shops in October and will sell for £24.99