CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save an art gallery took to the streets at the weekend to gather support.

Members of Darlington Society of Arts were collecting signatures in the town centre in a bid to save the art gallery at the Crown Street library.

The gallery has been used as a venue for exhibitions for 60 years, but members of the society fear it will be converted into a computer classroom under local authority proposals.

Darlington Borough Council is looking at various sites as part of its plan to create a computer room for use by the public.

The art gallery is thought to be one of the sites being considered.

The search to find a home for the new computer suite started after Government legislation was passed setting out new standards for libraries and museums, with a need for computer access for all people.

The arts society is concerned that if the council chooses to convert the gallery into a public computer room it will mean the town will no longer be able to host major art exhibitions.

To gather public support, society members collected signatures from shoppers along the town's High Row for a petition calling for the gallery to be retained.

A spokeswoman for the society said: "To convert the gallery into a computer complex would be a grave loss to the cultural life of Darlington.

"There are many places where people can use computers, such as local schools and colleges, but no other venue for temporary local exhibitions of the kind held in Crown Street."