Campaigners are using a Spennymoor initiative to reinforce their bid to restore an ice rink in Durham City.

Five years after the closure of the Riverside Rink in Durham, now converted into a ten-pin bowling alley and health club, ice hockey and figure-skating enthusiasts still yearn for a replacement in the city.

Durham City Council has said it does not have the resources to meet the outlay and running costs for a rink, but would be "sympathetic" to proposals from an outside body.

The arrival, albeit temporarily, of an ice pad as part of Christmas festivities in nearby Spennymoor next month has given campaigners a chance to highlight the cause.

Sedgefield Borough Council and Spennymoor Town Council have joined forces with local businesses to mount a small outdoor rink, surrounded by market stalls, in a "Weihnachtsmarkt", between December 8 and January 6.

Richard Endean, who organised a recent meeting to maintain support for Keep Durham on Ice, said it was an opportunity to raise the profile of the campaign.

He said: "Although temporary, this will be the first ice rink in the county since 1996 and it's an ideal platform to argue our case for a permanent facility in the area, and to raise some much-needed publicity."

Mr Endean said there remained a passion for ice sports in Durham City.

He added that the campaign group hoped to hire the Spennymoor rink for an evening session to underline enthusiasm for ice sports in Durham.

He said the group hoped to confirm the event for the evening of Thursday, December 13.