A REVIEW group says priority must be given to creating an IT centre at the Crown Street art gallery in Darlington.

The final report submitted by a working group from the council's lifelong learning committee was given a stamp of approval by members on Tuesday.

Coun Stella Robson, who led the review, said library space had to be reorganised at Crown Street, partly because of the need for disabled access.

The reshuffle would mean relocating the gallery elsewhere and the council was looking at other premises in the town centre to show the work of local artists.

A letter was received from Mrs Lynda Docherty, chairman of the Darlington society of arts, pointing out that it had exhibited at Crown Street for nearly 80 years and the gallery was also used to stage the important Dover prize competition.

She favoured acquiring land behind the gallery to build a modern, wheelchair-accessible annexe which could be used as a library overflow.

Coun Robson said: "While I understand the society has a strong emotional bond with the gallery, I think there are ways to satisfy their important needs.

"I am absolutely convinced the library and gallery space could be better dedicated for the use of the general population."

She said the group had visited Stockton borough to see its library services which included internet access, e-mail facilities and open learning opportunities. The library also had ICT provision for visually impaired users and language development.

The service was helping to address social exclusion and lifelong learning issues, in particular assisting asylum seekers, autistic children and those excluded from school, job-seekers, students and the general public.

The government had made it clear it would intervene if authorities failed to meet a new set of criteria and Darlington library service met only nine out of 19 at present.

One shortfall was the lack of electronic work stations available in its buildings.

Mr David Heaton, principal of Queen Elizabeth sixth form college, commented: "Take a young person into a library and he expects to find a computer, work space and desks. That is precisely what you find in a modern, up-to-date library."

Coun Pat Buttle said she was particularly pleased that library staff had been consulted during the review.

"I think you get much better decision-making if you listen to the workers," she added.

Coun George Cree said: "It is unfortunate the gallery has to move. We seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place."

The committee backed the review group, which also recommended that funding should be made available to employ four extra full-time staff - one to deal with monitoring and marketing - as well as three officers to staff the IT centre.

It also wants the library book fund to be given £50,000 to bring it up to standard.

Concerns after waste bags found by roadside

CONCERNED farmers are demanding answers after they found a hoard of foot-and-mouth waste bags dumped by a roadside. The discovery was made after officials from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs culled animals at three farms in Northumberland.

The waste bags, believed to contain protective suits contaminated with the disease, were found lying by the roadside next to a confirmed outbreak at Renny's Barn in Hexhamshire.

It comes after Monday's revelations that secret Defra documents showed officials were concerned workers were ignoring vital biosecurity measures.

The waste bags were spotted by Mrs Margret Dodwell of nearby Longlea Farm. The bags were left on September 21 and only collected four days later, when Defra was contacted.

Mrs Dodwell said: "How can security be so lax when we are in the middle of a crisis like this? Anyone could have come along and taken the bags."

A Defra spokesman said officials were aware of the claims and added: "We will investigate this. The staff are instructed to double-bag clinical waste and remove it to the Newcastle control centre for disposal."

Inquest opens

AN inquest into the death of a Barnard Castle teenager has been opened and adjourned. Mr Steven David Weston, aged 19, of Woodlands Road, died on September 19, when his car hit a tree on the A688 at Barford Corner, between Barnard Castle and Staindrop