YOUNGSTERS in a Ferryhill park were only too pleased to help keep it spic and span when approached by council officers.

King George V playing field is being improved by measures including the installation of £28,000 worth of play equipment.

Contractor Batson Landscape Services has been putting the final touches to the play area, by laying concrete.

Workers asked Gemma Garrett, 14, and her 11-year-old sister Sam, who were playing nearby, to keep an eye on the concrete while it dried, to make sure it did not get vandalised.

Jamie Corrigan, executive officer of Ferryhill Town Council, who visited the site the following day, said: "It was not touched, so they did a good job."

While at the park, Mr Corrigan asked a group of about ten youngsters if they would help him tidy it up.

He said: "I got chatting to them and asked if they fancied cleaning the area up. They went off and got bags and shovels and spades and spent a couple of hours picking up rubbish."

The youngsters, aged between six and 14, said they would try to keep the park clean in the future.

Mr Corrigan said: "It's nice to see the kids appreciate the work that's going on, and that they are prepared to look after it themselves."