AN MP has criticised proposals to build a bail hostel in the centre of a County Durham town, on the second day of a public inquiry.

Kevan Jones gave his backing to protestors in the Chester-le-Street area of his constituency, who packed out the inquiry again.

There were cat calls from some of the 100 protestors at the meeting, in the Red Lion pub yesterday - but not on the scale which threatened to halt the inquiry on its opening day.

Harry Wolton QC, representing County Durham Probation Service, angered people in the audience by suggesting that they did not have legal training, and "demonstrated an ignorance of what it was all about".

Durham North MP Mr Jones said the proposed site for the 25-bed facility, in the town's main Front Street, was totally wrong, and criticised the probation service.

He said: "They have not consulted the public properly, which is totally arrogant. Now they have gone for a public inquiry to try and push this on the public, which will cost the taxpayer even more money."

The Planning Inspectorate called the inquiry after the probation service appealed against a decision by Chester-le-Street District Council to refuse planning permission.

Mr Wolton told the inquiry: "The holier-than-thou attitude that appears to be adopted by the objectors is wholly untenable."

He said that the case would rest on whether the public fear of crime could be justified.

Probation service senior manager Pam McPhee defended the decision to choose Chester-le-Street's Front Street as the site for the bail hostel.

Asked what she would think if the hostel was built next to her house, she said: "I would much rather have a neighbour who would respond to my concerns than a neighbour who did not."

Victor Adams, representing the local authority, said the council was diametrically opposed to the probation service's stance on the fear of crime.

He said: "It was felt right by members to take account of the considerable extent of public opposition to the proposal and, in particular, the expressions of anger, fear and anxiety by those who live within the proximity of the site."