TORIES in County Durham have accused a Labour council of helping the Probation Service choose a site for a bail hostel by sending them a list of nine possible venues.

Conservative Action Team leader Matthew Palmer claims to have leaked the list of sites for the £1.25m hostel - a list he says was sent to the Probation Service last August.

County Durham Probation Service has confirmed it received details of possible venues from Chester-le-Street District Council's former chief executive Tony Greensmith and several councillors.

However, the council's planning department is adamant it had no part in offering sites.

Mr Palmer revealed the list of sites as: Vigo Lane, New Lambton, Pelton Lane Ends, Woodstone Village, Great Lumley, Picktree Lane (the chosen site), Perkinsville, Kimblesworth and Plawsworth.

Mr Palmer, Tory prospective Parliamentary candidate for Durham North at the next General Election, said that all sites are close to residential areas.

He said: "Further evidence has leaked out about the amount of involvement the council has had in planning it, before the public was made aware of the issue."

Plans for the 25-bed hostel were rejected by councillors last December followed by an appeal by the Probation Service. A public inquiry is due to settle the matter this summer.

The council's planning services manager Tom Watson says his department played no part in the dialogue, but council leader Councillor Malcolm Pratt said the list was given to Tory councillor Peter May several months ago.

"It is customary for potential developers to ask for sites, but this in no way means that planning permission is necessarily given," he said.

A County Durham Probation Service spokesman said they settled on the town centre site after looking at sites put forward by the chief executive and councillors.

Jim Greer, of the residents' protest committee, said: "The fact that the list appears to have come from councillors rather than the planning department means we can now have faith in that part of the council. But the close involvement between the Probation Service and the council generally still angers me."