CHUNKS of stone falling from a viaduct could be putting people's lives in danger.

Trains crossing the Durham City viaduct are dislodging the material, which is falling to the road.

Dr Paul Mayor, who runs Durham Arches dental practice, in North Road, said yesterday: "Someone is going to be killed if something is not done; it is as serious as that."

Last week, a chunk of rock from the track bed came down on the road, outside the surgery. In the past, there have been also problems with overloaded coal trucks spilling their loads.

Earlier this year, bad weather caused bits of masonry to fall from the underside of the viaduct.

Dr Mayor said: "It is very difficult to park in Durham, so we hire an area underneath the viaduct, from Railtrack.

"People have nearly been hit by bits and pieces falling, and one piece smashed through the sun roof on my car. I have been here 21 years and it has been going on for the whole time.

"Railtrack are aware of the problem and they have sent engineers out to look at it, but nothing has been done to solve the problem in the long-term"

John Davison, who runs neighbouring Partners Hairdresser, is also concerned at the danger.

He said: "They are not just little bits of stone, they are the huge chunks of granite the track is bedded into. When something like that falls 100ft it is absolutely lethal, like a bullet."

The brick-built viaduct, opened in 1857, carries hundreds of trains each week.

The grade II-listed structure is regularly inspected by Railtrack and a spokeswoman confirmed it had been contacted by Dr Mayor in March.

She said: "We arranged for a structures examiner to go out and he discovered there had been some frost damage to the bricks.

"We took the appropriate measures, but I understand Dr Mayor has been in touch with some more concerns since then.

"We are arranging a meeting with him and a site visit."