BOB the Builder could fix it for youngsters to dig a new adventure theme park planned for the North-East.

County Durham planners have recommended councillors give approval to a plan for a £2m theme park called Diggerland, which will feature the children's fictional TV character Bob the Builder.

The park would be at Langley Park, near Durham City, and would enable children to play on diggers, dumpers, and other large construction machines.

Kent plant hire group H E Services, wants to build a 6.5-hectare theme park, which would be a larger version of a park at Strood, in Kent, which attracted 50,000 visitors last year.

The park would create about 50 seasonal jobs, and would feature a shop, cafe, reception area, bouncy castle and computer games room.

The management at H E Services plans to build Diggerland in a matter of weeks if permission is given by Derwentside District Council next week.

The creator of the parks, Hugh Edeleanu, said that safety and education would be a big priority.

He said: "We decided to move up North because we already get a lot of people from the North-East, and everywhere else in the North, who travel all the way to Kent to have a go. There's a lot of dads who are every bit as keen to get on those machines and suggest to their children it might be good fun."

Two letters of objection have been sent to Derwentside council expressing fears about possible noise levels.

Mr Edeleanu said that the machinery was no louder than a car, but accepted that the noise from children could be a problem.

H E Services also wants to build a car park at the former Compass caravan site at the Riverside Industrial Estate in Langley Park.

Officers recommended that the firm be given temporary permission, on condition that noise levels are controlled, and traffic concerns addressed.

Councillors will discuss the plan at Consett Civic Hall next Thursday.