PROTESTORS battling to prevent a 25-bedroom bail hostel being built in the middle of their town were celebrating yesterday as planning officials recommended the scheme be scrapped.

Chester-le-Street District Council planning officers recommended that councillors reject the plans at a meeting on Monday.

In a lengthy report released yesterday, planning officers argue that the fear of increased crime caused by the County Durham Probation Service hostel would lead to "a substantial and widely experienced reduction in the quality of living" of many in the town.

The report adds that the hostel, which would be built just behind the civic centre in the town, near Picktree Terrace and Newcastle Road, would cause traffic and car parking problems.

The hostel would house alleged offenders released on bail, and recently released prisoners. It would be the only Home Office approved bail hostel in County Durham.

The application from the county probation service has caused an outcry in the town with 670 individual letters of protest sent to the council and a number of petitions, one of them containing 2,690 signatures.

There have been several public meetings and a protest march is planned for Saturday morning.

Protestor Pam Tweddle said: "This is a big step in the right direction, and we must now hope that the councillors see sense and reject this proposal outright.

"We are delighted at the news, and I hope that it is at least partly down to the immense public pressure. There has been a real sense of community in the town over this, and we will just not give up without a fight."

The application to build the hostel is supported by Durham Constabulary, the Northumbria Probation Service, County Durham Magistrates Court, HM Prison Service North-East Area, Teesside Probation Service and Durham County Cricket Club.

A spokesman for County Durham Probation Service declined to comment before the meeting on Monday night.

The march against the hostel will start at 10am from Chester-le-Street Hospital on Saturday.