LONG-AWAITED work will begin next week on a £2m scheme to breath life into a former pit village.

About three-quarters of the 390 homes in Eldon Lane, near Bishop Auckland, have been deemed unfit to live in, or in serious disrepair.

On Monday, work will begin on upgrading the first phase of properties in nearby Bridge Place, and doors, windows, chimney stacks and roofs will be replaced on 22 terraces in the villages.

Some properties are beyond repair and about 50 homes in Eldon Lane, mostly privately owned, are to be bulldozed in a later phase of work.

Secretary of the Dene Valley Residents' Action Group John Raw welcomed the start of the 18-week programme.

"This is real money and real action in an area which has been in decline for a number of years. The district council are to be commended."

One woman, whose home is to have repairs, was concerned that the earth roads in front of the properties were surfaced.

Michelle Hogg said: "You can't get the muck out of the kids' clothes when they've been playing in the road. We were told they were going to do the roads after they'd finished on the houses. It's definitely going to be an improvement."

Another Bridge Place resident Carol Kay said: "We thought the work would never happen because we've waited so long. The village will be pretty once they've finished."

Paul Jenkins, principal environmental health officer at Wear Valley District Council said: "The type of work carried out depends on the property, but it's mostly alterations to the outside of the properties."