WORK costing £40,000 is to be carried out to make Hartlepool's public buildings more accessible to disabled people.

Under the Disability and Discrimination Act, service providers must alter their premises before 2004 to ensure there is reasonable access for disabled people.

Hartlepool Borough Council has surveyed half of its public buildings to determine where they do not meet standards.

Of these buildings, those which disabled people would find it difficult to use have been included on a priority list.

The Civic Centre, Rossmere Centre and the municipal buildings have been identified as needing urgent work.

A spokesman said: "Priority should be given in the first instance to buildings that the public had no option to attend to obtain services, and the second priority should be those to which the public are invited to attend meetings."

This year, the council will install a unisex toilet for the disabled at the civic suite in the Civic Centre, costing £24,000, a unisex toilet at the Rossmere Centre, for £5,000, and create access to the municipal buildings for £10,000.

An extra £1,000 for contingency work has been added to the budget for this first year.

Any savings made will be used to create drop kerbs behind the Civic Centre.

The work is due to be approved on Monday.