PLANS for a piece of public art in Chester-le-Street town centre have been slammed by campaigners who saw their swimming pool closed down because of a cash shortage.

Chester-le-Street District Council is inviting four artists to come up with designs for artwork costing up to £500,000 to finish off the town centre's multi-million pound redevelopment.

But residents of nearby Sacriston have not forgotten that council officials shut their swimming baths down in May, saying it was too costly to run.

With the artwork expected to form the centrepiece for the new development, council bosses are keen to stress its importance to the town's future.

George Mansbridge, its economic development manager, said: "The Sacriston swimming baths issue is completely unrelated to this.

"I think it is wrong for people to criticise the council for spending in one area and not another - it is not as simple as that. We have undertaken a lot of work over the last few years looking at the town centre regeneration, and this art work is just part of that.

"Of course, the eventual success of this artwork will be defined by the extent that local people associate themselves with it."

He added that, when commissioned in November after a public consultation exercise, the chosen design is unlikely to be a sculpture, statue or fountain-style feature - more likely it will be subtly incorporated into a new public space planned for the town centre.

However, plans have angered campaigners who fought, and failed, to keep Sacriston baths open earlier this year.

Organiser Margaret Webster said: "These plans are an absolute disgrace. Whatever they build with this money, it will be vandalised.

"What are they going to do anyway - give us Chester-le-Street's answer to the Angel of the North?

"There is no real point to a work of art in the town, not when they are closing down facilities that are vital to the community.