PLANS for a piece of public art in Chester-le-Street town centre have been citicised by campaigners who saw their swimming pool closed 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 complete the town centre's multi-million pound redevelopment.

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

George Mansbridge, the council's 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."

But Margaret Webster, organiser of the campaign to save Sacriston's pool, 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."