HOUSE prices in a village could be affected if plans to close a top-performing school are approved.

Proposals to close Hurworth School and Eastbourne Comprehensive in Darlington and merge them in a new £20m school in Yarm Road have caused outrage among some parents.

A number of villagers from Hurworth and nearby Middleton St George have formed an action group to fight Darlington Borough Council - which has proposed that Hurworth School takes over Eastbourne.

And yesterday, an estate agent said if the plans are approved, the housing market could be affected.

Many people buy houses in and around Hurworth to be in the catchment area for the school - which last year was among the top 40 in the country. Estate agent Andrew Potter, of JD Wood, said: "Inevitably, if the proposal is approved, it will impact on the village to some extent because some people move to the village for the school. "If I was living in Hurworth I might be concerned, but I would also give the new school a chance as my children would be benefiting from this investment.

"Even if the school is closed, there are still plenty of reasons to want to live in Hurworth. There is not going to be a deluge of houses that no-one wants to buy."

He said there was no evidence that the news of Hurworth School's closure had started to affect the market.

Councillor Heather Scott said at a recent meeting of the council that people in Hurworth had started to put their houses on the market.