VILLAGERS are hoping that a meeting between parish and county councillors will solve an allotments row.

People in Middridge met in the village hall on Thursday night to discuss the future of the allotments that have been on the outskirts of the village for generations.

The site has been the subject of a heated debate since Durham County Council announced it was going to sell the land with a closing date for bids at the end of this month.

Middridge Parish Council said the county council should have given it notice of the decision to sell and should have given the parish the opportunity to buy the land, which was offered to allotment holders for £30,000.

Gardeners are also concerns for their future should a new landlord take over the site.

But is hoped some headway will be made at a meeting between representatives from the county council, the parish council and the allotment holders on Monday.