A COMMUNITY has looked to the past for maintenance of its roads and footpaths.

John Carter is the latest "lengthsman'', or community highway worker, to start work in County Durham.

Lengthsmen, who had responsibility for maintaining specified roads, were once common but were phased out about 20 years ago amid spending cuts.

Durham County Council, the highways authority, decided to reintroduce them as an experiment four years ago.

Mr Carter has been appointed to look after the Great Lumley and Bournmoor area, thanks to an agreement between the county and Bournmoor, Great Lumley and Little Lumley parish councils.

His duties include hedge and ditch maintenance, minor drainage work, sign cleaning and routine maintenance.

"The new lengthsman will be our eyes and ears on the streets, responsible for carrying out some works themselves, but in a position to report back to us other works which need doing," said Councillor Brian Walker, the county council's deputy leader and member for the area.

"The end result should be better environmental standards on our roads and footpaths.

"We are delighted that other town and parish councils are seeing the benefits that these appointments can bring, and we hope even more local councils will take up the initiative.

"We are particularly pleased that, for the first time, parish councils are joining forces to make this happen. It is a very positive move and we look forward to working together successfully in this partnership."