BURNING rubber is a smell that divides petrolheads from Sunday drivers and handling a car with screeching tyres and worn-out treads might not appeal to everyone.

But the spectacle of a hatchback being stunt driven around a rock band performing on top of a flatbed van probably does appeal to quite a few people.

The unusual mixture of hand brake turns and guitar solos is a tried and tested display that Darlington stunt driver, Paul Swift, has perfected around the world.

But the Top Gear stunt team member and founder of Paul Swift Precision Driving has returned to Darlington for a special celebration of his hometown’s renowned engineering heritage.

Through the haze of tyre smoke and flecks of spent rubber, Mr Swift revealed his long-running connection with the world of engineering, typical of many North-East families.

Speaking outside The Northern Echo Arena in Darlington, Mr Swift said: “We’re having a little rehearsal because we’ve got a big show in town next Saturday for the Festival of Ingenuity.

“For my family, my dad and I have a history in engineering and my great grandfather was actually the awarded an MBE for Services To Engineering.

“He was the foreman at the forge, which contributed to making huge ships, including the Titanic.

“We’ve always been involved in engineering, but now we’re in very different times but the heritage is always there.

“And what we’ve come up with is something a little bit different for Darlington. We go all over the world when we’re performing but it’s always great to come back to the hometown.”

The town’s Market Place will play host to Mr Swift and Darlington band, The Petrolheads, next weekend as part of the Festival of Ingenuity.

The two-day celebration on Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9, will bring together businesses from across the town to honour its ingenious roots which saw the rise of the Industrial Revolution.

Mr Swift added: “As far as I’m concerned, the idea for this came out of the Festival of Thrift which has now moved on so Darlington is looking inwardly about what is good about the town and it’s the ingenuity we have here.

“It’s great to celebrate that and we’re all really looking forward to bringing everyone together for the two shows.

“The lead singer of this band is Alex Fawcett, and they go by the name of The Petrolheads when we perform together, but we’ve been trying to come up with other names, like Vans That Rock.

“People love rock bands and people love cars doing stunts so when you put the two together, it always goes down well.”

Mr Swift and The Petrolheads will be performing in Darlington’s Market Square at 11am and 2pm on Saturday, July 9, as part of the Festival of Ingenuity’s schedule of events for visitors of all ages.