THERE are new fears for the future of a North-East river crossing that has been closed because of flood problems.

Durham County Council highway engineers are asking for a meeting with Stanhope Parish Council and the Environment Agency over Stanhope Ford, on the River Wear.

The crossing has been shut since October and there are no indications that it will reopen again for the summer.

This is because highways engineers, who were already concerned that a build-up of silt and gravel was keeping water levels high, have now found that the ford's underwater carriageway needs repairing.

Stanhope Parish Council supported the winter shutdown, which followed more than 30 calls to the emergency services, including helicopter rescues after drivers ignored flood conditions, water depth gauges and warning signs and tried to cross.

When it reopened on April 1 the barriers were down again in only a few hours after two off-duty soldiers became marooned in their car in the middle of the fast-flowing river.

A temporary closure notice was renewed last Friday while the council considered its options.

Many people in Weardale would be dismayed to lose the ford, which sits alongside stepping stones and attracts many summer visitors.

Stanhope's county, district and parish councillor, John Shuttleworth, said one solution would be imposing heavy fines on the drivers.

He said: "People in the dale want to keep it open. It is drivers from outside the area who get stuck.

"One solution would be to fine the drivers £10,000 if they were stupid enough to get caught in a flood."

The county's acting director of environment, Roger Elphick, said: "We are currently carrying out a detailed survey of the carriageway of the ford to determine the extent to which repairs are necessary and how best they might be carried out.

"Depending on what we find and how we decide to address it, it may need to be closed even longer.

"In view of the factors affecting the ford, we shall be seeking further discussions with the parish council and the Environment Agency to discuss its future use."