WORK costing £95,000 is planned to make three council-owned buildings in Darlington accessible to disabled people in line with legislation.

A £50,000 scheme is planned to refurbish the town centre lavatories in East Row and provide facilities for disabled people.

Work is also to be carried out at warden-controlled, sheltered accommodation in Dinsdale Court, Middleton St George, to improve disabled access and refurbish lavatories and kitchens. The project will cost £42,300.

A ramp to improve access for disabled people will be installed at the annex to the council's social services headquarters in Central House, Gladstone Street, at a cost of £5,000.

From October, legislation relating to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will come into force.

All businesses must comply with the legislation, and providers of a service must ensure disabled people can access that service.

This could mean providing ramps to allow access to buildings with steps, or an alternative method of offering the service if that is not feasible.

Councillor Don Bristow, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for resources, said: "Ensuring that all public buildings comply with the new legislation is a priority for the council.

"We have worked closely with Darlington Association on Disability and we have sought their advice on our refurbishment schemes. We will have most of our buildings compliant with the new legislation by October."