THE fight by Hurworth councillors to have play equipment reinstalled in the village reached a happy ending this week when a new playground opened.

Parish councillors were outraged when Darlington Borough Council began to remove play equipment from outside the Grange last year.

At the February meeting of the parish council, Terry Collins, the borough assistant director of environmental services, told councillors that the equipment had been removed for safety and insurance reasons, but promised that temporary replacements would be installed.

Work to replace the equipment began last week, and on Tuesday youngsters from the Grange toddler group were among the first to enjoy the new area.

The equipment will remain in place until at least the end of summer, and then each piece in turn will be adjusted or replaced with a permanent fixture.

Coun Peter Foster said councillors were delighted by the outcome. He said: "There was a lot of protest when the equipment was taken away and not replaced and we felt it was an example of people in rural areas being last on the list.

"We are pleased that the borough council has done what it said it would. The equipment is brand new, there's more of it, and it is better than we ever imagined it would be."