EXCAVATION work has begun on a sports pitch in Thornaby which will serve two schools and the local community.

Stockton Borough Council's cabinet member for education, leisure and culture Councillor Alex Cunningham visited the site at the field between Thornaby Community College and St Patrick's RC Comprehensive School to view the work.

The pitch, which is expected to be finished in April, will be used for activities including football, five-a-side and hockey, as well as sports training.

The two schools will use it, as well as before and after school clubs, and it will also be used for summer school events and programmes.

Coun Cunningham said: "This new pitch will be a high quality sports facility not just for the two schools adjacent to it but for the Thornaby community to enjoy. The creation of this new pitch shows our commitment to provide pitches and other sporting facilities across the borough with the assistance of funding from the New Opportunities Fund.

"We want more people to be able to take advantage of modern sporting facilities such as this and we are trying to make them as accessible to communities as we can."

The pitch is being created after the council was allocated £2.4m in grants from the New Opportunities Fund for eight sporting projects.

The first four projects have been awarded almost £2m and work is now under way.

These include the pitch in Thornaby, an all-weather pitch at Egglescliffe School and the relocation and improvement of the dance and fitness studio at Blakeston Community School.

These should all be completed by the end of the April. Design work is also being carried out for the modernisation of sports areas at Billingham Campus School.