AN artist has transformed boarded-up shopfronts on an estate with colourful murals.

Steve Hunter has been painting and restoring shop shutters on the Firthmoor Estate, Darlington, which were covered with graffiti.

The clean-up was part of the Firthmoor Regeneration Arts Project and Oratorio, and involved collecting ideas for the shutter designs from local businesses and estate residents.

The designs range from modern cartoon paintings to abstract scenes, and have proved to be popular with local people.

Last year, Mr Hunter, from Newcastle, painted signs for the estate's community centre, creating a mural with youngsters on a summer play scheme.

Darlington arts officer Kari Vickers said: "The new shopfronts are what the community really wants to see. It has re-vamped the shops which were going to wrack and ruin."

A community centre is being built on the estate and the artwork from the old site will be transferred there on its completion in December.