A FORMER North-East prisoner of war camp will feature in a television series to be broadcast next month.

Harperley PoW Camp, near Wolsingham, County Durham, was built in 1943 to house nearly 1,000 Italian and German low-risk prisoners.

The camp, which last summer became the first PoW camp in the country to be declared a national monument, will be one of 30 historic sites shown on the BBC2 series Restoration.

Most of the huts at Harperley are still standing and some internal fittings, including wall paintings done by former inmates and a stage, are being preserved as it is to be turned into a Second World War museum and visitor attraction.

Viewers of the programme can vote for the site they want to help save after hearing from experts from The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), scholars, and architects.

Marianne Suhr, a building surveyor and education officer for the SPAB, said: "This is a fascinating site, very atmospheric.

"It really challenges and questions our interpretation of what constitutes a historic building. This isn't a castle or a stately home, but it marks a very important part of British history.

"Sadly, there are all sorts of problems associated with preserving this site, not least that the prefab buildings were originally erected cheaply and quickly, and were not intended to last.