FESTIVE shoppers in Durham have been given an early Christmas present in a city centre blighted by roadworks in recent months.

Utility work on pavements and roads in the heart of the city has been suspended until the New Year.

And as a Christmas bonus, Durham County Council has revealed plans for a major refurbishment of pedestrianised areas of the city from next year.

Both the county council and Northumbrian Water have been busy carrying out work which has seen a number of road and paved areas dug up during large parts of this year.

The water company has almost completed a mains renewal scheme in the city, at a cost of £1.8m, as part of an on-going investment programme to ensure top quality tap water. Outstanding work yet to be completed has been suspended for the Christmas period, restarting early in January.

The county council and its agent, with its agent in the scheme, recently carried out repairs to the paving in some of the streets of the medieval peninsula, completed in time for the Christmas rush.

Water and gas utilities will be back, however, early in the New Year for further operations in Saddler Street which will lead to the road closure from January 6 - 14.

Arrangements are being made for limited vehicular access to the peninsula via the rarely used Prebends Bridge at the opposite end of the Bailey area.

The county council begins work on a £350,000 environmental enhancement in North Road, involving renewal of the carriageway and footpaths, in January.

Chris Tunstall, the county council's environment and technical services director, said: "Looking further into the future, the council is planning a major renewal scheme to the pedestrianised areas of the Market Place and Silver Street, together with Elvet and Framwelgate bridges.

"We will be using alternative paving materials that are friendlier for pedestrians and the disabled, but still retain the character of Durham's historic streets.

"These materials will compliment those used recently to refurbish the roads and footways in other parts of the city centre."

A strategy is being produced to guide the design of the renewal scheme, taking into account the various changes in use over the 25 years since the last major refurbishment when Silver Street and the Market Place were initially pedestrianised