A North-East college plans to build the region's first Olympic-size swimming pool.

East Durham and Houghall Community College proposes building a 50-metre pool as part of a £7m centre also featuring six tennis courts, a five-a-side football pitch, badminton courts, a restaurant and conference facilities.

The college, already with pioneering football, basketball, judo and boxing academies at its Howletch site in Peterlee, plans to create the new development on land alongside its agricultural centre, at Houghall, on the outskirts of Durham.

College principal Ian Prescott, a former professional footballer, said the centre, opposite Durham University's Maiden Castle complex, could become a centre of sporting excellence.

The clamour for a full-size competitive pool grew recently following the comparative failure of Britain's swimmers, including Newcastle's Sue Rolph, to land a medal in the Sydney Olympics.

North-East swimmers must travel to Leeds or Edinburgh for the nearest 50 metre pool.

But Mr Prescott said it would be for the use of both the public and the more serious swimmers.

"We believe there's a market out there both to train elite swimmers as well as for Joe Public to come in for a swim.

"There is also a large university across the road with a large number of sporting students, and we are talking to the university.

"We have obviously got to get the planners on board and we have got to move forward."

The plans will be submitted to planners in Durham, this week.

Despite the site being in a greenbelt area, Mr Prescott is confident the proposals can meet planning demands, and provide the region with a centre, "second to none".