A 12-MILE stretch of coastline once branded one of the country's most polluted areas lit up as fireworks celebrated the completion of a project which has cleaned up 150 years of mining scars.

An estimated 10,000 people turned out to witness the festivities, which could be seen from across the region on Saturday.

More than 30,000 fireworks and a light show lit up the skies over the east Durham coastline to mark the completion of the five-year multi-million pound project.

The stretch of coastline between Seaham and Crimdon, made famous by the 1970s gangster movie Get Carter, starring Michael Caine, was scarred by millions of tonnes of mining spoil which turned the beaches and sea water black.

Following a £10m investment by Turning the Tide, backed by the Millennium Commission and The National Trust, the coastline has been cleaned up and fully regenerated.

About 40 million tonnes of spoil from four nearby collieries was dumped on the clifftops and beaches, between 1840 and 1993.

Project manager Ray Leonard said: "Historically, the Durham coastline has been exploited for its geology, namely its coal.

"What we have done is give the land back to nature and, already, we are starting to see a wide diversity of plant and wildlife return.

"We are very proud of what we have achieved."

Ten Second World War lights from three ships at sea lit up the skies and were visible across the region