THE region's newest lord was King of the Castle yesterday with a simple wooden bench for a throne.

Recently ennobled Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland, former MP Derek Foster, was presented with a garden seat by the constituency supporters he worked with for more than quarter of a century.

The ceremony, in the grounds of the historic home of Durham's Prince Bishops Auckland Castle, was shared by his wife, Ann, now Lady Foster, and the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Tom Wright, and his wife, Maggie.

Bishop Auckland councillor Ken Manton, the leader of Durham County Council, made the presentation.

He said: "We wanted to recognise all the good work that Derek has done over many years representing the people of Bishop Auckland and particularly in the field of economic development."

Lord Foster, who took his seat in the Upper House last month after retiring as an MP before the General Election in May, said the bench would be given pride of place in the garden of his home in Rickleton, near Washington, Tyne and Wear.

He said: "I was delighted to accept the name of Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland because I will always feel a loyalty and commitment to the town and constituency I represented for 26 years."