A MUSIC student who has been crowned Darlington's top young DJ could soon be heard on local radio.

Joe Newman, 17, was one of the finalists in the Darlington heat of a mix-off, which hopes to find undiscovered DJ talent.

Similar competitions are also being run by youth services in Tees Valley, which will give one youngster the chance to DJ on Galaxy FM.

The Darlington DJs showed off their skills to a sell-out crowd at The Forum Music Centre, in Borough Road, and Joe was crowned the winner by Galaxy DJ Streetboy.

Joe, a student at Darlington College, will now compete in the grand final at Tall Trees, Yarm, on Wednesday, April 12. It will be a face-off competition between the winners from each Tees Valley area.

The DJ judged to be the best will win a one-hour guest mix on Galaxy, a DJ bag full of records, a signed Roger Sanchez disc and a certificate of achievement.

Before the Darlington final, the youth service and Galaxy organised a number of DJ workshops for young people who had never tried it before and offered masterclasses for those wanting to improve their skills.

Councillor Chris McEwan, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "I am sure Joe will be well supported in Yarm when he will be representing Darlington in the final of the competition."