EFFORTS to re-open a piece of the region's industrial heritage have taken a step forward, The Northern Echo has learnt.

Tees Cottage Cottage Pumping Station, in Darlington, has been closed to the public since May, after a number of serious safety and structural issues were identified.

A series of events due to take place over the summer had to be cancelled.

The Tees Cottage Pumping Station Preservation Society, which ran the attraction and hosted events at the site, held a meeting with English Heritage and the owners, Northumbrian Water, on Thursday (September 25).

It remains highly unlikely that the site will re-open this year, but a Northumbrian Water spokesman said the meeting had been success.

He said: "There has already been some work carried out, including a lot of electrical testing, but there is more needed to overcome the concerns.

"We are keen to see the improvements made on the site and work together with the various partners to do all we can to get it open as soon as we can."

The pumping station was built in the 19th Century to carry water from the River Tees to households in Darlington and Teesside, which had previously relied on wells and rainwater tubs.

In previous years, visitors to the site have enjoyed open days featuring the pumping station's historic engines.