Two long-serving former Bishop Auckland councillors, from opposite ends of the political spectrum, have died within days of each other.

Roy Thomas was a Labour party activist and local headteacher who moved to Middleton-in-Teesdale, became an active member and president of the Middleton and Teesdale silver band and helped to form the Upper Teesdale branch of the Labour party.

Margaret Hurst, who died this week, aged 75, was a lone Conservative on the former Bishop Auckland Urban District Council and subsequently represented the town on both Wear Valley and Durham County councils.

For nine months in the mid- 1980s, however, her local government service was put on hold as she successfully battled cancer.

"I never covered it up," she said at the time. "You have to take it out of the cupboard, have a good look at it and you find it's not the horrible bogey you thought it was."

Mrs Hurst, who came to Bishop Auckland with husband Alan in 1951, was made a JP in 1974 and a Durham County alderman after stepping down from the council in 1993.

She was also a governor of several schools and was chairwoman of Etherley Lane nursery.

"When first she was elected there was only one Conservative and one Liberal on the council, so they had to stay friends," said her son, David.

"She probably wasn't a traditional Tory and there was a lot of respect for her on both sides of the chamber because of her work for the community.

"She won huge personal votes, which had little to do with politics. There weren't many Tories in her part of Bishop Auckland."

Funeral details have yet to be arranged for Mrs Hurst, who is survived by her husband and two sons.

Mr Thomas's funeral will be at Darlington crematorium at 10.15am tomorrow.