AN MP calling for a bypass around a busy village has taken her petition to Parliament.

Bishop Auckland MP, Helen Goodman, launched a petition in October urging Durham County Council to take up the scheme to reduce the amount of traffic on the A68 through Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland.

The call for a bypass followed several serious traffic accidents on the road, including a van which smashed into a house and a collision which saw the 42-year-old driver of a pony and trap seriously injured.

Ms Goodman said she has been working closely with Toft Hill resident Alex Wright whose house was damaged in December 2016 when the van ploughed into it.

Ms Goodman and her team collected more than 60 signatures from worried parents of Toft Hill Primary School in the first ten minutes of her campaign and had 950 signatures at the time of presenting it to Parliament.

The school is situated on the busy road and sees dozens of HGV lorries pass through it throughout the day.

Ms Goodman's petition states that the road is “unsuitable and unsafe for the volume and nature of vehicles, especially HGV lorries; and further that the proximity of the primary school and proposed future development in the village would make this stretch of road more dangerous to local residents”.

The petition is calling for the Department for Transport to prioritise a new relief road to alleviate the problems faced by residents of the small village.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Ms Goodman said: “The life of my constituent Alex Wright was literally shattered when a van drove into her living room and totally destroyed it.

“She had to move out for months while the house was rebuilt.

“For years, the residents of Toft Hill have been calling for a bypass, and 950 people have signed this petition.

“This is not purely a local issue; it raises questions of national road policy. Currently the criteria focus on housing and congestion.

“We would like to see a rebalancing of the criteria towards northern concerns, such as economic development and quality of life.”

Etherley Parish Council clerk, Alison Overfield, praised Ms Goodman's efforts.

Mrs Overfield said: "It's good news and any support that we can get is welcomed.

"The parish council is working extremely hard to bring it to the attention of the powers that be."