FIVE-YEARS-AGO this week, The Northern Echo revealed that Cleveland Bridge had won a £35m contract that will transform lives on a tropical island and secure the firm's future.

The Darlington firm signed a deal with the government of Sri Lanka to build up to 210 bridges for jungle and rural areas across the country.

The three-year project aimed to help isolated communities gain access to better education, healthcare and jobs by replacing flimsy rope bridges, which are often washed away in the rainy season, with permanent modern structures made of steel and concrete.

Bosses at Cleveland Bridge were delighted to have finally tied up the order, which hit funding problems after it was agreed in September 2011.

Support from the Government's Export Credit Guarantee Department helped to seal the deal that continued the Darlington firm's 136-year history of making bridges all over the world.

Andy Hall, Cleveland Bridge's general manager, said: "We are very happy to be able to offer our experience, technical expertise and high quality product to help link rural communities in Sri Lanka with the rest of the country."

British High Commissioner John Rankin praised Cleveland Bridge and said the deal was "a great example of collaboration across the Commonwealth and will ultimately help increase mobility for Sri Lanka's rural population and enable them to enhance their standard of living".

Also that week, Durham University came under fire after spending £1.4m on art including works by Picasso and Andy Warhol, while charging students £9,000 a year and paying hundreds of staff less than £7.45 an hour.

The university paid out nearly five times its original budget to decorate its new £50m Palatine Centre headquarters.

Archie Dallas, president of Durham Students' Union, said the spending was a total disgrace, while trade union Unison said it was utterly appalling and heartless.

In response, the university said developing its art collection was an essential part of the Palatine Centre project and the extra costs were met by savings in the overall budget.

Mr Dallas said: "I cannot believe that the university thinks it is appropriate to blow that much money on art.

"Art is crucial. But this amount of money could be spent on student facilities, bursaries or, in fact, almost anything more worthwhile. In short, it is a total disgrace."

Meanwhile, horses had to be diverted at a racecourse after a duck was found nesting in one of the jumps.

The discovery at Sedgefield racecourse meant organisers had to bypass fence six to protect the nesting mallard and her six new ducklings.

Course clerk Phil Tuck said: "It is unusual, but it did happen here a few years ago on a different fence.

"We haven't named the duck this time, but a few people have suggested we should name the ducklings after today's winners."