A GUIDE promoting good places to eat out has been produced for a Teesside town.

About 20,000 copies of the full-colour publication are to be distributed in and around Hartlepool. It is a joint venture between the council and the local restaurant and pub trade.

Hartlepool Borough Council marketing assistant Harland Deer said: "In recent years, Hartlepool has seen a huge growth in high-quality restaurants and food-pubs offering global cuisine. This trend was prompted by the development of our award-winning marina and has continued apace."

The publication of the guide coincides with the upcoming inaugural Tees valley Food and Drink Festival 2005.

Krimo Bouabda, owner of Cream Restaurants in Hartlepool, said: "This new guide will enable us to more effectively market both individual businesses and the town's overall eating out scene."

Businesses wanting further information about the guide can contact Mr Deer on (01429) 284031.