MEMBERS of a day centre in Darlington have agreed to help clean up a local village's overgrown allotments.

About six of the 20 plots at the Bell View allotments, in Middleton St George, near Darlington, are covered in weeds and rubbish that has been tipped in the past few years.

Parish councillors have debated what to do with the disused allotments, and now Darlington Borough Council's day centre for adults with learning disabilities has come up with an answer.

People who use the centre have agreed to tidy up the site, with their own equipment, in return for the use of one of the plots for three years free of charge.

Parish councillors approved the proposal on Tuesday and agreed to provide a skip for the volunteers to use.

The allotments are believed to be some of the cheapest to rent in the borough, with the parish council receiving £3,765 a year from tenants and paying out £3,617 to the landowners, the allotment association and for water.

However, rent costs are expected to increase by 33 per cent this year.