DISABLED people are to benefit from a £27,000 project to improve access to Darlington town centre.

Work has started on the road improvement scheme, near the Arts Centre and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Vane Terrace.

Pavements and junctions along a 600-metre stretch of Vane Terrace, from Abbey Road to Trinity Road, will be improved.

The work will include installing dropped kerbs and narrowing the road at junctions. This will make it easier for people with restricted mobility or wheelchair users to cross.

New paving will also be installed at junctions to help blind and partially sighted people wanting to cross the road.

The crossing points will also be made more visible to motorists so drivers can clearly see blind pedestrians waiting to cross.

Work started this week and it is expected to take four to six weeks to complete.