A ROW has broken out between two North-East councils over plans for a sign which would be visible from aircraft flying overhead.

Durham County Council wants to create a piece of floodlit artwork to form a gateway to the county.

The artwork would take the form of a large sign on an embankment beside the A689 at Wynyard, near Sedgefield.

The sign, in yellow metal lettering about five metres long and 1.5 metres high, set against a background of blue glass chippings, would be visible to aircraft approaching Teesside Airport.

It would complement existing artwork designed and built as an part of a nearby cycle bridge, which was opened by the Prime Minister two years ago.

But the plan has not gone down well with Sedgefield Borough Council members, who said the sign would be "visually obtrusive".

They have told the county council that as they own the embankment, they are not prepared to sell it so the scheme can go ahead.

The county council will now consult artist Peter Fink, who designed the artwork on the bridge, to see if he can develop something else.

The county council's leader, Councillor Ken Manton, said: "If other local authorities in the region shared their view about what was visually obtrusive, we would not have the Angel of the North.

"We are doing our best to blow the trumpet for County Durham, but the borough council seems to want to muffle our efforts."