A NEW type of household waste recycling centre has been launched in the region.

Durham County Council successfully bid for £1.7m from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to help fund improvements to ten of its civic amenity sites.

Six sites have already been completed by project managers Premier Waste, with work on the remaining four due to finish next month.

Councillor John Davies, the council's cabinet member for waste, was joined by children from Aycliffe Village School, near Darlington, and young people from Investors in Children for the launch at the Heighington recycling centre yesterday.

Coun Davies said: "These major improvements to turn the sites into household waste recycling centres will make them more user-friendly and extend recycling opportunities for the public."

Improvements include security fencing, recycling bins for glass, cans and paper, household waste recycling skips and elevated internal roadways.

There will also be access gantries, so people can drop waste into skips, and improved signposting.

Coun Davies said: "The aim is to improve customer care through easier access to skips for off-loading waste, as well as providing help where needed, more opportunities for waste segregation and recycling and encouraging greater use of facilities."

Centres already completed are at Potterhouse in Durham City, Horden, Tudhoe, Stangford Road in Seaham, Annfield Plain and Heighington.

The four sites to be completed next month are at Romanway in West Auckland, Thornley, Coxhoe and Todhills.