Sedgefield village could be without a parish hall within a year unless urgent action is taken.

The hall, in Front Street, is in need of major repairs to bring it into line with statutory regulations.

Work which needs doing includes improving the disabled access and revamping the kitchen and lavatory areas of the hall.

But the issue which could force its closure is noise nuisance, especially to the neighbouring property, which may result in the loss of its entertainment licence.

Sedgefield Town Council officials, who have carried out an acoustic survey of the building, estimate that it will cost about £750,000 to remedy the problem.

The council is not able to access National Lottery funding, which could resolve the noise issue, so a meeting has been called in an effort to establish a parish hall group.

Town clerk Lesley Swinbank said: "The meeting is not so we can have a whinge, it is to get people together to form a group which will be able to bid for funding.

"It is a major problem which needs a substantial amount of work.

"We have got to sort it out because the people of Sedgefield deserve a decent hall."

An initial meeting, open to the public, is to be held at 7pm on Monday, February 4, in the hall.

The Mayor of Sedgefield, Councillor Ellen Robinson, appealed to anyone interested, either as an individual or as a representative of a group, to attend.

She said: "We will have to take urgent action with either a renovation scheme or perhaps a rebuilding project.

"Either way, it will cost a lot of money. But I sincerely believe that the people of Sedgefield deserve something better than what we have at the moment."

The hall is home to several community groups, including Brownies and the Women's Institute, and recently doubled as an emergency classroom for pupils from the arson-hit Hardwick Primary School.

A spokesman for Sedgefield Borough Council confirmed that a meeting to discuss the hall's licence is to take place shortly.

He said: "On March 13 we will be considering an entertainment licence application as there has been an objection against its renewal."