COUNCIL official Ben Dellow got on his bike and pedalled 25 miles to work instead of getting in the car.

Mr Dellow, travel plans officer at Durham County Council, took two hours to reach County Hall, Durham, from Ryton, near Gateshead.

He was one of the 40 employees - 1,300 people work at County Hall - to take part in National Bike to Work Day.

Workers at more than 20 companies and organisations across the county also turned to pedal power.

The day was designed to encourage people to consider cycling as a more environmentally-friendly and healthy form of travel.

"I set off at 6.30am and got in at 8.30am. It was lovely and quiet on the road - some of the route was off-road - and I saw quite a lot of other cyclists,'' Mr Dellow said.

"When you get to the outskirts of Durham, it is easier to get to work by bike because of all the traffic jams.

"I would not do 25 miles every day, but we are looking to encourage people to make journeys of between five and eight miles by bike."

Ben said the number of council employees cycling was "probably a 200 per cent increase on the day-to-day figure".

3M, at Newton Aycliffe, won the award for the most employees cycling to work, with more than 40 taking part.

The prize, a £200 cycle voucher donated by the Raleigh Cycle Centre at Peterlee, was won by Graham Bostock in a raffle among staff.

The council hopes to encourage more cyclists by creating cycle lanes. It has also installed showers at County Hall for staff who cycle to work.