A brass band continued a remarkable run of form by winning the Northern Area Championship title at the weekend.

Ferryhill Town Band was promoted from section four to section three in the competition after winning their section last year, so faced tougher competition at the championships in the Dolphin Centre, Darlington.

Trombone player Peter Atkinson said: "This is a remarkable achievement by the band.

"With being promoted, the music is a little bit more difficult, and the bands are a class above what we've been used to playing against.

"So I suppose it was a surprise, because although we expected to put up a good show, we really didn't expect to win."

The band, conducted by Steve Robson, claimed the title in the third section by a clear two points to become Northern area champions again.

Last year, the band represented the North-East in the national finals, in the Royal Albert Hall, London, to mark the Millennium.

The victory in Darlington means Ferryhill Town Band has now completed a hat-trick of wins this year, claiming first place in their last three contests.