TWO companies are heading to County Durham, creating jobs in an unemployment blackspot, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Sources at Derwentside District Council were reluctant to give details, but confirmed that "dozens of new jobs at the very least" would be coming to the Consett and Stanley district in the new year.

It is understood that both companies have confirmed the move, and that a "serious number" of full-time jobs had been secured for the district.

Meanwhile, members of the authority's economic development department have hailed the past calendar year as a success for the district.

They claimed that £6m worth of investment had been secured from the European Union and Government grants, in the period from January to September, and that would create nearly 190 jobs.

Leader of the council Alex Watson cited the e-business centre at Villa Real, in Consett, as one of the economic development department's success stories.

The centre, which opened this year, would eventually create 50 jobs.

He revealed that the authority planned to open a second centre.

It gives developing companies the chance of free Internet access, computer equipment and business consultations until December 2001.

Councillor Watson said: "We are proud of our achievements, but there is a lot more work to do to improve the district."

Unemployment in the Derwentside district is under eight per cent, from a high of 28 per cent in the early 1980s, although the way the figures are calculated has changed a number of times in the past 20 years.