WORK got under way yesterday on a £30m regeneration scheme designed to bring a prosperous future to an east Durham seaside town.

For almost a decade, Seaham has struggled to recover from the closure of its mines.

Thousands were thrown out of work when the collieries closed and many doubted that the town and its surrounding villages would ever recover from the economic blow.

However, yesterday, cutting the first turf to mark the beginning of a multi-million pound project, Durham County Council leader, Councillor Don Robson, predicted a renaissance for the once-beleaguered community.

The scheme is the biggest undertaken by the county and will include the construction of a £5.6m cliff-top road connecting the town to the Dawdon link road and the A19.

The scheme, which will breathe new life into Seaham's town centre, will also include the reclamation of the former gasworks, chemical works and bottle works sites for industrial use.

Coastal defences will be boosted by the installation of giant 15-tonne concrete jigsaw pieces, which will be designed to protect the cliffs and the new development.

The overall Seaham Regeneration Scheme, one of the flagship projects of the East Durham Taskforce, is being funded by Durham County Council, English Partnerships, regional development agency One NorthEast, Easington District Council, the Seaham Harbour Dock Company and the European Community.

The initial phase of the scheme is estimated to cost £10m and take 19 months to complete.

Future phases will include the relocation of the Seaham Harbour Dock Company offices and warehouses.

The company's present site has been earmarked for town centre development, which will include shops, offices, tourism, leisure and housing developments.

The county council is contributing £5.64m towards the highways and bridges elements of the scheme and Coun Robson promised yesterday that the investment would bring: "A better quality of life for the people who live and work here."

Leader of Easington council, Councillor Alan Napier, said that everyone could now "look forward to a brighter future".