A JOB centre is to be opened in a Teesdale market town.

JobCentre Plus yesterday signed a lease on premises at Enterprise House, on the Harmire Enterprise Park, in Barnard Castle.

Work is now to begin to convert the site to a JobCentre Plus facility with high-speed IT links to the rest of the national network.

The refurbishment is expected to be completed in the New Year when the old Jobcentre at Mission Hall in Barnard Castle will close as those premises are not suitable for conversion.

JobCentre Plus deputy district manager Alison Hilton said: "I am delighted that we can now begin work on our new facility and bring Barnard Castle into the new-style JobCentre Plus network.

"The decision to move to Enterprise House has been taken after consultation with all interested parties and we believe this is a sensible and practical solution for our customers.

"We are confident that from our new location we can provide a 21st Century service for the people of Barnard Castle."

The opening date of the facility is expected to be announced in the near future, but until then all services will continue to be based at Mission Hall.