TRANSPORT Minister Karen Buck praised highways chiefs yesterday for their courage and vision in opening one of the country's biggest park-and-ride schemes.

Ms Buck cut the ribbon to launch a £10m scheme aimed at cutting traffic congestion in the heart of Durham City.

The Belmont park-and-ride site is one of three ringing the city.

The scheme, introduced by Durham County Council, is designed to take long-stay traffic out of the city centre and deal with the city's parking problems.

Ms Buck said: "I am delighted to be able to open the first bus-based park-and-ride scheme in the North-East, a scheme that will transform travel into Durham City.

"Traffic congestion is a growing problem everywhere in the country, but in beautiful historic cities such as Durham it is a particular problem.

"There will be a need for roads, but we will never be able to build our way out of traffic congestion. We need imaginative, creative and courageous solutions."

Council leader Ken Manton said the park-and-ride scheme was the final part of the county council's traffic management jigsaw, designed to tackle traffic and parking problems in the historic city.

He said that at a cost of £1.70 per adult, it was among the cheapest to use in the country.

He said: "I'm sure park-and-ride will quickly establish itself as the preferred means of getting into Durham for commuters, shoppers and visitors.

The park-and-ride sites provide a total of 1,100 parking spaces up to 7pm, monitored by CCTV and linked to the centre by buses running every ten minutes. The scheme starts tomorrow and is free all weekend.