OVERLY eager treasure hunters landed a radio station in a spot of legal bother after they dug up an historic corner of the North-East.

Managers at Galaxy Radio this week donned boiler suits and Wellington boots to fill in the damage done to the riverbanks of Durham City following a complaint from the guardians of the Cathedral.

Solicitors acting on behalf of the Dean and Chapter sent a stern letter to the station after enthusiastic sleuths hunting for a buried stash of diamonds, worth £20,000, broke manhole covers, dug up flower beds and excavated several holes near The Count's House.

The Grade II listed building, which stands beneath the cathedral at the end of South Bailey, is said to have once been home to the celebrated Polish dwarf Joseph Boruwlaski.

Clues given out on air in the station's Heist promotion suggested the diamonds were stashed on the city's riverbanks - and in particular, near to the 18th Century folly.

After receiving a letter from the Dean and Chapter's solicitors, station director Matt McClure and marketing manager Andy Saxton went to fix the damage personally, spending a morning filling in holes and clearing rubbish from the area around the burial site.

Mr McClure said: "We anticipated that damage would be restricted to the odd small hole dug in the earth, certainly we never implied that the diamonds were hidden under manhole covers.

"I have been in contact with the firm looking after the matter on behalf of Durham Cathedral, and after putting right the damage, we have also agreed to make a donation to the Cathedral to cover the cost of further repairs."