INSPECTORS have praised the work of Darlington Borough Council's adult social services department, giving it their highest possible rating.

The department has been awarded three stars by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), improving on last year's rating of two.

Darlington was said to be serving most adults well, with the department also having excellent capacity for improvement.

The CSCI assessed the council against various criteria and it was found to have made significant improvements in many of them.

Bryan Thistlethwaite, council cabinet member for adult services, said: "This three-star rating is well deserved recognition of the strong progress the council has made in this area.

"However, there will be no resting on laurels.

"Areas for continued improvement have been identified and we will be striving to deal with these."