Durham bus station redevelopment work begins

The construction of Durham's new bus station is expected to take about 18 months

The construction of a new £10.4m bus station in the centre of Durham is due to begin.

The existing 1970-built station on North Road is to be demolished and replaced with a larger and more "airy" facility, Durham County Council said.

From Monday, all services that normally stop at the station are being relocated to the eastern side of North Road and nearby Milburngate.

The redevelopment is expected to take 18 months.

Early work will include diverting a stream which currently runs in a culvert beneath the site, the council said, with actual construction of the new station due to start in the spring.

The existing bus station was built in 1970

Carl Marshall, Durham County Council cabinet member for economic regeneration, said the "exciting" new station would be a "huge improvement" on its predecessor,.

He said: "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank residents and visitors for their patience and understanding as we install temporary changes to bus stops in the city while we redevelop the current station into a state-of-the-art transport hub for County Durham."

Durham County Council is providing £6.8m while the remaining £3.6m is coming from the government's Transforming Cities Fund.