A COUNCILLOR has donated more than £5,000 in funding for three road safety initiatives in the Bishop Auckland area.

Residents in Toronto had complained to Councillor Sam Zair that cars were blighting the grass verge in Peel Place.

Cllr Zair was concerned about road safety for people so he decided to use some of his neighbourhood budget to fund trip rails, which prevent vehicles from parking on the grass.

In addition, he has also used the money to pay to improve a parking area in the town cemetery with further rails and getting pot holes filled in.

A patch of grass on Kingsway, behind the Stanley Jefferson pub, has also been tidied up to prevent the land being cut up by cars.

Cllr Zair said: “We have to protect our green areas as I think they give value to our lives. I think it makes people proud of the areas where they live.

“It also means it is safer for pedestrians and children.”

He added: “The car park over the bridge in the cemetery needed sorting out because it wasn’t very nice for people coming to visit loved ones.”