What a waste...

‘No faults’ in gas systems

NO faults were found in gas networks near a Sunderland home destroyed in an explosion, engineers have said.

Two semi-detached homes had to be demolished on Friday, August 11 after a sudden gas explosion.

Police are not investigating any suspicious circumstances, but gas and health and safety experts are working to understand how the devastating blast came about.

Martin Alderson, asset risk management and safety director for Northern Gas Networks (NGN), said: “Emergency engineers from NGN attended the scene of an incident at Ryhope, Sunderland on Friday 11 August and made the situation safe.

“Engineers carried out safety checks on the network in the immediate vicinity of the explosion and found no faults at that time.

“We are continuing to work closely with the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) to understand the cause of the incident and engineers are on site to reassure customers of any concerns.” Blue House roundabout An artist’s impression of the planned Northumberland County Council HQ MILLIONS of pounds have been wasted by North East councils, despite cuts to frontline services and job losses.

The Sunday Sun has collated a list of schemes, which were criticised by opposition councillors, MPs and residents for not being in the public’s best interest.

Councils have been accused of pouring millions of pounds into the projects as households faced rising bills and vital frontline services were lost.

Here are some of the most controversial schemes, which left taxpayers’ millions of pounds out of pocket.

The plan was created to boost County Durham’s economy, build 31,400 homes and create 30,000 jobs by 2030.

But in 2015, councillors withdrew the scheme after it was called “unrealistic” and “excessively optimistic” by an independent inspector.

It meant the council had to go back to the drawing board, seven years after the process first began.

A council spokesman said at the time: “The council and its partners fought for the plan because we believed that it was essential in ensuring that our county did not get left behind.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that, after a lot of hard work, we now have a way forward for the County Durham Plan.”

Few schemes have been more controversial than those for Newcastle’s Blue House roundabout.

Newcastle City Council faced mass opposition over plans to redevelop the Gosforth site, which is said to be one of the worst accident blackspots in the city.

Original proposals were abandoned last year The £1m crane which was bought by North Tyneside Council back in 2013 still lying in pieces at Wallsend docks after around 2,000 people attended a protest rally against the plans, which critics described as “overkill”.

Councillors have pledged to “review alternative proposals” while working with more than 20 stakeholders, including fierce opponents of the original design.

Northumberland County Council came under fire for supporting a show jumping event dubbed “a toff’s weekend out”.

The two day horse trials event attracted up to 5,000 visitors in 2010 and was included on the British Show Jumping calendar of major events.

But Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell criticised the council for funding the event and said the cash should have been invested in resources for local people.

He said: “I believe the money, which I have lobbied for along with other MPs, should be spent where it does most good, and not wasted on a toffs’ weekend out.”

But council bosses argued the money had been well spent and said the two day event, held at Burgham near Felton, boosted the local economy.

A crane bought to revolutionise the Tyneside shipyards has been left unused and in pieces.

The machine was bought in early 2013 by North Tyneside Council, which pledged to use it to enhance the facilities at the Swans yard.

But the “£1m white elephant” still remains unused and sitting in pieces, which led to opposition councillors calling on the authority to “use or lose” it.

The council responded saying that work was ongoing to assess the condition of the quay to help inform the improvements needed so that the crane can be used.

Last year, work on Northumberland County Council’s new £32m headquarters got under way.

The authority was set to leave County Hall in Morpeth and move to the new base in Ashington, bringing around 900 staff to the town.

But after the Conservatives overtook Labour and became the largest party on the council, work on the building was halted.

Figures have revealed almost £2.1m was wasted by the council after it paid its development arm Arch to carry out the work.

The Newcastle city centre cycle lane proved highly contentious when it was opened last November.

Some people branded it as a waste of money, while others compared it to cycle lanes in Europe, which led Stephen Brunskill to claim “It’s Newcastle not Amsterdam”.

Resident Adam Thompson said: “It’s outrageous. A hundred yards of bike lanes, lanes twice the width necessary for the short stretch and usage? Madness.”

Dave Newman said: “It’s a waste of money that could have been spent in areas that desperately need help.”

But the council argued businesses will benefit from the cycle lane and the street is now more attractive to shoppers and visitors.

In 2015, Gateshead Council was criticised for spending thousands of pounds on an office revamp, despite announcing £50m of cuts.

Just days after consultation began on further savings, it was revealed that the authority had refurbished its civic centre headquarters.

Opposition councillors said the revamp was a “staggering waste of money at a time of severe cutbacks to services on which many people in Gateshead rely”.

But the council defended the move, saying it allowed them to use the space more efficiently.