PRIMARY school youngsters have done their bit for the environment as they helped to transform a former waste tip into Paradise.

More than 40 children from Escomb School and Witton Park, St Chad's, recently assisted officers from Wear Valley District Council on a tree planting expedition at the former British Rail waste tip at Witton Park, Bishop Auckland.

The tree-planting was part of a £2m reclamation project by Wear Valley District Council to tidy up the former area known as Paradise Tip - named after Paradise Cottages, which used to stand on the site many years before.

The council was awarded the money for the project by the regional development agency One North-East, to turn the site into an amenity area with footpaths, ponds and trees. It is hoped that a floodplain adjacent to the River Wear can be dedicated as a nature reserve.

Work is being carried out by J Hellens (Contracts) Ltd and is being overseen by consulting engineers WS Atkins and district council officers.

If work stays on schedule, the site will be completed in time for summer.

As well as planting trees, the children were asked to design a logo for the Paradise Scheme and take part in a nature quiz.

Winner of the logo competition was Kevin Thexton, from Witton Park St Chad's, and winners of the nature quiz were Jennifer Brown, and Jennifer Shoulder, both from Escomb School, and Rebecca Davis from Witton Park St Chad's.