Believe Housing plans for a new heating system at Bluebell and Daffodil Close

I was contacted by heating engineers at Believe Housing yesterday afternoon giving me advance notice that they have plans in the pipeline for an new heating system to be installed at Bluebell Close and Daffodil Close, the intention being to address residents' concerns about recent heating failures.

I've been told that residents in those streets are already aware of the plans, but if there are any questions or comments they would like me to pass on to Believe Housing please get in touch at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I'll make sure the housing company is made aware.

I've posted below full details known at this point, and I'll update on developments as and when I have more information from the company.

Hi Cllr Crute

Just a quick email to inform you of a proposed heating project we have planned for the streets below:

• Bluebell Close, Blackhall
• Daffodil Close, Blackhall

These properties are all currently heated form the district heating system fed from Primrose Court, however due to the age of the pipework, and frequent breakdowns the decision has been made to install an independent heating system into all properties. We held a consultation session with the local residents at the community centre before the Christmas break – thankfully there was no concerns raised by the residents.

I’ve almost completed all the site surveys and have managed to answer any questions. Unfortunately I don’t have any timescales or proposed start dates – I have ordered gas supplies from Northern Gas Network – and now we just have to wait.

Blackhall PACT meeting for January 2026

The latest Blackhall PACT (Police & Communities Together) took place at the parish council office on Middle Street in Blackhall Colliery last night. It followed the monthly meeting of the Monk Hesleden Parish Council environment committee which I attend to update on any environmental issues affecting our villages from a county perspective, and also to coordinate a collective response to similar issues raised by residents at the parish level.

Among the issues covered last night included the ongoing problem of quads and off-road bikes trespassing on public land and potentially putting lives at risk - and that's on top of the disruption in our communities and the damage caused to open grassed areas intended for general public use.

The police and neighbourhood wardens updated on recent operations in the area that are having an impact in deterring vehicles from transporting off-road bikes into our communities from other places (it has been reported for some time that the vast majority of off-road bikes in Hesleden, Blackhall and surrounding areas come in from other areas, rather than our own villages).

In addition I reported a police initiative raised with me and other local county councillors in neighbouring wards intended to acquire a drone for use specifically in our villages. Similar initiatives elsewhere across the country have proved highly successful in tracking the movement of off-road vehicles and crucially pin-pointing the exact places where bikes and quads are stored when not in use. This information enables the police to target those storage locations and take whatever measures are necessary to prevent riders from causing problems in our villages. I'll monitor progress on this police proposal and update on what is likely to be a game-changer in tackling the persistent problem of off-road bikes trespassing on otherwise safe places in the community.

Contact details for reporting off-road bikes to the police can be found in an article I posted on these pages a couple of weeks ago: Off-road bikes and quads in Hesleden

Other issues raised last night included the usual reports of potholes, littering and untidy back yards in some of the numbered streets in Blackhall Colliery. Although there are still one or two particular areas affected it was reported that complaints about similar issues in other streets and other parts of the villages were markedly reduced from recent months. This fits with my own experience and is largely down to residents contacting me as soon as issues like this arise. This means the neighbourhood wardens and the empty properties team at DCC are able to react immediately when problems are reported and then set the ball rolling on whichever actions are needed to put things right again. Although there are still one or two issues to tackle (most notably the paint-damaged property in First Street and rubbish in open back yards in Middle Street and Third Street), progress is becoming noticeable in many other locations.

If you have any issues you would like me to know about please get in touch at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I'll raise them with the relevant authorities as soon as possible. Finally my thanks go to all those residents who have taken the time to contact me in the past to let me know about their concerns. It's by working together in this way that we'll make our villages better and more attractive places to live and work.

Continued delays to postal deliveries in Blackhall and Hesleden

Last week I published a post about Royal Mail delivery delays in parts of East Durham, and specifically in the Blackhall and Hesleden area. Background details can be found in this link: Update on Royal Mail delivery delays

Since that post was published I've continued to receive complaints from several residents expressing their concerns that they still haven't had any postal deliveries. In some cases the delays have gone on since before Christmas.

Over the weekend I contacted Royal Mail again to raise my concerns about these continued delays, many of which are having a serious impact on residents who have told me they've missed vital GP and hospital appointments, alongside other essential correspondence relating to utility bills and banking services.

The inconvenience of missing a letter now and then is bad enough, but these persistent and prolonged delays are having potentially serious consequences for local people and businesses.

I've also been in touch with the local press this morning to tell them about how residents in our area are having to put up with what has now developed into a complete service failure. 

Hopefully local press coverage will raise the profile of this issue and put increased pressure on the Royal Mail Group to firstly explain fully the reasons behind these unacceptable delays and then tell us what they're doing to tackle the backlog. Residents will also want to be assured that normal delivery services will resume as soon as possible across the whole of our area.

I'll continue to update on progress with this matter as soon as I have more information from the press and the Royal Mail Group.

Update on Royal Mail delivery delays

Over the past few weeks I've been inundated with calls and queries from residents asking if there was any information about delays to Royal Mail deliveries, mainly in Blackhall Rocks and Blackhall Colliery but in a few other locations too.

In response to my initial enquiry I was told that delays had been caused by unavoidable staff sickness, and I was advised that deliveries should soon resume as normal. However, since then the delays have continued, alongside the amount of contact I've had with residents who are understandably concerned about missed hospital appointments and other vital correspondence.

I've also raised this issue with Grahame Morris's office staff who confirm they've been told the same, but I'm advised that because of the unusual length of delays the issue has been forwarded to OFCOM for their attention.

**As a postscript I've seen one or two Royal Mail vans out and about today, so hopefully normal service will resume soon.

Update on pothole repairs at Glenholme Terrace

Over the past few years I've submitted several requests for pothole repairs to be carried out in the back lane behind Glenholme Terrace, and on each occasion I've been told that the council isn't able to carry out any works because they don't own or maintain that particular stretch of road.

However, following a number of requests for clarification last year, I was told that the road did actually belong to DCC as part of its ownership of the Glenholme allotments on the other side of the lane. Consequently I issued another request last year for repairs and was told in September that because of the severity of the defects works would be carried out within 14 days. Full background details can be found in this link: Highway repair works to begin at Glenholme Terrace within the next 14 days

Unfortunately 4 months later it's become obvious from the images in this post that repairs were never carried out at this location so I've contacted the council again to request pothole repairs as a matter of urgency.

I'll update on progress with this query as soon as I have more information from the service, but in the meantime please take extra care when in the area.

Off-road bikes and quads in Hesleden

I've been in touch with Durham police again today to report another incident of off-road bikes trespassing on open public land in Hesleden. This follows several reports over the past few weeks and months as concerns grow about an increased risk of accidents.

I've also reported this latest incident to Durham County Council for the attention of the neighbourhood wardens and I intend to raise the overall problem of off-road bikes and quads in our ward as a priority for the police at their next PACT (Police & Communities Together) meeting later this month.

When I've reported similar incidents in the past, whether in Hesleden, Blackhall or Crimdon, the police tell me that the problem remains under-reported - which means that it won't be flagged as an issue on the police reporting system. Obviously if the police are unaware of problems at a specific time and a particular location they won't be able to deal with them.

So if you know of any recurring problems with quads and off-road bikes in your neighbourhood please report them immediately to the police on their non-emergency line 101 or online at: Contact us | Durham Constabulary. 

If together we can raise the profile of these repeated incidents the police are much more likely to respond more quickly and effectively to residents' concerns.

PACT meeting dates for 2026

Durham police have released the dates for their scheduled Police & Communities Together (PACT) meetings for 2026:

• Wednesday 28th January
• Wednesday 25th March
• Wednesday 20th May
• Wednesday 29th July
• Wednesday 23rd September
• Wednesday 18th November

Although the PACT meetings are organised and run by Durham police I attend as your local county councillor to pick up any comments, complaints or queries that relate to the county council.

All meetings are held in the Parish Council Offices (formerly the Resource Centre) on Middle Street in Blackhall Colliery and start at 6pm.

Durham County Council consultation on changes to tenancy agreements

Durham County Council is proposing changes to their allotment tenancy agreements, and they're inviting future and current tenants to give their views and comments as part of an online consultation.

You can find the link to the consultation exercise here:

Consultation link: https://letstalkcountydurham.co.uk/en-GB/

The consultation is open until 1^st February 2026.

Snow and ice clearance locations in the Blackhall and Hesleden area

As is to be expected during times of relatively heavy snowfall I've been inundated with calls over the past few days for roads and footpaths to be cleared. In response to every contact made I've issued requests for footpath clearances at key locations such as the Aged Miners' Homes, the Blackhall & Peterlee Health Centre on Hesleden Road, sheltered accommodation units, care homes and other residential areas in Blackhall Colliery, Blackhall Rocks and Hesleden. I've also asked for estate streets to be cleared as soon as possible.

Naturally there's considerable frustration that some areas have been cleared straight away while others haven't yet been reached. I understand those frustrations and I've relayed them to the relevant sections at the county council. However, when there's high demand for ice and snow clearances the council has a priority route for pre-salting and gritting roads and another for footpath clearances. I've posted links below to the council's policies for each:

Snow clearance - Durham County Council

Winter gritting routes - Durham County Council

Today's gritting plans - Durham County Council

I'd like to pass on my thanks to all of our residents who have contacted me with requests for road and footpath clearances. I know it's frustrating when there are delays due to high demand, but hopefully the services will get round soon to clearing all the locations I've reported in line with their policy and then follow up with the rest. In the meantime please let me know if you're having any problems with snow and ice and I'll continue to do everything I can to get things sorted as soon as possible: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Durham County Council services over the Christmas and New Year period

Durham County Council's customer access points and most council buildings will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period. However emergency duty teams will be open to contact. Full details can be found in the links below.

Building and Service details: News-Christmas and New Year closures - Durham County Council

Changes to Household Bin Collections: News-Changes to County Durham bin collections at Christmas - Durham County Council

Household Waste Recycling Centres (skips): Recycling centres (tips) - Durham County Council

General Environmental Issues: Environmental issues - Durham County Council

Durham County Council Website: Home - Durham County Council