Local football teams in Washington, Tyne and Wear, will now be able to use Usworth football pitch for the first time in five years, after it was fully restored by Sunderland City Council (SCC).

The Usworth pitch was declared unusable in 2004, but the council has spent £10,000 to bring the playing surface back up to standard, as well as funding the installation of new goalposts and the maintenance of the facility for the next 12 months. Peter Walker, chair of the SCC's Washington Area Committee, said: "This project is great in terms of getting people active across a wide age spectrum and we are happy to help support any initiative that puts something back into the Washington community."