Geograph - photograph every grid square

Chester (or Cong) Burn was culverted under the Market Place in 1962. Following floods in 2012 this was identified as the main cause and a £6.2m scheme funded by Durham County Council, the Environment Agency and the European Union Regional Development Fund which uncovered the burn should reduce the risk of flooding from exceptional storms. A nearby information board explains that the flood walls north and south of the re-exposed burn increase its capacity, allowing it to hold more water to reduce the risk of flooding. The area has been landscaped to "create a more welcoming, park-like feel". The railway viaduct is in the distance to the left of centre.