A building that has been empty for a number of years has been cordoned off after it partially collapsed.
A member of the public rang the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service after a large number of bricks hurtled to the ground from the single-storey property on the corner of Anthony Street and Beamish Street, in Stanley .
A structural engineer was called out and an assessment was made before a cordon was placed around the site on Saturday evening.
Station manager Gary Bankhead, from the fire and rescue service, said: "We received a call about this at 6.10pm on Saturday.
"This building has been empty for several years. Above the main entry door, there is a wooden lintel and over the years that has been deteriorating. It has rotted and decomposed.
"On Saturday, it catastrophically failed. It was carrying quite a weight of bricks on it and was unable to take that weight. It has then collapsed.
"When I got there, our colleagues from Durham Constabulary were already in attendance.
"We made an assessment that there was no immediate danger or threat to life.
"The area was cordoned off to ensure members of the public were not put in danger.
"A structural engineer from Durham County Council also came and assessed the site.
"A decision was made to put up a fence around the building to keep members of the public and vehicles a safe distance away."
