John Richardson made it third time lucky as he was last night co-opted to Shotley parish council.

The former Brantham councillor, who now lives at Shotley Gate, has a long association with the village, and has lived on the peninsula for more than 40 years.

Cllr Richardson said: "My family have a long history in Shotley as my Uncle and Aunt - Sonny and Winnie ran the Post Office for many years and are both buried in the Shotley Churchyard."

Another uncle was an Instructor at HMS Ganges.

Cllr Richardson is a Chartered Surveyor , keen fisherman and interested in environmental matters.

He added: "Although semi retired I still work part time for Shotley Marina and am also doing some work for Shotley Sailing Club."

Cllr Richardson replaced Jeannette Briscoe, who recently stepped down earlier this year due to other commitments.

As no former election was called for, parishioners were invited to put their names forward to be co-opted.

Cllr Richardson narrowly pipped Lucy Ingram, who has been a regular attendee of parish council meetings throughout the past couple of years.

It was third time lucky for Cllr Richardson after twice missing out on co-opted positions at Shotley.