Durham Police says it will mean routine calls can be answered more quickly and follows a surge in demand for police services in the spring and summer.

Emergency calls will still be reached by dialling 999.

Over the past three weeks all the force's local office phone numbers have been phased out. The new local rate-charged number is 0845 6060 365.

Peak times

The force says callers can use the new all-embracing number from anywhere in County Durham and Darlington.

Ch Insp Darren Ellis, of the force's communications department, said: "While 999 remains the option for people facing a crisis, the new number is for calls of a more routine nature."

The switch follows the introduction of a �3.26m digital radio network.

Mr Ellis added: "We hope that the single non-emergency number will end any confusion members of the public might have had about which number to dial and enable them to get through quickly even at peak times.

"We are matching advances in technology with an increase in resources to speed up our response times and provide the best service we can."