Seaham School of Technology, Shotton Hall School and Sedgefield Community College could share up to £1.15m of Government funding to help lower their carbon emissions.

The three County Durham schools were chosen to be part of the scheme as they are all due to be rebuilt in the first phase of Durham's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative.

Other schools in the BSF programme are also expected to benefit from the extra funding in the future.

The designs for the new school buildings will be expected to incorporate environmentally friendly features, which could include solar power, biomass boilers and wind turbines.

The Durham schools are among 200 schools across the country that could receive extra cash over the next three years to help them meet the new national target for cutting carbon emissions from new school buildings by 60 per cent.

Those that meet the target will be given additional funding of £50 per square metre of floor area.

Councillor Claire Vasey, cabinet member for Children and Young People's Services at Durham County Council, said: "Tackling climate change is at the top of the international agenda and it's really important that we all do our bit.
 
"The Building Schools for the Future scheme gives us a timely opportunity to develop new schools buildings which incorporate modern design aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

"I welcome any extra funding that can help us in achieving this goal."