COUNTY council bosses in North Yorkshire are planning a major overhaul of the way they store 800 years of records.

The archive is currently stored at the County Record Office in Northallerton, but the building is now in need of a complete overhaul. As the documents have to be kept in a secure, controlled environment, the archives service is looking at what to do in the future.

County councillor Greg White said: "While the archive houses many rare or irreplaceable documents, it is not solely about these. It is a living thing, collecting and archiving today’s records, whatever the format or medium in which they are created."

They want to hear from local heritage groups and a wide cross-section of the public.

An online survey is at www.northyorks.gov.uk/recordofficesurvey or paper copies are available from the County Record Office on 01609 777585.