The sculpture, which has been installed at Laurel Road, in Ferryhill, was funded using £20,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £15,000 from the Neighbourhood Budget secured by former councillors Curtis Bihari and Peter Atkinson.

The lamp commemorates the mining heritage of the town and incorporates the names of mining occupations and terms specific to the Durham Coalfield area. They are engraved around the column of the lamp.

The miner's lamp is covered in old mining job titles

Designer Andrew McKeown said the sculpture would help preserve knowledge of "the people and the culture and the colloquial job names".

He said: "I made a similar one in Bowburn and they help preserve the occupations and celebrate the people that did those jobs.

"It's jobs like knocker upper and tinsmith that will only exist in archives in mining museums otherwise."

Mr McKeown said he hoped the sculpture would spark conversations and inspire children to find out more about their heritage.

Ferryhill Mayor Angus Ferguson said it was "great" to see Ferryhill's mining heritage celebrated through art.

Labour town councillor Curtis Bihari, who helped secure the funding when he was a county councillor, said the town's history "deserves to be remembered".

He added: "This sculpture does exactly that and it is fantastic to see a project rooted in local history and shaped by local residents.

"I'm very proud to have supported this project with funding alongside my former colleague Peter Atkinson."