Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT Picture: JIM SCOTT The Echo previously toured the site when it opened, but this week's visit marked the first time a journalist has been allowed into the more 'secret' and critical area of a UK Amazon site. Joshua Yorke, apprentice and engineering safety co-ordinator at Amazon Durham, explained why they have robots on the site. He said: "Beyond the gates, and into the field, we have these pods which hold all of our items, and the robots that you can see are called 'drives.' "They basically go around and pick up the pods, bringing the products to the stations ready to be picked by an associate."