Teesside stories you may have missed this week

Teenager Liam Andrews' organs saved the lives of six people

Olly Murs surprises a superfan, a table tennis player pays tribute to the teen whose heart he now has, and a trial to help boost recycling rates ends.

Here are some Teesside stories you may have missed this week.

Olly Murs surprises teen singer ahead of festival

Charlie described the experience as "just mental"

A teenager says he is "still processing" the moment pop star Olly Murs turned up at a family fun day to sing with him on stage.

Charlie, 13, had posted a TikTok video appealing to the singer, who was headlining Hardwick Festival, to pop over to Normanby Hall cricket club in Middlesbrough on his way.

The superfan had completed his own 25-minute set when he was asked to play one more song and was told he had a special guest.

Halfway through the star's hit Troublemaker, Murs came on stage to surprise him before the pair performed his most recent song Save Me.

• Read more on this story here.

Table tennis player lives with teenage boy's heart

Mr Bell won a silver medal at the European Transplant Games in Lisbon last year

A table tennis player representing Great Britain in the World Transplant Games in Germany said he wanted to "continue the legacy" of the teenager who heart he received.

Alex Bell, 57, from Newcastle, received the life-saving transplant 12 years ago, after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.

His donor, 17-year-old Liam Andrews from Stockton-on-Tees, saved the lives of six people after he died from a brain haemorrhage in 2013.

Mr Bell, who runs an immigration law firm, said "getting a second chance" meant a lot to him.

• For the full story, click here.

Takeaway refused 'as there are too many'

Fatso's wanted to change its use to a hot food takeaway service

A sandwich shop on a major road has been refused permission to serve as a hot food takeaway because there are too many in the area, a council has said.

Fatso's sandwich shop, on Linthorpe Road, in Middlesbrough, faced objections from the authority over its application to change from a mixed-use site.

The eatery is in the "Linthorpe Road Secondary Area", defined by Middlesbrough Council as an area which must meet a threshold of takeaways, in accordance with local health policies.

The Labour-run authority said the plans would have a "negative impact on health", however the applicant said proposals would create jobs and "diversify" food options.

• You can read more on this story here.

Delays to reopen station footbridge 'frustrating'

The footbridge at South Bank station has been shut since October

Work to replace an unsafe railway footbridge has been delayed after more issues were identified during a site visit.

The structure at South Bank station, near Middlesbrough, has been shut for 10 months, with rail replacement buses forced to operate eastbound due to the lack of access to one of the platforms.

Work was due to start in July to remove the bridge and replace it, but Network Rail said extra potential issues around pipes and cables had been identified, leading to delays.

The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), which has committed to funding the work, said the delays were "frustrating".

• You can read more about it here.

End of bin tagging trial 'disappointing'

Blue bins were tagged if the wrong items were placed in them

A tagging trial to stop residents putting wrong items into recycling bins has been stopped.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council began the trials in 2023 to try and improve recycling rates and reducing contamination, which it said was costing thousands.

The authority said recycling rates had increase by 7% and it had saved £350,000 over a 12-month period.

Labour council leader Alec Brown said the scheme was only meant to be a short-term "sharp shock". Liberal Democrat Jemma Joy, chair of the council's climate scrutiny committee, said ending the trial was "disappointing".

• The full story is available here.