Teesside and County Durham stories you might have missed

A silent disco-themed exercise group is going from strength to strength

A couple's 13-year-long battle to tame poisonous weeds along the banks of the River Tees and a woman who quit her career in education to run a silent disco exercise group.

Here are five stories from Teesside and County Durham you might have missed this week.

Councils urged to leave incinerator contract

Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility will take waste from seven councils

Durham County Council leader Andrew Husband urged local authorities to exit a contract for a controversial waste incinerator at Teesworks, near Grangetown, Redcar.

He said there was "no appetite" for the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility, which once built, is set to burn household waste from seven of north-east England's councils.

• The comments came after Newcastle City councillors voted in favour of withdrawing from the facility

Poacher warning

The Environment Agency is asking the public to report anything suspicious in rivers

People were asked to stay on the lookout for poachers after seven crayfish traps were discovered on the River Tees near Barnard Castle.

• The Environment Agency believed they were part of a commercial fishing operation

'Gotta Catch 'Em All'

Vectis Auctions in Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, this year launched a trading card division after a Pokémon card collection sold for £19,000.

Pokémania took the world by storm in the 1990s, and almost three decades later, the fanbase, and the Pokémon Trading Card market, is booming.

• Fans from all over the region say it is an exciting time to be part of the fandom

Couple praised for battling giant hogweed

David Butler got his spraying qualification to battle giant hogweed in 2015

David and Ros Butler, 78 and 76, have spent more than a decade battling giant hogweed on the banks of the Lower Tees.

Poisonous sap from stem hairs can cause severe blistering, which can take months to heal.

• The Tees Rivers Trust said the couple's efforts had been "nothing short of extraordinary"

Dancing leads to friendship

A silent disco-themed exercise group in Hartlepool has proven so popular that its founder left a 26-year-long career in education to run it full-time.

Owner Lyndsay Turner said the friendships formed by the women who attend The Silent Steppers were the "biggest success story" to come from it.

• The group also has plans to expand, watch them boogie on down here