Tyneside stories you may have missed this week

Two people in white beekeeping suits and black gauze protective hoods are standing in a field, holding up wooden panels from the honey bees' hive. The insects are covering the honeycomb filled panels. Both people are wearing violet plastic gloves.

Honey supplies have taken a "worrying hit", one producer warns

A "miraculous representation" of the felled Sycamore Gap tree, the rent hike calling time on a barber shop and worries over honey production.

Here are some stories across Tyneside (and Northumberland) you may have missed this week.

'I found Scycamore Gap tree under my patio'

A black and brown marking in the shape of a tree on stone which looks like the Sycamore Gap tree. Howard Dawson, wearing a purple shirt, with long grey hair, poses next to it, leaning on a wall.Howard Dawson

Howard Dawson hopes to protect the marking from the elements

A gardener said he could not believe his eyes when he uncovered a "miraculous representation" of the now-felled Sycamore Gap tree, hidden beneath a paving stone.

Howard Dawson made the discovery at his home near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The 82-year-old said he lifted up a slab, which had been stacked for about a decade, and saw an image of what appeared to resemble the much-loved tree that had been formed by dirt and dust.

The landmark, which grew by Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, was illegally felled in September 2023 causing shock around the world. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were each jailed for four years and three months after being convicted of criminal damage.

  • And you can read more about this story here.

Warning of venomous weever fish along coastline

A weever fish being held up by the tail with it's mouth wide open. It is only the length of a finger and the dorsal fins on it's back stand out as three ridged prongs.RNLI/Derry Salter

The fish have spines on their backs that can puncture toes

Hot weather has seen an increase in the number of paddlers and swimmers being stung by venomous fish, a lifeguard has said.

Beachgoers on north-east England's coast from Teesside up to Tynemouth have reported being painfully stung by weever fish, which have spiny backs that can puncture the soles of feet.

Lifeguard Rianna Manson said the fish camouflaged in the sand and remained hidden in warm, shallow water - unfortunately for visitors to the beach.

The RNLI lifeguard service confirmed it had "seen an increase in the number of incidents involving weever fish this summer" along the North East.

  • And you can read more about this story here.

Century-old barbers closing after rent triples

The outside of George Scott Gentleman's Hairdressers on The Side in Newcastle city centre. The exterior is painted dark green with white text painted on it.

The rent hike left the business with "no option but to shut"

A barber shop that has been open for more than a century is closing after the cost of its rent tripled.

Staff at George Scott Gentleman's Hairdressers in Newcastle city centre said they were "devastated", but had no option but to shut because the business could not afford the price hike.

They also said they hoped to welcome as many customers as possible before closing their doors in December.

The building's owner, the Gainford Group - which owns a number of commercial properties across the North East - has been approached for comment.

  • And you can read more about this story here.

Heather honey production halted by beetle pest

A heather beetle on green leaf. The beetle is a coppery-brown colour with a black line running down its back. It's black antennae are almost as long as its body. The leaf is a bright, juicy green with defined veins.Lairich Rig/Geograph

Heather beetles lay larvae on the stems, which then go on to strip the flowers

Heather honey production has been brought to a halt by an increase in the numbers of a pest which eats the plant, beekeepers in the north-east of England have said.

The Northumberland Honey Company, which has beehives on the moorland in Acton, said the heather beetle had reduced the five to 10 tonnes of heather honey it usually produced at this time of year to zero.

Beekeeper Luke Hutchinson said this was a "big and worrying hit" for what was usually the company's biggest seller.

The Heather Trust, which works to protect moorland, said the warmer weather meant heather beetles had been laying more larvae on the stems, which then go on to strip the flowers.

  • Read more about this story here.

Table tennis player lives with teenage boy's heart

Liam Andrews is wearing a maroon T-shirt and back-to-front, black baseball cap and is staring right into the camera with a quirky slight smile.Supplied

Teenager Liam Andrews' organs saved the lives of six people

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

Alex Bell, 57, and from Newcastle, received a 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.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

Get in touch

Do you have a story suggestion for BBC Tyne?

Contact form

Related topics