Tyneside and Northumberland stories you might have missed

Shelf of stacked tins of Tesco brand chilli con carne and stewed steak, in cardboard trays with the name Tesco on them. The price label under the chilli con carne tins reads £2.10 and the price label under the steak reads £3.45 - more expensive than the prices in the largest Tesco, which are £1.81 and £3.

Prices at Tesco Express in Rowlands Gill can be 15% more expensive than in the larger Tesco, where chilli con carne is £1.81 and stewed steak is £3

Villagers challenging their local supermarket over high pricing, a school campaign to save a church, and a mum has written a book to comfort siblings of premature babies.

Here are some stories from Tyneside and Northumberland you might have missed this week.

Village's war on supermarket's prices

Mary McGarry with blonde hair and glasses, wearing a blue coat, takes a selfie across the road from the Highfield Tesco Express store. A set of traffic lights, parked cars and the shop can be seen over her shoulder. The store appears to be a long single storey with the pointed gable end of a two storey building above its central entrance. As it is a selfie, the image is flipped meaning the Tesco Express sign reads backwards, like in a mirror.Mary McGarry

Mary McGarry said offering pensioners loose vegetables and products would help save money and waste

Residents in a rural village claim they feel "punished" over the prices and limited range of products in their only supermarket.

People living in Highfield, Gateshead, say they are charged higher prices at the Tesco Express in Rowlands Gill, compared with larger Tesco and rival brand stores in the town centre.

Marie Sidgwick, 65, who is part of a local campaign, said: "Desperate people are having to pay the price because they cannot afford to make the £5 bus trip to Gateshead and it's all wrong."

Tesco said it offered a range of everyday products in its Express stores at the same price charged in larger ones, but shoppers say many cheaper items are not stocked in the smaller outlets.

  • Read more about their campaign here

School fights to save church next door

St Oswald's Church in Hebburn. It has a red arched church door and is built from brick. It has a small bell tower and a large roof.

St Oswald's Church in Hebburn is being "considered" for closure due to falling numbers and volunteers

A school is campaigning to save a church next door which shares its name.

Church of England officials have begun the process of closing St Oswald's in Hebburn, South Tyneside, along with St Cuthbert's, citing "falling congregation numbers" and a "lack of volunteers".

Helen Smith, head teacher at St Oswald's Primary School, said: "The church has been here since 1883 - it would be a huge blow, not only to the school but the wider community, if it was to close."

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Durham, which is overseeing the closure alongside the Church Commissioners, said the community "will continue to be served" by nearby churches, if the closures go ahead.

  • Read more on their future here

Vera author backs campaign against school merger

Ann Cleeves smiling into the camera. She has short, white hair and is wearing large, dangly earrings. She is standing in front of a white wall and is wearing a black jumper with a black and white stripped top peaking through the neck.Laura Palmer/BBC

Crime writer Ann Cleeves praised a school for how it encouraged children to read

Best-selling crime author and creator of Vera, Ann Cleeves OBE, has joined a campaign to save a school from closing.

Langley First School in Whitley Bay is one of six first and primary schools facing the possibility of closures and mergers in North Tyneside due to falling birth rates.

Cleeves called the school "special" for how it encouraged children to read and is one of more than 4,000 people who have backed calls to keep it open.

North Tyneside Council said change was "essential to ensure our school system remains sustainable".

  • Read more on the school merger plans here

Talks to tackle beach's 'damaging' summer

Druridge Bay is a sandy beach bordered by grass dunes. Several groups are walking and sitting on the sand.Getty Images

Druridge Bay in Northumberland is a popular beach

Talks have begun to tackle issues caused by anti-social behaviour and illegal camping at a popular Northumberland beach.

It comes after sand dunes at Druridge Bay were left scorched by an "out-of-control" campfire in August.

Local Labour councillor Scott Dickinson said the beach had always been blighted by wildfires, litter and illegal camping during the summer, but this year had been especially damaging, adding: "There's been lots of trauma to wildlife, there's been lots of trauma to local people."

Emergency services, councillors and the National Trust were among those to agree to a joint approach, including creating a map detailing who owns which bits of land.

  • You can find out more about what is happening here

One thing to watch: Old Metro scrapped

Tyne and Wear Metro drivers watch on as old train scrapped

Two Metro drivers shared an emotional experience watching a train they drove torn to pieces before their very eyes.

Lesley Williams and Jon Doughty visited a specialist scrapyard where an old Tyne and Wear Metro carriage was taken apart to be recycled.

"It's been part of my life for 21 years," said Jon, as he watched carriage 4067 being scrapped.

So far, 38 Metro carriages have been decommissioned, as operator Nexus gradually rolls out its new fleet of trains.

Video produced by Alex Challies

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

More like this