Middlesbrough-born BBC Breakfast presenter Steph McGovern has this:

The Gazette newspaper had a similar story about currency firms on Teesside., external

The BBC's Andrew Verity explains the economic impact the changing value of the pound can have.

The total leave vote in the North East was 58% - the third strongest showing in England behind the East and West Midlands.

Check how your area voted here.

Reality Check

The Reality Check team has been sent many questions about people's personal circumstances and how they will be affected by the UK leaving the European Union.

Francesca Williams
BBC News

During the EU referendum campaign there was the obvious question of what would happen if we voted to leave.

Would the warnings of disaster prove to be unfounded? Or would it be the optimistic hope for a new golden era that would unravel?

Only hours in, we still don't really know. But this, written by BBC political correspondent Carolyn Quinn in January, on what happened when Greenland voted to leave - by the same percentage - is interesting to read now.  

Fiona Trott
BBC News

In a town where seven out of 10 people backed Brexit, one man I spoke to in Hartlepool summed up the general mood.

"It's been a vote against the establishment," he said. "Unemployment here is 9.4%. People feel hard done by."

When you stop and talk to voters in the street, they tell you things couldn't get any worse so why not vote for change?

It's probably why UKIP gained three seats here in the May elections.

People here feel like they want to take back control.

What about the financial markets? One shopper told me "It's just a blip".

Scotland's first minister says a second independence referendum is 'highly likely' after the UK voted to leave the EU.

Northumberland County Council is seeking "clarity about the North East devolution deal which included making decisions locally about the allocation of EU funding".

Labour council leader Grant Davey said: "An estimated £108m of European investment came into Northumberland over the last nine years, helping to regenerate our towns, invest in our businesses and providing support for tourism and farmers.

"Services will be damaged and jobs will be lost if this government doesn't immediately deliver a plan to replace this now lost funding."

Immigration control has been a major theme in the referendum but, in the North East, a different border is making people think.

Scotland voted to Remain and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said its people saw their future as part of the European Union.

Some Twitter users in the North East are now suggesting Newcastle - which also voted Remain - should become part of Scotland.

Image source, Getty Images

North East Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Ramsbotham has said a "significant number of our members are worried about the impact of leaving" the EU.

"We have an export record which is the strongest in the whole country and this must not be compromised as the decision to leave becomes a reality," he said.

"The government must now secure the best possible ongoing relationship with Europe and the rest of the world to enable sustained business growth in our region."  

It has travelled far and wide, this news that the UK has decided to leave the EU.

Even to Hollywood and Freaky Friday actress Lindsay Lohan, who asked her 9,289,779 Twitter followers where Sunderland was, since it was expected to provide the first result.

Image source, Getty Images/Eamonn McCormack

It really was her, BBC Trending says.

And she seems to know more about the UK than people might have given her credit for - have a look.

Francesca Williams
BBC News

News of David Cameron's departure has been greeted happily by some in Middlesbrough.

One woman told BBC Tees it was "brilliant" someone she believed was a "very weak man" had resigned.

"We need a good strong prime minister to put his views over if they want to do some deals with the EU," she said.

"Fine about that, but let us do our own rules and regulations and get the country back on track like it was."

Another man said he was worried, despite voting to leave.

"It's a big new thing now and we've got to go it alone - hopefully we'll get there."

Here are the key figures:

In Hartlepool, almost 70% of people voted to leave - 32,071 as compared to 14,029 for Remain.

John Tennant, leader of the UKIP group on Hartlepool Council, said: "It's a forgotten town, a town that's lost a lot of its industry.

"There's a lot of people who are disenfranchised, they feel disaffected, and they look at the European institutions where people are well paid, with big expensive lives, all being paid for by us ordinary hardworking people.

"They say 'Oh that's not good enough', we want our money back, we want our country back, so let's govern ourselves."

The Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Tom Blenkinsop has been expressing his disappointment at the vote to leave the EU.

Asked if Labour was out of touch with voters in the North East, he said there were "questions for the leadership and I think there are questions about how we demonstrated or got across any economic message about being within the European Union".

"My view has always been that Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) wasn't necessarily a political asset for the Labour Party," he said.

Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Tom Blenkinsop said he was "obviously very disappointed" but the decision to leave the EU "has to be respected".

"We have to take the result on the chin," he said.

"Those who campaigned for leave have to show us the way now because there will be people waking up, whether they voted remain or leave, who will be in a state of... shock.

Image source, Labour Party

"And what we need is stability now.

"When we are negotiating our new path forward as a non-EU member state there's people's livelihoods at stake." 

One Conservative MP is remarkably sanguine in the face of a referendum result he didn't vote for.

Hexham's Guy Opperman reminded listeners to BBC Newcastle that "this is a democracy - the people have spoken".

"That's fine, this is what a democracy is about: we move on, we dust ourselves down, the sun comes up tomorrow, we all go back to work, we make this work," he said.

"We are a wonderful country, we will make this work."

Image source, BBC/Photoshot

Conservative Hexham MP Guy Opperman has reacted to David Cameron's announcement that he will step down

Prime Minister David Cameron is to step down by October after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Mr Cameron made the announcement in a statement outside Downing Street after the final result was announced.

He said he would attempt to "steady the ship" over the coming weeks and months.

He had urged the country to vote Remain, warning of economic and security consequences of an exit, but Leave won by 52% to 48%.

Image source, PA

Prime Minister David Cameron announces he will step down by October following the UK's vote to leave the European Union.

More to follow.