BBC Newcastle

Two people were seriously hurt in an accident on the A19 in County Durham involving four vehicles.

The incident happened on the northbound carriageway near Seaham just after 19:00 on Tuesday.

A pedestrian from one of the vehicles was also struck by a vehicle.

The two seriously injured people were taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

The road was closed for six hours.

Police have appealed for witnesses.

Cannabis with an estimated street value of £10,000 has been seized from a house in Middlesbrough.

Police raided the property in the Grove Hill area of the town on Monday.

Image source, Cleveland Police

Cleveland Police said a 33-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class B drug and was later released while investigations continue.

A 32-year-old man was also interviewed under caution.

Gateshead kick-start their National League season as Neill Byrne's strike gives them victory over Guiseley.

BBC Tees
www.bbc.co.uk/BBCTees

A fishing boat with seven people on board was rescued after it got into trouble off Hartlepool.

Image source, RNLI

An RNLI lifeboat was launched after the crew of the 39ft vessel raised the alarm on Monday afternoon while 11 miles off the coast.

The Hartlepool all-weather lifeboat towed the fishing boat for about 90 minutes before mooring it in Hartlepool Marina.

No one was hurt.

A Newcastle man has been jailed for 15 weeks after admitting injuring a dog so badly it later died.

Bruce Elliot, 32, of Lordenshaw in Newcastle, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

The offences date back to October last year, when he admitted injuring a Jack Russell by using blunt force, then failing to get help from a vet for the animal's injuries.

The dog belonged to his former girlfriend, who was not at home at the time, and the RSPCA said it had suffered a great deal.

As well as being jailed, Elliot was also banned from keeping animals for 20 years.

BBC Newcastle

A man has been charged over the death of another man who was found unconscious behind a nightclub.

Graham Thurston, 54, was discovered in the early hours of Sunday lying behind Powerhouse nightclub in Westmoreland Road in Newcastle.

Mr Thurston, of Chirton West View in North Shields, died later in hospital.

A 33-year-old man from Gateshead has been charged with manslaughter and is due to appear at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court later.

The Shields Gazette

Recycling waste in South Tyneside has been branded ‘garbage’ by a fed-up user who claims householders are enduring unacceptable waits to offload rubbish, external.

Image source, Shields Gazette

BBC Weather

Today should be dry with some sunny spells developing by afternoon.

Coastal areas will feel cooler in the strong northerly wind but this will ease through the day.

Click here for more weather.

Gilly Hope
BBC Travel

A174 : Accident westbound at the A19 junction in Maltby, one lane closed

Good morning and welcome to BBC Local Live.

We'll be with you throughout the day to bring you the latest news, weather, sport and travel updates from across the North East.

Have you got any photos you'd like to share with us?

In that case you can tweet them to @BBCNewsNE, external, email them,or contact us via our Facebook page, external.