Follow the latest news stories from the National League, including transfers and selected contract announcements.

Our live updates have finished for the week.

Thank you for joining us.

You can stay up to date with BBC Tees, BBC Newcastle, BBC News Online and Look North.

We’ll be back at 08:00 on Monday. We hope you can join us then.

England fans are in fine voice in Russia as Gareth Southgate's team marches on - but what are they singing?

Up on the cliff tops at the mouth of the Tyne sits the imposing Tynemouth Priory and Castle. It's history stretches back to the Iron Age and it has been used by both Monks and the Military as a place to defend nation and faith. This great monastic heritage may be one reason why the songs of this region have been kept alive. Jez Lowe discovers this place became a seat of learning which meant that there was a history of print; crucially songs were recorded and not lost but also the cultural influence of Christianity from Ireland and mainland Europe gave rise to a melting pot of ideas and influences.

This melting pot of influences is evident today as Jez visits the nearby Fish Quay at North Shields. The songs, and even unique instruments, from this place mix Irish, Scottish and English sounds and themes with music from as far afield as Scandinavia. Even today you can find fishermen from places like the Philippines and the Netherlands working alongside the local boatmen. Music remains ever present in the traditions of the place and Jez explores the songs and sounds which resonate most with people who live and work at the mouth of the Tyne today.

Reigning champions Saracens will begin the defence of their Premiership title at Newcastle Falcons on 2 September.

Daniel Holland
Local Democracy Reporter

Housebuilding on Tyneside is set to accelerate rapidly, with council bosses pledging to ramp up the rate at which new homes are delivered.

The number of houses built across Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland will increase from the current average of 1,800 per year to 3,000 up to 2032, under new targets agreed by the three authorities.

A new board set up to oversee housing for the emerging North of Tyne Combined Authority will be pushing the three councils to deliver their existing development plans at a much faster rate.

Image source, PA

The total number of houses planned - 19,000 in Newcastle and 16,500 in North Tyneside by 2030 - will not change.

The situation in Northumberland is more complex, as the council does not have an approved housing plan after the Conservative leadership scrapped the former Labour administration's "core strategy" in July 2017.

A new draft plan, currently out for consultation, proposes a requirement of 17,700 new homes by 2036.

The three authorities agreed a £600m devolution deal with the government last year to create the new combined authority, which will have its own elected mayor and a raft of new powers.

Norma Redfearn, elected Mayor of North Tyneside and North of Tyne portfolio holder for housing, said: "One of the major advantages of having devolved powers will be greater control over housing and the ability to build the homes we have set out in our individual Local Plans more quickly."

Birmingham City and Middlesbrough settle their High Court dispute over Blues manager Garry Monk's backroom staff.

Stuart Minting
Local Democracy Reporter

People who are persistently involved in anti-social behaviour in a town centre could be punished with fines of up to £1,000.

Darlington Council's leading members are set to consider launching a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in the town centre to help combat a rise in rowdy behaviour, which the authority says is affecting businesses and visitors.

In the last three months, police have received 142 complaints involving issues like alcohol-related nuisance, in the town centre, and specifically near St Cuthbert's Churchyard.

A report to the authority's Cabinet said: "These are a particular concern as the area is highly visible with individuals collecting around the seating, drinking alcohol, being loud, disruptive and abusive towards other individuals using the town.

"The police and council have taken action to address the particular problem with some success, however it is area where anti-social behaviour continues."

The PSPO plan has been given support by police and could be implemented for three years.

Persistent offenders would be arrested and face £1,000 fine at court.

Daniel Holland
Local Democracy Reporter

Anger over Newcastle's bins is responsible for more than half of all complaints made to civic centre bosses, it has been revealed.

Of the 741 formal complaints Newcastle City Council received last year, 417 were about problems with the bins.

The statistics have also revealed a sharp spike in the number of those complaints that have been upheld, with critics saying there is a "growing dissatisfaction" over Newcastle's waste services.

A council report said: "Local Services and Waste has seen a reduction of £5m in funding in the past four years leading to teams working with significantly reduced resources."

The council added that the number of complaints represents just 0.001% of the three million bin collections it makes every year.

However, Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Gordon, the opposition environment spokesman, said: "It is alarming that the annual corporate complaints report shows the number of upheld complaints has substantially increased.

"This appears to be as a result of a huge spike in complaints with waste and refuse services, which will not come as a surprise to anyone."

The council is consulting on a new strategy about dealing with waste over the next 15 years.

It includes increasing the city's recycling rate to 65% by 2030, bring overall waste per household and businesses down by 10% by 2025, and reduce waste sent to landfill to less than 10% by 2025.

It has also suggested new measures to tackle recycling problems, such as the possible use of CCTV cameras and refusing to collect bins contaminated with the wrong kind of rubbish.

The council says it has already taken actions to address the rising number of bin complaints, including "embedding a much more customer focussed approach", resolving issues with its IT system and analysing the performance of each collection crew.

Hundreds of children from primary and special schools all over the North East went to the beach in South Shields this morning, for the annual Sandcastle Challenge.

It's run by the charity Children North East, who say it is a way of remembering our early days and raise awareness and funds for its work.

A man suffered a serious back injury when his car left the road and ended up in a hedge.

The 66-year-old driver was taken to hospital after the crash at about 17:00 on Monday on the Trunk Road, in Redcar, outside the ambulance station.

He is still in a serious condition.

Anyone who saw what happened, helped the driver or has dashcam footage is asked to contact Cleveland Police.

The Gazette
Newspaper

A young woman told how she was almost blinded by football fans celebrating England’s penalty success., external

Supermarkets have recalled bags of frozen vegetables over fears they could contain a deadly bacteria.

The 43 sweetcorn-based products have been withdrawn by major supermarket supplier Greenyard Frozen UK.

The Food Standards Agency said the veg may contain listeria monocytogenes which can cause listeriosis, a rare illness responsible for the death of two people in the UK last year.

Own-brand products for Tesco, Aldi and Sainsbury's are among those affected.

A list of the 43 recalled products, which also include those from Lidl, Iceland and Waitrose,has been posted on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website., external

Image source, AGF

The primary school head teacher is jailed for sexual exploitation and possessing indecent images.

The great-grandmother acted with "great courage and composure", police say.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The decision to close the Southlands Centre is being challenged once again by a group of independent councillors.

In April, a meeting of Middlesbrough Council’s executive subcommittee for property voted unanimously to close the Southlands Centre.

It was a decision that left the 38 businesses and community groups currently based at the centre facing an uncertain future as they received letters telling them to vacate by November.

Later in April, independent councillors Brian Hubbard and Jon Rathmell “called-in” the decision citing a series of alleged failures in the tender process.

Image source, LDRS

But the Overview and Scrutiny Board – made up of nine Labour councillors, two independent and one Conservative – voted against referring the original decision back to those who had made it.

Now a member of Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association (MICA) is using another process to try and force the council to reconsider its decision and put the brakes on the centre’s closure.

On Friday, MICA councillor, Jan Mohan notified Middlesbrough Council that she was exercising a Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) over the closure of the former leisure centre.

CCfAs were introduced in 2007 under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 as a legitimate process to resolve issues a councillor feels is in the public interest.

Meet the people on the streets that share their names with England's World Cup stars.

Rebecca O'Neill
BBC Newcastle

A parole hearing is due to decide later if a notorious killer, who murdered an 11-year-old boy in Newcastle, can be released.

Dominic McKilligan killed Wesley Neailey (pictured) 20 years ago.

The then 18 year old, who was a convicted sex offender, snatched him from the streets of Arthur's Hill.

Image source, PA

Weeks later, he took police to a remote spot in the Tyne Valley where he had dumped the youngster's body.

Wesley's mother, Liz, thinks he should stay behind bars.

The Parole Board said it would "carefully look at a whole range of evidence", adding it would do so "with great care" and that public safety was their number one priority.

Rebecca O'Neill
BBC Newcastle

HMS Northumberland, which was built on the Tyne in 1992, has returned to the river for her first visit in seven years.

Later, a rededication service will be held on board the Type 23 frigate, marking its formal return to the Fleet following an extended refit.

The vessel will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.

Image source, MOD

The 24-year-old's left leg sank "thigh deep" into the road on a back lane in Heaton.