Stephen Pettitt suffered multiple organ failure and died days after the procedure at a Newcastle hospital.

Russ Ward
BBC Newcastle

Fire crews in Sunderland have been attacked with bricks and bottles as Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue took almost 570 calls on bonfire night.

At a bonfire in Southwick, Sunderland cars were driven into fires and fire crews had missiles hurled at them.

Hartlepool Mail
Newspaper

A man has died and a woman is fighting for her life after a taking a suspected deadly supply of drugs in Hartlepool. , external

Police are warning drug users about the risk of potential harmful batches of heroin being circulated after the sad incidents.

Image source, Hartlepool Mail

Colin Briggs
Look North

A conservation charity has expressed concern over the disappearance of four tagged hen harriers in recent months, including one from the North East.

RSPB Scotland said the birds were last located over land managed for grouseshooting when their satellite tags suddenly stopped transmitting.

They include a chick from a nest in Northumberland whose last known position was on a grouse moor in Inverness, which has not been seen since 16 August.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police or the RSPB.

Image source, RSPB

Lucy Moody
Journalist

Women across the region celebrating a 65th birthday today are among the first women to have the same state pension age as men.

The state pension age will gradually increase for both men and women to reach 66 by October 2020 and then to 67 by the end of the next decade.

Image source, Getty Images

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Alex Metcalfe

A Redcar and Cleveland Councillor has pleaded not guilty after appearing in court to face speeding charges.

Carl Quartermain, from Redcar, appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court on 5 November.

He also denied failing to provide information to identify who was driving.

A trail date has been set for 8 January.

Image source, Evening Gazette/Teesside Live

Louise Hobson
BBC Local Live

School children on Teesside have been getting involved with making poppies for Armistice Day.

Year six pupils from The Avenue Primary in Nunthorpe, have been crafting different colour floral tributes to celebrate the centenary of the end of World War one.

They've be taking part in a remembrance service in the village this morning

The Shields Gazette

Fire chiefs have been warned about the potential impacts of downgrading Hebburn Fire Station. , external

Plans could see the station, in Victoria Road West, manned by a part-time crew.

Image source, Shields Gazette

A man who slapped, shoved and grabbed his partner in a relationship "characterised by alcohol" has been banned from contacting her for 10 years.

At Carlisle Crown Court,db John Richard Lambert, 53, of Bridge Street, Haltwhistle, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Judge Peter Davies heard Lambert had 110 offences on his record, more than a dozen of them for violence, and ordered a 40-day rehabilitation activity and a course on "building better relationships".

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

We've got all the news, sport, travel and weather through the day.

If you want to get in touch with any news or send us photos you can tweet us, external, contact us via our Facebook page, external, or email us.

Our live updates here have finished for the day but any breaking news, sport or travel will still appear here..

You can also stay up to date on BBC Newcastle, BBC Tees, and on Look North.

We'll be back tomorrow from 08:00 with more live updates.

If you want to get in touch with any news or send us photos you can tweet us, external, contact us via our Facebook page, external, or email us.

Have a lovely evening.

Ant McPartlin was told off by a High Court judge after failing to attend the preliminary hearing of a divorce court fight over money with his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong.

Ms Armstrong attended the hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London, but Mr McPartlin was not in court but was represented by lawyers.

Mr Justice Mostyn said McPartlin should have been present.

The couple (pictured before their separation) were granted a decree nisi last month.

Image source, PA

The hearing was staged in private and Mr Justice Mostyn placed limits on what could be reported.

But he said journalists could name the ITV star and Ms Armstrong in reports of the hearing.

He also said they could report that Mr McPartlin had been "told off" for not attending.

"Why is he not here?" Mr Justice Mostyn asked barrister Jonathan Southgate QC, who is leading Mr McPartlin's legal team.

"There isn't one law for the famous and one for the rest of the community.

"The rules say he was supposed to be here - and that can be reported."

Mr Justice Mostyn added: "He has been told off."

The judge indicated that he might have excused McPartlin's non-attendance had he been contacted in advance and given a reason for it.

BBC Tees

A Durham Light Infantry (DLI) soldier is to be commemorated in an event by Danny Boyle to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.

Large-scale portraits of a casualties from the war will be drawn into the sand at dozens of beaches in the UK.

Image source, Pages of the Sea

Pte Theophilus Jones (pictured above) died in the Hartlepool Bombardment and is believed to have been the first soldier killed on British soil during the conflict.

He will be honoured at Redcar beach during Pages of the Sea on 11 November.

BBC Look North
North East and Cumbria

A celebration has been held to mark the 50th anniversary of one of Newcastle's most famous landmarks.

The Civic Centre was officially opened by King Olav of Norway in November 1968.

It cost almost £5m - or around £60m in today's money - and includes Italian marble, African wood and a German crystal chandelier.

Among the VIP guests were some of the men who helped build it, including apprentice joiner, Ken Swaddle.

He said: "It's an iconic building, there's never been another building in Newcastle like this, and I served my time on it. Great."

BBC Sport

Middlesbrough missed the chance to go back to the top of the Championship following an entertaining goalless draw at Stoke on Saturday.

Gary Rowett's Potters created numerous clear-cut chances but failed to breach the most watertight defence in the English Football League - who have conceded just eight league goals so far this season.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke's front three of Benik Afobe, Tom Ince and Saido Berahino all had decent chances to find the back of the net.

Home goalkeeper Jack Butland made excellent saves to deny Jordan Hugill and Jonny Howson as the visitors pushed for a late winner.

Drug users are being warned about the risk of potential harmful batches of heroin being circulated in the Hartlepool area.

It follows the death of a 34-year-old local man on Sunday, while a woman aged 30 who was taken to hospital on Saturday remains in a critical condition.

Cleveland Police said it was awaiting the results of toxicology reports, but it was believed the two incidents were linked to heroin laced with fentanyl or carfentanyl.

Fentanyl, an anaesthesia used to help prevent pain after surgery, is about 100 tmes more powerful than heroin and Carfentanyl, which is used on animals, is 100 times more potent than that.

Anyone with information about drugs activity in their area is asked to contact police.

BBC Newcastle

The two North East men who will be commemorated in an event by Danny Boyle to mark the centenary of the end of World War One have been revealed.

A large-scale portrait of a casualty from the war will be drawn into the sand at dozens of beaches in the UK.

Image source, Pages of the Sea

Second Lt Hugh Carr's portrait will be seen at Roker beach, Sunderland, with Pte William Jonas honoured at Seahouses, Northumberland.

Pages of the Sea takes place on 11 November, Armistice Day.

Drawn in the sand at low tide, their images will be washed away as the tide comes in.

Image source, Alamy

BBC Newcastle

A man has died after a fire at a former care home near Sunderland.

Emergency services were called to the former Manor House Care Home in High Street, Easington Lane, at about 02:40 GMT and found a man unconscious inside.

He was pronounced dead a short time later. A number of other residents were brought out of the building by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

Northumbria Police said the cause of the fire was still being established and an investigation was under way.