A Wearside dad whose attempt to lose more than 20 stone in weight featured on TV has admitted falsely claiming benefits of more than £8,000., external
Image source, SUNDERLAND ECHO
BBC Tees
Five people were arrested when police carried out drugs raids in Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Officers carried out raids at an address on Upton Street, where one man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs, and Apsley Street where another four men were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
A quantity of suspected cocaine and a large amount of cash were recovered.
Sgt Kester Haith of Cleveland Police said: “We will always act on information passed to us and hope that Saturday’s action will encourage others to come forward with information which can help us take drugs off the streets of Middlesbrough.”
A 33-year-old man has been charged with possession of class A drugs. He will appear at Teesside Magistrates Court in the new year.
Four other men have been released under investigation.
When you put your heating on tonight, spare a thought for these animals.
Heating Newcastle Cat & Dog Shelter costs £26,000 a year, with each of the 142 kennels and pens needing £185.28 to stay warm.
The charity's Heat a Home fundraising campaign appeals for donations to pay towards the costs, as well as unwanted blankets, bedding and carpet.
Newcastle Cat & Dog Shelter appeal aims to keep animals warm
Two men have been charged with robbery after a woman was pulled out of her car in Washington.
The woman was approached by two men as she waited in her car at traffic lights on Friday night. She suffered leg injuries as she tried to prevent them from driving away.
Earlier on the same night, Northumbria Police said there was an attempted robbery at the Mill House roundabout when two men approached a woman in a vehicle and tried to get in, but she managed to drive off.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with robbery, attempted robbery, theft, assault, dangerous driving, failure to stop following an accident, failure to report an accident, failure to provide specimen for analysis and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
A 32-year-old man has also been charged with robbery, theft, common assault and assaulting a PC during execution of duty.
They were due to appear before South Tyneside magistrates today.
Chris Waddle
Ex-Newcastle United and England winger on BBC Radio 5 live
A lot of my friends are Newcastle die-hards and, like every Magpies fan I have spoken to recently, they are desperately hoping my old club gets a new owner soon.
Mike Ashley has been trying to sell Newcastle since October 2017 and says takeover talks are at a more advanced stage than ever, but a lot of supporters are cynical about that because they have heard it all before.
I can understand why, because the same thing seems to happen every year - usually just before the January transfer window opens - when Ashley comes out and says he hopes a deal can be done.
A drug testing service is to be offered in Durham as police bid to cut the number of people hospitalised by dangerous substances over the festive period.
Two sessions are being run by The Loop, a not-for-profit organisation, which has previously staged events at music festivals across the UK.
Durham Police's chief constable, Mike Barton, said: “I think this is a welcome initiative to deal with an unwelcome problem.
"We need to know what dangerous chemicals are in those drugs which are, all too often, available and this initiative is about making it safer for people.”
A pop-up lab will be in St Nicholas' Church, in Market Place, between noon and 18:00 on Wednesday and noon and 20:00 on Saturday. Chemists will then determine the contents and purity of the substances.
Critics of such schemes warn it is not an indicator of the receptiveness of a person's body to that drug.
Town MP Mike Hill will vote against May’s Brexit deal, external and says both remainers and leavers in Hartlepool have asked him to ‘put the deal down’.
Image source, HARTLEPOOL MAILPremiership clubs must spend a prospective cash boost on facilities, Rugby Football Union boss Nigel Melville warns.
Read MoreA Metro worker was taken to hospital after being assaulted during a ticket check.
It happened at about 11:00 on a train at South Shields. The victim was one of two people conducting checks and was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital.
His condition is not life-threatening and the attack did not involve a weapon, a Metro spokesman said.
A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of affray.
The incident caused temporary disruption to services and followed a train failure at Fellgate, which caused "severe delays" on the Airport line.
Image source, NexusPeter Brown sent us this photo of LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 no 60009 Union of South Africa passing just north of Belford on Saturday morning going from York to Edinburgh.
He said it was nice to see the steam train which was on a trip to the Edinburgh markets for the day before returning to York in the evening.
Image source, PETER BROWNA Metro inspector has been attacked at South Shields station, external following a "disagreement" with a passenger.
Ant McPartlin is expected to return to his TV work next month after taking time off to go into rehab.
The Geordie host is preparing to film Britain's Got Talent auditions in January - 10 months after he crashed a car while more than twice the drink drive limit.
He has not worked since and was replaced by Holly Willoughby for the latest series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which ended on Sunday.
Declan Donnelly hosted this year's Britain's Got Talent live shows alone.
Next year's Saturday Night Takeaway was also cancelled.
Image source, Getty ImagesTyne Tunnel drivers may end up paying the penalty if new technology designed to speed up journeys is not made failsafe, road experts fear., external
Image source, SHIELDS GAZETTEThere are concerns for a 63-year-old woman who has been missing since Saturday.
Mary Fuller was last seen at her home in Branxton, Northumberland, in the afternoon. Her car - a bronze Mitsubishi Eclipse - was found at Cocklawburn Beach on Sunday afternoon.
Northumbria Police are appealing for help. She is of slight build with grey short hair and was last seen wearing a green fleece waistcoat, green trousers and boots.
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Image source, Met PolicePolice are investigating after a bottle was thrown towards players during a Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle.
The Met Police issued an image of a man they want to identify in relation to the disorder at Selhurst Park on 22 September.
They've asked for anyone who knows the man in the photo to get in touch.
A farmer in Gateshead has really got into the spirit of things...
Thanks to Roland Veitch for this festive photo of a straw bale Snowman in Winlaton.
If you want to send us your photo, you can tweet us, external, contact us via our Facebook , externalpage or email us.
Image source, Roland Veitch
Local Democracy Reporting Service
A beach ramp has been closed off after coping stones installed as part of a £9.5m sea defence scheme became dislodged.
They were installed as part of the recently-completed scheme at Hartlepool Headland, which began in 2015.
Image source, Hartlepool CouncilHartlepool Borough Council said engineers were working to find out how it happened.
One councillor said it was "incredibly disappointing" in view of the "significant amount of money spent".
BBC Tees
Structural problems found during the restoration of Stockton's Globe Theatre will add £2.5m to the final cost, the council has revealed.
Contractors stripping the Grade II-listed building found rotting timbers, unsupported walls, and corroded drains.
Image source, PAThe issues, which Stockton Council said were "much, much worse" than expected, meant new plans had to be drawn up.
It has already committed £13.5m to the project and the cabinet will now be asked to approve the additional cost.
Two men are "fighting for their life" after a van they were in crashed into a wall in Newcastle, Northumbria Police have said.
A white Ford transit van hit a stone wall eastbound on the Coast Road between the junction with Sandyford Road and the Cradlewell Bypass at about 01:00 today.
Both the 44-year-old driver and his 38-year-old passenger are described as being in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
Sgt Pinner Rana said: "The two men involved in this collision are in a really serious condition in hospital where they are fighting for their life.
"Our officers are supporting their families at what is a really difficult time for them and our priority now is establishing what has happened."
