The owner of a dog that was hit by two cars on a busy road in Stockton and then went missing for four days has thanked the local community for helping to find him unharmed.

James Feeney took his King Charles spaniel-poodle-cross, Fillmore, to his shop on the 3 January, but he escaped.

He was then hit by two cars before disappearing.

James said he took to social media to appeal for help in tracing Fillmore and the whole community came out in force.

Fillmore is now back home and making a full recovery.

Lucy Moody
Journalist

Men in the North East are being asked to donate a pint of blood to help another this month.

Male blood is more likely to be suitable for creating certain blood products as it tends to have higher iron and fewer antibodies.

New figures from the NHS show 210 women registered last January across Tyneside and Wearside to become blood donors compared with just 122 men.

Mike Stredder, director of Blood Donation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “It’s vital that more men start donating blood because their blood is used to provide life-saving products like plasma and platelets – to save victims of burns, car crashes and treat to patients with cancer."

Image source, NHS

As a BBC investigation has revealed the North East is the cheapest region in the country for bulky waste removals.

Homeowners who pay councils to pick up bulky household waste face a postcode lottery with wide variations in charges, while Middlesbrough Council says its fees are the lowest in the country.

Removing up to five large items from a property in Middlesbrough costs £10, while in County Durham, disposing of three large or six small items costs £16.

Image source, Getty Images

But it's not great for those of you living in Northumberland - People there are charged £32 for four items, compared with Sunderland, where it's £20 for eight items.

The investigation found some residents in the South East are paying as much as £75 for three large items to be taken - while those here in the North East are paying the least.

BBC Tees
BBC Tees Sport

Hartlepool United's midfielder Liam Noble is set to be out of action for four to six weeks with a calf strain.

Airport owners Peel Group welcome the £40m deal to bring the airport back into public ownership.

Former Newcastle defender Steve Watson quits as Gateshead manager to take up the post at York City, a division below.

The director of HMP Northumberland has been appointed governor of the largest prison in the UK.

Nick Leader was selected by the Ministry of Justice to take charge at category C jail HMP Berwyn in Wrexham.

HMP Berwyn's first governor, Russell Trent - who took up the role in 2015 - was suspended in August after allegations were made against him.

It is understood that Mr Trent was due leave his post prior to his suspension and the recruitment for his replacement had already begun.

Image source, Sodexo

The new fathers are meeting up once a month to share their experiences.

BBC Sport

Newcastle are in the race to sign Trabzonspor's Turkish midfielder Abdulkadir Omur, 19. (Karadeniz), external

Two men from the North East have been arrested after a cash machine in Milnthorpe was pulled out of a shop early this morning.

Police say the attack, on a newsagents in The Square at 03:53, involved a number of vehicles.

The men, aged 37 and 30, were held in Lancashire, police said.

It is the third such theft in Milnthorpe within six months, with previous attacks happening at Booths supermarket and the Spar.

Hartlepool Mail
Newspaper

Good morning, here's the front page of today's paper and a link to our top story, external.

Image source, Hartlepool Mail

Clinical waste is left unprocessed on site as Healthcare Environmental Services ceases operating.

Lucy Moody
Journalist

The Duchess of Sussex has announced this morning she will become the royal patron of Smart Works, a national charity that helps women gain employment in Newcastle.

Smart Works Newcastle , externalopened in April last year and helps women in the area feel more confident for their up-coming interviews by offering them services such as interview clothes and confidence-building seasons.

Image source, Reuters

The Shields Gazette

A fraudster who claimed almost £100,000 in benefits by using a false identity for five years has been rumbled, external.

Image source, Shields Gazette

BBC Look North
North East and Cumbria

More than 400 people on Teesside have been warned about their partner's criminal past as a result of the Clare's Law legislation.

Cleveland Police says the figures cover the last year.

The law allows the police to disclose information on request about a partner's previous history of domestic violence or violent acts.

But the force believes there's still not enough people seeking information.

BBC Sport

Newcastle have been told they must improve their offer if they want to sign Atlanta Unitedand Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron, 24. (ABC Cardinal, via Guardian), external

Image source, Reuters

BBC Look North
North East and Cumbria

The funeral of Luke Bell from Darlington, who had a rare form of cancer, is being held later.

Doctors in Spain had agreed to put the eight-year-old, who had neuroblastoma, on a medical trial after specialists in Newcastle said he only had weeks to live.

But he died just before Christmas.

People attending the funeral are asked to wear something blue or green, Luke's favourite colours.

The chairman of Durham Tees Valley Airport is warning it could close if Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen's plan to buy it is rejected by five borough council leaders in two weeks' time.

Airport chairman Robert Hough says the airport's future would be "extremely uncertain" after 2021 if the five Tees Valley Labour council leaders vote down the mayor's plan to buy the site.

The vote is due on 24 January.