North East shopworkers are abused, threatened or assaulted 17 times a year on average, according to their union.

Usdaw's Freedom From Fear Survey found 63% of North East workers were verbally abused last year.

Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary said: "We want the Government to provide stiffer penalties for those who assault workers; a simple stand-alone offence that is widely recognised and understood by the public, police, CPS, the judiciary and most importantly criminals.

“Retail staff have a crucial role in our communities and that role must be valued and respected, they deserve the protection of the law.”

The government is asking workers for their experiences and evidence as part of a new consultation.

Police had warned that Michael Errington "can become aggressive and unpredictable".

Voting for the mayor of the new North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) takes place on Thursday - you can find out more here.

Look North political editor Richard Moss has been putting all five candidates in the hotseat for his mayoral mastermind - here's how Labour candidate Jamie Driscoll got on.

John O'Shea confirms he will retire at the end of the season after a 20-year career for club and country.

BBC Tees

The family of a Teesside teenager who has been told he doesn't have long to live are asking people to send him birthday cards.

Alfie Leadbeater, from Middlesbrough, has Alexander Disease which has left him unable to speak or eat properly.

It's his 14th birthday on Thursday and his family want people to send as many birthday cards to him as possible.

Alfie's brother, Conner, has been opening the cards that have arrived already and says he's overwhelmed by the response.

More than 600 people have signed a petition to save a pre-school and day care centre for elderly people in Gateshead

It comes after the Methodist Church announced they were to give 12 weeks notice to staff at the Hardman Centre in Low Fell.

About 60 children attend the pre-school every day and more than 100 elderly people use the drop-in centre each week.

The Methodist Church says the decision to close comes with "great sadness" and is due to rising costs.

Low-cost acoustic tags attached to fishing nets are being trialed as part of a major new project to reduce marine litter.

Engineers at Newcastle University are developing new transponder technology - nanomodems - for locating and recovering lost fishing gear, also known as ghost nets.

Often lost in storms, they are a key source of plastic pollution and a serious threat to wildlife and habitats as well as being dangerous to boats as they can be caught up in propellers.

The inquiry into what's been described as "the worst treatment scandal in the history of the NHS" will begin hearing from those affected today.

Some 4,800 people with haemophilia were infected with hepatitis C or HIV in the 1970s and 1980s. More than 2,000 are thought to have died.

Thousands more may have been exposed through blood transfusions after an operation or childbirth.

Among those affected was haemophiliac patient Peter Longstaff from Newcastle. He contracted HIV and hepatitis after being given contaminated blood products imported from the USA, and died in 2005.

His widow, Carol Grayson (pictured below with Peter Longstaff), says she has "mixed feelings about the inquiry".

"We already know a lot of the truth, but we want it out there publicly. We want a proper timeline of who knew what and when, we want accountability and proper compensation," she said.

Sunderland Echo
Newspaper

Club accounts have revealed that ex-Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain received a £1m-plus pay-off, external when he left the Stadium of Light at the end of last season.

Image source, Sunderland Echo

Nicola Lee was remanded in custody and will face a murder trial starting on 2 October.

A cyclist suffered head, arm and leg injuries in a collision in Middlesbrough on Friday.

The 35-year-old cyclist was involved in a collision with a Citroen C1 on the A174 junction at Marton Road at 08:30.

He was taken to James Cook University Hospital and was later released after receiving treatment.

Cleveland Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.

BBC Look North
North East and Cumbria

The long-lost remains of a World War One soldier from the North East will finally be buried in France today.

The bones of the Northumberland Fusilier, along with another soldier, were discovered near the village of La Boisselle in 2015 - almost a century after the Battle of the Somme.

Despite DNA tests, it hasn't been possible to identify either soldier but both will be buried with full military honours in the nearby Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery this afternoon.

Centre Joel Matavesi agrees a new one-year contract with Newcastle Falcons.

Colin Briggs
Look North

Wallsend snooker player Gary Wilson begins his quarter-final match in the World Championship at The Crucible in Sheffield this morning.

The 33-year-old put in a superb performance over the weekend to knock out the three-time champion Mark Selby 13-10.

He'll now meet fellow Englishman Ali Carter for a place in the last four of the competition.

Image source, PA

Bus services set up to replace Metros which are not running over overhead line came down are very busy.

About 600m (2,000ft) of overhead line is down between Palmersville and West Monkseaton, and a further section of overhead line came down at Chillingham Road yesterday so there are no trains between Benton and St James.

Passengers are being reminded they can use their tickets and passes on all local bus services.

The Stockton branch of Debenhams was last week named as one of 22 shops to close as part of a plan by new owners to revive the department store chain.

So just what will happen to such a large empty building?

As our colleagues at BBC Business have detailed, the town is hoping to revitalise its town centre and one project has involved converting a former department store into a "start-up incubator".

The Enterprise Arcade rents spaces to independent businesses and doesn't charge them business rates. Its 16 tenants range from independent jewellers to cafes.

You can read the full story if you click here.

Image source, Enterprise Arcade

Early patches of mist and fog will clear to leave it dry with sunny spells. Expect further sunny spells this afternoon with just the small chance of a sharp shower later on.

Tonight will start off dry but increasing cloud will bring patchy rain into western areas later on.

Metro passengers are facing a second day of disruption in parts of Newcastle and North Tyneside.

About 600m (2,000ft) of overhead line is down between Palmersville and West Monkseaton, and a further section of overhead line came down at Chillingham Road yesterday so there are no trains between Benton and St James.

A replacement bus service is in place and customers can also use their Metro tickets on local routes.

Nexus, which owns and manages the Metro, says it is likely to be tomorrow before we see the return of normal service.

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