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Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of news, sport, trael and weather from across the North East.

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Schools in Cheshire and Middlesbrough close after pupils show "flu-like symptoms" after skiing trips.

Max Power salvages a point in the seventh minute of stoppage time as his dramatic late strike secures Sunderland a 1-1 draw against Fleetwood.

Two coach drivers were arrested after police found their bus "reeked" of cannabis, a court hears.

A Sunderland family among the thousands of people affected say they have been given no information.

Our live updates have finished here for the day but this feed will continue to be updated with any breaking news and sport stories as well as travel updates.

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

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

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 , externalor email us.

A trader who filled a disabled South Lakeland pensioner's freezer with fish without her permission, and then charged her £200, has been sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and a three-month curfew at Preston Crown Court.

Paul Dawson, 54 of Pelton Fell, Chester-le-Street, County Durham admitted an offence under trading standards legislation at Preston Crown Court.

Councillor Celia Tibble, the county council cabinet member for trading standards, said the case should be a warning for other unscrupulous door-to-door sales people.

"Rogue traders such as Mr Dawson charging exorbitant rates for unwanted goods are not just cowardly criminals; they are also damaging the security and confidence of the elderly and vulnerable."

A school in Middlesbrough has closed for a deep clean "as a precaution" amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

It follows the return of some Trinity Catholic College's pupils and staff from a trip to Verona in northern Italy.

Hugh Heggarty, from the Nicholas Postgate Academy Trust which runs school, said as far as he was aware no-one was ill, but the guidance from Public Health England was to carry out a deep clean.

"There may or may not be particles in the air, there may or may not be possible contamination", he said.

"So we're bringing in specialist providers who work in hospitals so we can be happy that the possibility is minimised."

He added: "Like the rest of the UK we are monitoring the situation, making sure we have the up-to-date information which guides what we are doing."

The death of a man in Stockton is being treated as unexplained, Cleveland Police has said.

Officers were called by the ambulance service treating a man at an address on Newton Avenue at about 11:10.

The man - who has not yet been formally identified - was declared dead a short time later, and an investigation into the circumstances has begun.

Five man aged 19, 23, 27, 28 and 39 have now been arrested in connection with death and are in custody.

Image source, GLEN MINIKIN

Finally, a border collie from Northumberland has become the world's most expensive sheepdog after being sold to an American ranch owner for £18,900.

Two-and-a-half year-old Megan was sold by shepherdess Emma Gray - who has represented England at the World Sheepdog Trials - at an auction in North Yorkshire on Friday.

"I had to ring the auction and just make sure it wasn't a hoax and that I wasn't dreaming," she said.

The average price for a working dog is about £2,000.

Megan will go from herding sheep in the north-east of England to rounding up Wagyu cattle in Oklahoma.

A Middlesbrough school has closed after some students who traveled to Italy developed mild flu-like symptoms.

Thirty-six youngsters and eight members of staff from Trinity Catholic College had visited Verona in northern Italy over half term.

The Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, which runs the school said it had now taken the decision to close the school until 2 March while a "precautionary deep clean" was carried out.

It said in a statement: "All pupils who attended the trip have been asked by the School to inform NHS 111 and insist on being tested, even if displaying very mild symptoms.

"Regardless of the current Department for Education and Public Health England advice that the school should remain open to all other pupils, the headteacher has decided, in discussion with the senior leadership team and the CEO of the trust to completely minimise possible spread of infection amongst families and close the school for the remainder of the week."

Tuesday's action in the National League & National League North - listen to BBC local radio commentary.

Image source, LOGIC ARCHITECTURE

Meanwhile in Middlesbrough, plans for a 260ft (80m) tall office block have been submitted.

If agreed, Boho X would be the tallest office building between Leeds and Glasgow, with spoace for 1,000 workers.

Mayor Andy Preston said the £30m "digital skyscraper" could be open for business by 2022

"Boho X will be a stunning digital skyscraper on the very site where Middlesbrough first grew into the famous Ironopolis," he said.

Teesside schoolchildren who traveled to Italy on a half-term trip have been sent home as a precaution amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

Thirty-six youngsters and eight members of staff from Middlesbrough's Trinity Catholic College visited Verona, in northern Italy, recently.

In a letter to parents yesterday, the school said "the health and safety of our pupils is paramount" and it had taken the decision to send the pupils home while it awaited further guidance from health chiefs.

The youngsters are expected to be back in school tomorrow unless NHS 111 advises otherwise.

Natalie Jenkins was last seen in Middlesbrough on 10 December and police fear she has been murdered.

BBC Radio Tees

Detectives investigating the suspected murder of Teesside woman, Natalie Jenkins, say they have a new final sighting of her in Middlesbrough.

CCTV footage shows the 32-year-old walking down Linthorpe Road at 20:13 on the night of Tuesday 10 December last year.

A team of specialist officers from Cleveland Police is also searching her home on Westbury Street in Thornaby to establish whether it is a crime scene.

Crimestoppers have offered a £10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest or conviction.

Image source, Cleveland Police

A man arrested after human remains were discovered in the rubble of a fire in Sunderland has been released while investigations continue.

Officers found an as-yet unidentified body beneath dense rubble from a domestic garage fire on 18 February in Tunstall Village Green.

Northumbria Police said a 38-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder had been released pending further inquiries.

Det Insp Graeme Dodds said: “First and foremost, this is an absolutely tragic incident and specialist family liaison officers continue to offer the suspected victim’s family support at this devastating time.

“A huge amount of specialist fire and forensic investigation is ongoing at the scene and that will take a considerable amount of time to complete, before any identification process can be carried out

“We have already interviewed one man in connection with the incident, but remain open-minded and officers with support from specialist fire crews will remain in the area to carry out inquiries.

“I’m now asking anybody in the community who saw anything suspicious on the day of the fire, or who has received any information whatsoever regarding the incident, to come forward.

“That could prove the key to ensuring swift and robust action is taken against anybody found to be responsible.”

BBC Breakfast

A TV maker in Bishop Auckland has gone to a four-day working week because of a delay in getting parts from Chinese factories.

Cello chief executive Brian Palmer said the Chinese New Year and closures caused by the coronavirus mean it could be up to eight weeks before his firm gets new parts in.

"We have to try and eke the stock out until such time as we get the parts again," Mr Palmer said.

All payroll staff will still be paid their full wage but agency workers won't be paid for Mondays when the factory on South Church Industrial Estate closes.

Mr Palmer said he is not predicting a "big financial problem" for Cello but warned other smaller businesses could go bankrupt if factories in China are closed for too long.

Life expectancy among women living in the poorest communities in England has declined since 2011, says a report warning of growing health inequalities.

Overall, life expectancy growth has stalled over the past decade - for the first time in 100 years.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there was "still much more to do".

The largest decreases were seen in the most deprived areas of north-east England, while the biggest increases were in the richest parts of London.

Similar trends can be seen right across the UK, the report said.

Image source, Getty Images