The school in Forest Hall, Newcastle, is closed after a damning Ofsted report.

North-east councils were left without the detail to back up government's message, a police chief says.

Fans of the North East detective series Vera will be pleased to hear filming has resumed in Northumberland.

ITV says six feature-length episodes are being made while conforming to Covid guidelines with the crew wearing face shields and masks.

The first two episodes of the 11th series will be aired in 2021 with the remaining shows being broadcast in 2022.

Image source, PA Media

Brenda Blethyn had previously said the the "safety of all personnel is always at the forefront of production".

"With all the extra Covid precautions in place, we will relish creating and delivering six cracking new episodes," she said.

BBC Radio Tees

A van driver suffered serious facial injuries when his vehicle crashed into trees, police have said.

The white Peugeot Partner van crashed on the on the A173 Skelton Ellers between the B1268 junction and Howla Hay Farm entrance in Guisborough at about 21:20 on Monday.

Cleveland Police said the 30-year-old man was taken to James Cook University Hospital with severe facial injuries and he remains there while receiving treatment.

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage.

BBC Newcastle

The University of Sunderland has confirmed that 40 students and four members of staff have tested positive for Covid-19.

The university says it's working with Public Health England to support all those who have the virus and others who are self-isolating.

It also says it's confident in the measures it has in place to keep students and staff safe.

Ian Cockbain bludgeons an unbeaten 84 as Gloucestershire beat Birmingham on a rain-affected night of T20 Blast action.

A pub featured in the TV show Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is among the country's most endangered buildings, the Victorian Society has said.

The society has listed 10 Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England or Wales it deemed to be of national importance but at serious risk of being lost.

The Captain Cook pub in Middlesbrough has been boarded up for 10 years and is in a "sorry state".

Society president Griff Rhys Jones said the annually-updated list was "both upsetting and enlightening".

Image source, The Victorian Society

Stephen Davies, 62, died at the scene when his motorbike struck a barrier on Monday.

It will be a cloudy and wet day with prolonged spells of rain during the morning with strong winds.

The winds will ease in the afternoon and the rain will become more patchy.

Temperatures will get up to a high of about 12C (54F).

Newcastle United will start as strong favourites to knock Newport County out of the EFL Cup, but Mike Flynn's team have become used to upsetting the odds.

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday's live updates. We'll be bringing you news, sport, travel and weather from across the North East.

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The Victorian Society releases its annual list of 10 important buildings most at risk of being lost.

Boris Johnson has apologised for a lack of clarity over tighter Coronavirus restrictions for the North East of England.

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday evening.

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 and hope you can join us then.

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BBC Weather

Staying mostly dry with clear spells this evening but a frontal system will edge in from the west overnight, bringing large areas of cloud and the beginning of some patchy rain through the early hours.

Temperatures down to 9C (48F) overnight.

And you can follow the latest BBC Weather, for your area, by searching for where you live here

Middlesbrough Council is to ask the government to place a restriction on people from different households socialising inside homes in response to "rocketing Covid-19 rates".

Mayor Andy Preston said it was time to act to halt the spread of the virus and protect people's wellbeing and jobs, as latest figures for the town, show an infection rate of about 122 per 100,000 of population.

Details of the proposal, which is being finalised, include:

• A restriction banning people from different households socialising inside homes (with exemptions covering those living alone, support bubbles, childcare and caring for the vulnerable)
• No change to current ‘rule of six' laws in respect of meeting others outside homes in Covid-secure venues such as cafes, restaurants and pubs
• A request for government funding to allow the council to increase the amount of local test and trace activity and support communities and businesses
• A request for increased stocks of winter flu vaccinations to protect the most vulnerable

Council officials say they will continue to work with Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool and Stockton councils to try and provide consistency and clarity across the Tees Valley.

The move comes amid a rise in cases, with the town on the government's watchlist.

People face a maximum £6,400 fine for mixing indoors, but council bosses say more detail is needed.

Press Association

Scott Borthwick, the opening batsman and spin bowler, is returning to Durham from Surrey for the 2021 season.

The 30-year old, who came through the Academy at the Emirates Riverside, will be released from his contract at the end of the current campaign a year early after four seasons at the Kia Oval.

He started at Durham, and played from the Under 9s and the academy and now has represented England across all three formats, and helped Surrey win the County Championship in 2018.

He said: "Durham is really close to my heart."