Restrictions in place for coronavirus will impact on the counts, Redcar councillors are told.

Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock signs a contract extension until the end of the 2021-22 season.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been on Teesside this morning and explained how the area was chosen for freeport status in Wednesday's Budget.

He told the BBC's Breakfast programme he had taken a "range of criteria" into account.

"We thought about an area's unemployment rate and we looked at the deliverability of the bid so you've seen eight regions benefit from freeports.

"We want to get money to as many places where we want to level-up opportunity."

Freeports are usually located around shipping ports, or airports and goods that arrive into from abroad aren't subject to the tax charges, called tariffs, that are normally paid to the government.

You can read more about them by clicking here.

Only 180 of the 1.5 million youth football players in England will make it to the Premier League. So what happens to the rest?

The list of places in England receiving funds is dominated by the north west, Yorkshire and Midlands.

Police raid 18 properties in Reading and seven across Blackburn, Sunderland, Birmingham and London.

Listen to BBC radio commentary as Leicester Tigers host London Irish and Newcastle Falcons travel to Sale in the Gallagher Premiership.

Deese Kasinga’s dreams came true when he signed a two-year deal at Newcastle aged 16. But this soon turned into heartbreak when he faced a huge setback.

Businesses and officials say the move shows the government has "faith and trust" in the town.

Scott Gretton and Rachel Taylor had their first child just days after the start of lockdown last March.

Hartlepool miss chance to close the gap on National League leaders Torquay after being held to a draw at Halifax.

Middlesbrough come from behind to beat Coventry City and reignite their play-off hopes.

Sunderland move up to fourth and within five points of League One's automatic promotion places after beating Swindon 1-0.

Listen to BBC local radio commentary from Saturday's action in the National League.

BBC Radio Tees

Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium is to open as a mass vaccination centre.

MPs from across Teesside held a meeting with the Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi last week to discuss the plans.

A date is yet to be confirmed, but the opening is understood to be planned for mid-March.

Simon Clarke, Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said he was "delighted", and Middlesbrough's Labour MP Andy McDonald has described it as "wonderful news".

It follows the opening of a mass vaccination centre in Darlington yesterday.

Four of the hides at the centre near Druridge Bay were badly damaged by "mindless thugs".

The brain tumour centre at a Newcastle hospital has been recognised as a centre of excellence by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission.

The facility at the Royal Victoria Infirmary is one of nine around the country to receive the honour for the “outstanding care and treatment” of patients with brain cancer.

Among those treated there was Dentistry Professor Jimmy Steele (pictured below) who was head of Newcastle's Dental school.

He was told he had a glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer in December 2015, and died less than two years after the diagnosis.

Image source, Newcastle NHS

His wife Prof Kate Bushby (pictured with Jimmy Steele below), was inspired to take a voluntary role with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission in establishing the network of centres of excellence.

She said: "The task is to build even more on excellence, both within the centres already designated and also developing and spreading excellence more broadly so that in the end no patient with a brain tumour is left behind."

Image source, Family photo

The fundraising of Oliver Voysey, who has a brain injury, played a major part in saving the centre.