The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman says it is "extremely concerned" by Durham Prison's failings.

Daniel Holland
Local Democracy Reporter

Teams of government workers are being sent to busy areas like South Shields town centre and the seafront this weekend to encourage people to take the Covid vaccines.

The aim of the 25 workers is to try to reverse a “slowdown” in vaccinations as part of "enhanced response” measures to reduce infection rates.

They won't be doing vaccinations - just talking to people about it.

Image source, Getty Images

It's expected similar programmes will be also be introduced in Newcastle and Middlesbrough where vaccination rates have lagged behind the rest of the region.

Tom Hall, South Tyneside’s public health director, said there would be a particular push to target young people, working age men, and those who missed vaccine appointments due to being in isolation or having tested positive for the virus.

Mr Hall said: “These are people who are well-versed in Covid, they understand about the vaccination programme and they are there just to have that extra chat with people that might encourage them to come along.”

Image source, PA Media

Covid infection rates in the North East have fallen significantly over recent weeks, having escalated in June and July.

Mr Hall said South Tyneside’s current infection rate was now about a quarter of what it was just a few weeks ago, when it hit a peak of more than 1,300 cases per 100,000 people.

He said: “We have got this window now, four or five weeks in August, to really push on with the vaccine programme. That is our intention now, to get that uptake as high as possible in the next few weeks.”

Ryanair says it will create 60 jobs as it expands the number of routes to Europe from Newcastle next summer.

The plans will see 12 new connections to destinations like Zadar in Croatia and Riga in Latvia.

It would increase the number of routes flown by Ryanair from Newcastle from seven to 19.

Ryanair chief executive officer Eddie Wilson said there had been "massive demand" for flights from Newcastle this summer from passengers wanting to go to the beaches of Spain and Portugal.

Image source, Reuters

Newcastle International Airport's chief executive Nick Jones said: "Ryanair’s investment is a sign of growing confidence and will provide the North East public with a great selection of new destinations and extra weekly frequencies, providing more options for leisure and business travel.

"This will create new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineering alongside support services, and will generate economic value for the wider area."

The Rutland Osprey Project reaches the milestone as it marks 25 years since it began.

Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah raises "serious concerns" about the medieval building's condition.

Daniel Holland
Local Democracy Reporter

Newcastle is “absolutely committed” to still being one of the host venues of the postponed Rugby League World Cup next year.

The tournament, which was due to begin in October, has been put back until 2022 after Australia and New Zealand withdrew over Covid safety fears.

St James' Park had been due to host the opening ceremony and England’s first match against Samoa, with three further fixtures scheduled at the Newcastle Falcons’ Kingston Park ground.

It was hoped the event could generate £15m for local businesses.

There has been no decision on how many games will be played in Newcastle next year or whether St James’ Park will still be able to host the opening fixture.

It is hoped tournament organisers will confirm the new dates in the coming weeks.

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said: “We are really disappointed that the Rugby League World Cup will not kick off in Newcastle this year but remain absolutely committed to hosting matches in 2022.

“We know that many businesses, especially in the region’s hospitality sector, will be disappointed with the outcome of this announcement and we will continue to support them throughout the recovery from the pandemic."

The masks have four layers, one of which is anti-viral and proven to kill Covid, the trust says.

Listen to BBC radio commentary from Surrey v Somerset in the One-Day Cup

The vehicle will be trialled for a month and if successful would replace the current shuttle bus.

Administrators say the roles are mostly office-based with 178 workers still on the books.

Players from all 20 Premier League clubs will continue to take the knee as a symbol of their "unity against all forms of racism".

The RSPCA said another seal was seen waiting for it in the river and the pair swam off together.

Newcastle's head of public health says the situation is "better" than he feared after restrictions eased.

The Premier League is granted government permission to roll over its existing television deal with broadcasters for a further three years.

Sutton's first two home games in League Two are rearranged because of delays installing a grass pitch at Gander Green Lane.

Newcastle Airport says it hopes to supply all its own electricity in the future if plans for a solar energy farm are approved.

It comes after the airport announced it wants to become a Net Zero emissions business by 2035.

Image source, Newcastle International Airport

It wants to build a solar farm to the south of the eastern end of the runway, adjacent to the Main Road, Dinnington, Brunton Lane and Coach Lane junction, and hopes the work will be completed by 2035.

Image source, PA Media

Nick Jones, the airport's chief executive, said: “We are confident that the proposed scheme will have limited impact on the surrounding communities.

"We have added additional tree planting to screen the view of the solar farm from the surrounding roads and public rights of way."

A public consultation is now under way, external ahead of a plan being submitted to Newcastle City Council.

Boxer Pat McCormack says he is ready to turn professional after winning a silver medal at the Toyko Olympics.

The 26-year-old from Washington was beaten by double Olympic champion Roniel Iglesias from Cuba in the welterweight final on Tuesday.

Image source, Reuters

McCormack who trains at Birtley Boxing Club said: “I thought I took the first round and he edged the second two, so I’ve got no complaints.

"It is what it is. They tell you the scores between rounds, so I knew I was down.

“He was very good – had good little judgement of distances. He’s a very, very good fighter."

Image source, Reuters

He said he was proud to be part of Team GB Boxing, which has secured a record six medals in Tokyo.

“I’m proud to be part of the team. We’ve broke all the records from the last squads, with more medals. We’ll go down in history as one of the best GB teams ever," he said.

“I’ve got an Olympic silver medal, so it’s a good platform to turn professional on and I’m ready for the pros.”

An arsenal of about 1,000 shotguns, air weapons and stun devices collected by police over the past year have been recycled.

The firearms, along with several containers of knives, which were collected across County Durham and Darlington were shredded into thousands of metal fragments at EMR Metal Recycling in Leeds.

Image source, Durham Constabulary

Some of the items had been surrendered to police while others were seized by officers after being used in crimes or because they were illegally owned.

PC Mark Outhwaite, force armourer at Durham Constabulary, said: “A lot of these items are held perfectly innocently, such as antique firearms that have been passed down through generations, whereas others are kept for more nefarious purposes.

“The reality is that even legally held weapons can pose a significant risk to the public if they fall into the wrong hands, which is why removing them from circulation is so critical to keeping our communities safe.”