Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock says "when you're my age, you do get labelled a dinosaur" as he prepares to manage a record-breaking 1,602nd match.

A large reptile has had to be handed over to an animal charity after his Newcastle owner could no longer look after him.

Rex, a two-year-old Asian Water Monitor lizard, is 3.5ft (1m) long and was taken to the RSPCA when his owner moved home.

The charity is warning about the complications of looking after reptiles such as Rex (pictured below).

Image source, RSPCA

Inspector Lucy Green said: “Given the complex requirements of exotic pets such as this, we were lucky to be able to find Rex a space at a specialist facility where he will live out his natural life.”

The RSPCA says it has to rescue many exotic pets because people are unaware of how much of a commitment they are.

Asian Water Monitor lizards can live for up to 25 years and grow up to 6.5ft long (2m).

Image source, RSPCA

Officers said the main culprits causing trouble on the system were aged 14 and 15.

His 95-year-old wife narrowly avoided being injured when another brick was thrown through a window.

Planning permission has been approved for a new eye hospital in Sunderland.

Plans for the £36m building, which will be built on the former Vaux site at the city's Riverside Development, were submitted in the summer.

It will replace the existing Sunderland Eye Infirmary on Queen Alexander Road in the city which is 75 years old.

Image source, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust

Work will start on the site in the spring, with the hospital expected to open in 2024.

It will mean Sunderland will remain home to the region’s only dedicated standalone eye hospital and one of very few specialist centres for ophthalmology care in the NHS.

Police have today released images of two men they'd like to trace in connection with an assault.

It comes after a man suffered injuries to his face when he was pushed to the floor and attacked in a South Shields takeaway restaurant.

It happened at The Red Chilli on Sunderland Road on 9 September at about 20:00.

One man pushed the victim to the ground and assaulted him while the second man threw a drinks can at him.

Image source, Northumbria Police

Newcastle's Christmas Market will be back this year after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The city council says it will be on a smaller scale than the previous market in 2019 with 30 just stalls around Grey's Monument from 2 December.

Earlier this year it was announced that Nottingham-based Mellors Group would no longer be staging the event due to "ongoing uncertainty" caused by Covid.

Two years ago stalls and fairground rides ran the length of Blackett Street and along Northumberland Street, which drew criticism from local traders.

Image source, Newcastle City Council

Councillor Ged Bell, cabinet member for development, neighbourhoods and transport said: “We listened to feedback from 2019’s event and we’re now asking local traders to come forward to help offer a wide variety of goods and produce to shoppers in the run up to Christmas."

Measures will be put in place to keep the public safe and it is hoped visitors to the market will increase footfall to city centre retailers, cafés and restaurants.

The sculpture in Northumberland is set to be three times the height of the Angel of the North.

Robert Askew held David Teague captive for several hours and assaulted him with a weapon.

About 6,000 households have now had television services restored following the fire at the Bilsdale TV transmitter mast in August.

Two new masts were turned on at the weekend and viewers in and around Loftus and Thirsk will need to retune their TVs to have the main channels restored.

Arqiva, the company which operates the masts, says more than 95% of the region's households have now had TV services restored.

Image source, Arqiva

Residents living in areas where there is still no signal can claim a £50 voucher to buy a TV streaming device.

Arqiva's operations director Adrian Twyning said: “Our teams are now working on the task of building a second 80m mast at Bilsdale to provide a better quality signal to the area.”

Gateshead's public health director has urged people to wear masks in communal areas and limit the number of those they mix with as "alarm bells are ringing" with rising Covid-19 cases.

Alice Wiseman also urged people to continue hybrid working to try to reduce the increasing pressure on the region's hospitals.

She said Gateshead had seen a 40% rise in case rates since the end of September - up from 382 cases per 100,000 people to 534. She added this time last year it was 363 per 100,000.

Mrs Wiseman said: "Around three weeks ago we had 26 people in hospital and when I looked this morning it was 51 people and 10 of those people are now in ITU really unwell on mechanical ventilation."

Over the past few weeks coronavirus cases have also been rising in the North East, although there are signs that increase is slowing.

North Tyneside is in the top 10 in the country when it comes to the rate of cases.

All of the other North East council areas are outside the top 50.

Jack Kennedy was killed in a car crash on Friday

Critics questioned how he could represent his ward in Middlesbrough while renovating a French home.

Dave Challinor quits as manager of Hartlepool United and is set for the vacancy at National League side Stockport County.

Mountain rescuers found the man's body after more than seven hours of searching.

Relive Tuesday's EFL action as Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough lose at Luton on his record-breaking 1,602nd game as a manager.

Rachel Wilson's remains were found in 2012, a decade after she disappeared.

The Julie Donaldson Foundation hopes to help young people trying to start a career in the arts.