Tyne Tees UK News

Police are appealing for witnesses following the theft of thousands of pounds worth of audio visual equipment in Gateshead. The theft happened at a car park on Neilson Road in Gateshead when a crate was being unloaded from a lorry on Monday June 17th at 1pm.

Two men jumped over the wall of the car park and grabbed the crate and walked off through the lane at the rear of Burlison Gardens towards George Smith Gardens.

The two offenders are described as:

• White men
  
• Aged approximately 20-years-old
• One had a thin build, a shaved head and was wearing a blue tracksuit top with black sleeves, black tracksuit trousers and white trainers.
• The second man was wearing a light coloured tracksuit top.
  

Officers are carrying out house to house enquiries and asking anyone who was in the area and who may have seen or heard anything suspicious to contact them on 101 ext 69191 or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

• UK

Some bright spells at first, mainly in the north.

Cloud increasing from the south, spreading across the whole region and bringing an increasing risk of rain or showers through the day.

Still quite warm. Maximum temperature 21 °C.

• UK

Helen Ford presents this month's political programme from Westminster.

Joining Helen in the studio to discuss Police and Crime Commissioners are Bridget Phillipson, the Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, and Skipton and Ripon Conservative MP, Julian Smith.

Also on tonight's programme, panel guests Tim Farron MP, Sharon Hodgson MP, and Andrew Jones MP discuss defence cuts, the impact of global tax evasion and - 100 years after her death - the legacy of Northumbrian suffragette Emily Wilding Davison.

Around The House is at 11.35pm tonight (Thursday 20th June) on ITV.

• UK
• Tax evasion
• Defence

Two teenage girls are giving up their holiday to help disadvantaged young people in Uganda, East Africa.

Olivia and Alice are going to see for themselves how funds raised for the Pearl of Africa charity are spent.

Watch Helen Pearson's report here:

• UK
• North East
• Uganda

Fourteen members of a wide ranging drugs ring, which flooded North Yorkshire with cocaine, ecstacy and other Class B drugs are facing jail tonight.

ITV News Tyne Tees has had exclusive access to covert police surveillance, which resulted in the convictions of gang members during two separate trials, the second of which ended today, June 19.

The juries in both cases heard how the gang supplied drugs to street level dealers for several years.

The men convicted today peddled their drugs in York City Centre.

Rachel Bullock reports:

• UK
• North Yorkshire

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) were elected last autumn to every force in England and Wales.

Commissioners are responsible for keeping our streets safe and making police forces more accountable to the public.

Our PCCs are:

Durham: Ron Hogg (Labour)

Cleveland: Barry Coppinger (Labour)

Northumbria: Vera Baird (Labour)

North Yorkshire: Julia Mulligan (Conservative)

The role got off to a shaky start due the low turnout at November's election. Since then, PCCs have drawn up long term plans for their forces.

Helen Ford has been investigating the mark our PCCs are making.

Watch her report here:

• UK
• Police and Crime Commissioners
• North East

It is exactly 137 years since the birth of the man who designed the iconic Mallard locomotive. Sir Nigel Gresley was one of Britain's most famous engineers.

The National Railway Museum in York marked the occasion by recreating an historic photograph.

Watch Jonny Blair's report here:

• UK
• National Railway Museum
• York

• UK
• derek llambias
• Newcastle

Newcastle United's Managing Director has resigned from the club. Derek Llambias announced he was leaving the post just 24 hours after it was confirmed that Joe Kinnear has been appointed as Director of Football.

Llambias joined the magpies five years ago. He says he is proud of what has been achieved in that time and will be a Newcastle fan for life.

This fanzine editor though says, despite an eventful week off the pitch, today's news may not be a bad thing.

Steve Wraith, Editor, Toon Talk Fanzine.

• UK
• Newcastle
• Newcastle United

A murder investigation is underway following the death of a man after a house fire.

Andrew Simon, 44, was discovered in a house in Dent Street, Hartlepool, earlier this month.

A 35-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death has been released without charge.

A 40-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of arson and manslaughter remains on bail. Police are appealing for information.

• UK
• Hartlepool