The Journal
FISHERMEN’S FRIEND:
Photographer Peter Robinson is among those who answered the call to provide work for the Baltic’s Open Submission 2026 show – and the result is a hugely varied show that is shaping up to be one of the most popular exhibitions of the year.
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Call to tear down ‘disaster’ hospital
RESIDENTS in a Northumberland town say its new hospital, which is costing tens of millions to build, is a “disaster” and should be torn down. It comes as the NHS admitted the building at Berwick will need to be stripped back to its structural...
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Two new bridges part of vision for new-look Tyneside
TWO new bridges could be built across the Tyne, under a new masterplan to revamp the heart of Newcastle and Gateshead. A new vision has been unveiled to build 16,000 new homes, boost transport links, and unlock billions of pounds of investment in the...
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Strategy aims to supercharge our creative industry
PLANS to create 10,000 jobs in the North East’s cultural and sporting industries have been outlined. The North East mayoral authority wants to build on recent growth in the sectors, which has been among the fastest in the UK. A new strategy outlines...
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Awesome demonstration of solar power lights up North East nights
> Laura Hudson sent us this stunning shot of the northern lights taken at Highfield Park in Prudhoe, Northumberland, on Saturday night. The aurora borealis is visible in the UK several times a year, with 2026 being a peak year. The spectacular displays...
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Jobs crisis could worsen – Milburn
THE jobs crisis engulfing a generation of young people across the North East “will get worse” without urgent action, Alan Milburn has warned. His landmark review issued a stark prediction earlier this year that as many as 1.25 million young people...
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Family left ‘broken’ after farmer killed by distracted driver
AFAMILY have described how they have been “left broken” following the death of Michael Armstrong, a farmer who was killed by a driver distracted by her phone. Mr Armstrong, 58, had finished work and was on his way to check on his elderly and...
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Abuser said he’d kill partner while wielding an axe
ABRAVE abuse victim has spoken of being attacked by her “evil” ex-partner who threatened to kill her while wielding an axe. Natasha Holland has made the courageous decision to share the story of the violence she suffered at the hands of Mark...
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Tired lorry driver crashed into traffic queue on the A1
AN HGV driver caused catastrophic injuries to three people when he ploughed into the back of a queue of traffic on the A1 in Northumberland after suffering from possible “micro-sleeps”. Alan Reeves, 46, lost concentration and smashed into the back of...
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Pollution incident blamed on plant that shut in 1980s
CREOSOTE from a factory that closed over 40 years ago has been blamed for pollution on a Northumberland beach. The Port of Blyth has issued an update, as access restrictions on Blyth Beach remain in place, after a “strong smelling substance” was...
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Do it for them... and for us
ON the edge of the 1960s-built shopping centre, outside Morrisons supermarket, a bronze sculpture of five figures and a dog stands mid-stride, the historic Jarrow Crusade frozen in a moment of time. Passing shoppers probably don’t give the memorial a...
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Labour beats Reform to regain two seats
TWO council by-elections in Northumberland saw a double win for Labour as the party regained two seats that it had lost to Reform in 2025. Melaine Fox and Amy Spriggs were elected as the new county councillors for Ashington’s Hirst ward and Amble...
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Ashley pipped as Metrocentre sold
THE Metrocentre has been sold in a deal worth more than £500m. London-based property firm Landsec has beaten Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group to buy the Gateshead shopping centre. The shopping centre has effectively been owned by the former lenders of...
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TEENAGERS KILLED IN RIVER TRAGEDY NAMED
Luke Etheridge, 16, Zara Shaw, 16, and Jackson Duke, 17, died after a car they were in crashed into the River Wear on Tuesday. Investigations into the cause of the tragedy are ongoing, with a fourth teenager who survived the incident arrested on...
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THREE TEENAGERS DEAD AFTER CAR ENTERS RIVER
Emergency services near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland after a car went into the River Wear yesterday afternoon. It was later confirmed that three teenagers – two boys and a girl – had lost their lives. Another teenager who escaped, believed to be the...
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Mayor’s review plan as nurdles head out to sea
NORTH East Mayor Kim McGuinness has commissioned an independent review into the River Tyne nurdle spill after it was revealed that more than 70% of the spilt pellets have not been recovered. It is estimated that 17.92 tonnes of nurdles entered the...
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City set to pilot test for brain tumours
AN “ultra-rapid” test which can determine what kind of brain tumour someone has while they’re still on the operating table is to be piloted in Newcastle. The city’s hospital trust is one of five in the country to be part of a new study experts think...
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Driver’s blunder shows dangers of A1’s junctions
MORE shocking footage has emerged of a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the A1 in Northumberland at a notorious junction. The recording shows a black car turning south in the northbound lane at Swarland. The incident took place at the turn-off...
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Jobs and buses on mayor’s wish list
NORTH East mayor Kim McGuinness has urged the Government to give her the powers to help young people find jobs, open more youth clubs and keep bus fares affordable. Ms McGuinness made the pleas in a letter to Chancellor John Healey ahead of next...
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Council cuts Show Racism the Red Card cash
SUNDERLAND City Council has pulled its support for an anti-racism charity, with the authority’s new Reform UK leadership accusing it of “entering the political arena”. The council’s decision to end its 30-year partnership with Show Racism the Red...
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MURAL MILESTONE
THE Famous Faces mural at the Monument Metro station has reached its 30th anniversary. The artwork features well-known and much-loved personalities from the North East, and has been in Newcastle city centre since 1996. It was painted by former coal...
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NOT A NEW ARENA – BUT AT LEAST IT’S SOMETHING
PLANS for an open-air performance area and public park on the Gateshead Quays have been unveiled. The £24m scheme aims to improve the area while authorities try to progress larger proposals for an arena on the site. The area between the Glasshouse...
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HUNDREDS OF SWIMMERS FULFIL NAKED AMBITION
HUNDREDS of swimmers stripped off for the biggest skinny dip in the UK. Taking place in Druridge Bay in Northumberland yesterday, the annual event saw more than 800 people brave the chilly North Sea and they were welcomed with a glorious sunrise. The...
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Council leader speaks out after threats and abuse
NEWCASTLE’S council leader has demanded an end to social media threats and abuse targeting him for being Northern Irish. Colin Ferguson has spoken out after a barrage of insults aimed at him over Newcastle’s City of Sanctuary status. A video of him...
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Concern as plans for data centres pile up
ANORTH East council leader has cautioned against the “overdevelopment” of AI data centres, amid mounting concerns over plans for three new sites. There has been a growing national backlash against the proliferation of data centres. Alongside a £10bn...
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£170m boost for Nissan car plant
NISSAN is to manufacture a new model at its Sunderland plant, the company has announced. The move to make the Nissan Kicks on Wearside will mean a £170m investment into the factory. The announcement that a new model will be manufactured at Sunderland...
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City can be top English regional capital
NEWCASTLE wants to overtake the likes of Manchester and Liverpool to become the most successful regional capital in England. City council leader Colin Ferguson has set out his ambition to turbocharge the Tyneside economy and make Newcastle the UK’s...
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Two 25-year-old men die after collapsing on run
TWO North East men tragically died during Sunday’s Great North Run. Both participants were 25 years old and collapsed during the 13.1mile route, it has been confirmed. The hugely popular run returned for the 45th time on Sunday, with 63,000 runners...
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‘It’s good for the whole country to have its eyes on this wonderful part of the world today’
ANDY Burnham made history yesterday as the first serving Prime Minister to complete the Great North Run. In a huge surprise for crowds at the Newcastle start line, Mr Burnham arrived to run the worldfamous half-marathon for a fourth time – but the...
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Shock as masked raiders ransack shop in village
A NORTHUMBERLAND community has been left in shock after a shop was broken into and valuable stock stolen. A group of thieves forced their way into the Premier Village Store on Alexandra Terrace in Stocksfield, at around 1.53am last Saturday. CCTV...
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Nuclear deal puts firm at forefront of ‘golden age’
KEY parts for a new UK nuclear power station will be made in Newcastle. The Siemens Energy plant in Byker will manufacture steam turbines for Rolls-Royce’s flagship small modular reactors being built in North Wales. It is the first time that such...
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Grieving families relieved as early releases blocked
CRIMINALS responsible for the deaths of two North East children will be blocked from earlier prison releases, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed. Mr Burnham announced new changes to the controversial early release scheme yesterday. He said...
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Drivers warned: ‘No post or video is worth a life’
A NORTH East Police and Crime Commissioner has spoken out about the “disturbing culture” of those who film their dangerous driving. Durham PCC Joy Allen say officers are regularly seeing the “devastating consequences” of reckless driving. She...
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Volunteers angry as clean-up after spillage cut back
VOLUNTEERS have been left outraged after the official teams clearing up spilled nurdles from the coast were slashed. A collision between vessel Wind Orca and berthed container ship BG Orange dumped 17 tonnes of plastic pellets into the Tyne last...
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Donations boost for Trusts’ bid to buy historic estate
AMAJOR plan to buy a historic country estate in Northumberland is within touching distance of success after donations of more than £5m were received in recent days. The Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the national Wildlife Trust announced less than...
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TOP THAT!
MEET the sea swimming trio who are back on dry land after a “terrifying but exhilarating” charity challenge. Claire Watson-Armstrong, Jill Henderson and Karen Gallichan braved jellyfish, reports of orca sightings and dodged strong tidal currents to...
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Teenagers held after fire wrecks historic building
TWO teenagers were arrested after a suspected arson attack devastated a Grade II listed building in Northumberland. Firefighters and other emergency services were called to Fenkle Street in Alnwick on Sunday after a fire broke out in a...
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KEVIN’S KINGDOM
> Newcastle United fans put on a tremendous flag display in memory of Kevin Keegan before yesterday’s match against Liverpool at St James’ Park. Keegan, who died last month, was a hero to both sets of fans. The game finished 2-2, with United conceding...
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Van driver fined for crashing into school minibus
CHILDREN were left screaming when a careless driver smashed into their school minibus after “overcooking” a corner on a Northumberland country road. The bus driver was left injured and needed morphine while he and a pupil sitting behind him were...
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Gap in top grades widens yet again
THE gap between the number of North East GCSE pupils getting top grades compared to those in London has widened again. Exam results yesterday showed that 17.7% of North East entries attained a grade 7 or above this year, the lowest rate in England and...
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PLAYING FOR KEEPS
AMOTHER-OF-TWO has been inundated with support after opening a new play cafe in Northumberland. Beth Larby opened The Willow Bean Play Cafe on Market Street in Bedlington last month. The 31-year-old, who previously worked in occupational therapy,...
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RAISING THE BAR –AT THE AGE OF 45
AMOTHER-OF-SIX who returned to high jumping after a hiatus of more than 20 years will compete at an international competition in South Korea. Emily MacDonald gave up high jumping when she was 18 years old, returning to the sport five years ago. The...
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Third data centre could join North East’s AI cluster
EARLY proposals for a third data centre in South East Northumberland have been submitted to Northumberland County Council. The plans would see the facility built on land at Factory Road in Cambois. It borders another site earmarked for a data centre,...
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Firefighters tackle major blaze at country park
> People were yesterday urged to avoid a North East country park as firefighters tackled a blaze. They were called to Herrington Country Park in Sunderland after a fire broke out on a field. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service sent six appliances to...
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21-storey tower plan a step closer
HUGE plans to tear down a prominent Newcastle building to make way for a 21-sorey student housing tower could be approved next week. A £60m vision to redevelop the vacant Hadrian House was unveiled earlier this year. City planners have recommended...
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Region is lagging further behind on A-level top grades
THE gap between the number of students getting top A-level grades between the North East and London has grown to another record level. Almost a third of students in the capital, 32.7%, were awarded A or A* when results were released yesterday. That...
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Minister snubbed A1 plea – so now we’ll try the PM
NORTHUMBERLAND’S council leader has vowed to take the fight for improved safety on the A1 to Prime Minister Andy Burnham after being told that the Government still has no plans to dual the road. County council leader Glen Sanderson and North East...
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Key bridge ‘at risk of collapse’ unless work carried out
A RAIL bridge close to the Tyne Tunnel could be at “serious risk of collapse” without new safety measures. Lane closures are expected on the busy A19 at the northern side of the tunnels to allow for enhanced barriers to be installed around a Metro...
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Cancer centre set to reopen in 2027
AUSTRALIAN health firm Icon Group has announced it is to re-open a state-of-the-art Northumberland cancer centre which has been dormant since 2022. The former Rutherford Cancer Centre, near Bedlington, was shuttered just four years after opening. Now...
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ALL FALL DOWN
CROWDS came together to witness a large-scale domino run in Newcastle yesterday. Thousands of breeze blocks were placed around the heart of the city. They formed an evolving sculptural chain, stretching east to west, and travelled through streets,...
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70 GP practices are hit by IT problem
AROUND 70 GP surgeries across the North East were hit by IT disruption yesterday. The issue mostly affected practices in County Durham and Northumberland. The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said practices had contingency plans.
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Shocking footage shows car stuck at junction on A1
SHOCKING footage shared by a campaign group calling for improvements on the A1 in Northumberland shows a car trapped in the middle of the road as traffic passes by on either side. The video was captured by a local farmer and shows the Beal turn-off...
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Nurdles spill could have been far worse
AROUND 58 tonnes of nurdles have been prevented from spilling into the River Tyne after a collision between two ships, the Port of Tyne estimates. The Wind Orca collided with the BG Orange on July 19, with containers on the latter ship being ripped...
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HOW A FIRE NEXT DOOR HAS HIT MY BUSINESS
A BUSINESS which supplies the NHS has been left with an unstable wall and leaking roof following a huge blaze at the factory next door. A fire broke out at Streamline PopTop in Washington on Friday afternoon and massive plumes of smoke could be seen...
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ROMANCE AND REFLECTIONS
> Bella Welsh’s Newcastle bookshop will specialise in romance novels.
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Concern at fears council tax shift could hit finances
COUNCILLORS in Northumberland have raised concerns about a potential drop in income for the local authority if reported changes to the council tax system are brought in. Last week, North East leaders called for a “fairer deal” for the region after...
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Deal set to hand mayor more cash and more power
ANDY Burnham will hand the North East mayor a share of income tax revenues under what is being labelled the biggest transfer of power and money out of Westminster in a generation. The Prime Minister yesterday launched plans to give local leaders...
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Howe goes – but fans will never forget what he did for United
NEWCASTLE United fans yesterday paid warm tributes to boss Eddie Howe after the shock announcement of his departure. News broke yesterday morning that Howe was leaving the club with immediate effect. It has since emerged Howe has been in...
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PM’s promise of ‘no dead ends’ for our school leavers
ANDY Burnham has promised there will be ‘no dead ends’ for thousands of young people across the North East facing joblessness when they leave school. The new Prime Minister announced education reforms on Tuesday that will allow school pupils, from age...
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Leaders call for fairer deal on tax for North East
NORTH East leaders have called for a “fairer deal” for our region, amid reports that council tax could be scrapped. Andy Burnham has said there will be “big decisions” to come on the future of the local charge and criticised the unfairness of the...
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Latest A1 tragedy shows we cannot give up – leader
CAMPAIGNERS calling for the A1 in Northumberland to be dualled cannot afford to give up after another fatal crash, says the leader of the county council. A man in his 80s died after a collision between a car and a transporter lorry on Friday. A woman...
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RHAPSODY IN BLUE
I LOVED the idea of being immersed in a world of Vincent Van Gogh – imagining all those buttery yellows and vibrant blues – so was keen to see the touring show, which is having a month-long stay at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, with its promise of...
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‘IF YOU CAN AVOID THE AREA, THEN PLEASE DO SO’
> Gateshead Council’s Anneliese Hutchinson at the town’s Park Lane roundabout. The demolition of the Gateshead flyover over the roundabout is about to start – and Ms Hutchinson it will be the most challenging time of the project so far for drivers.
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Hospitality rates cut hailed – but will it be enough?
NORTH East hospitality and business groups have welcomed new cuts to business rates bills for pubs, clubs and live music venues – but say the moves do not go far enough to help the sector. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a 20% cut in rates,...
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North East leaders warn urgent action needed on housing
THE scale of the North East’s housing crisis has been exposed – with 43,000 households either homeless or living in unsuitable accommodation. Regional leaders have warned that urgent action is needed to accelerate the pace and scale of housebuilding...
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A DAY FOR GRATITUDE AND GRIEF AT ST JAMES’PARK
SIR Alex Ferguson has hailed the fierce managerial rival who built Newcastle’s “best ever team” amid an ongoing outpouring of affection for Kevin Keegan. The former Manchester United boss, the man famously on the other end of Keegan’s “I’d love it,...
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‘TODAY WE MOURN THE LOSS OF A TRUE GIANT OF OUR HISTORY’
WHEN Kevin Keegan turned out for Doncaster pub team Lonsdale Hotel on a Sunday morning, little did he know it would be the start of a journey to football’s elite. Joseph Kevin Keegan, who has died aged 75 following treatment for stage four cancer, was...
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Drama at the dock as crane damaged
ONE person was taken to hospital following an incident at the Port of Tyne involving a dockside crane. A huge 999 response was launched shortly after 1pm yesterday. Emergency services including the North East Ambulance service and the Great North Air...
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