BBC Local Live: Updates from North East England on Thursday 31 March 2016 (2024)

The owners of a pub have been ordered to pay more than £30,000in fines and costs after inspectorsfound filth, out-of-date food and structural defects.

Redcar and Cleveland Councilofficers closed The Grapes Inn at Scaling Dam in Easington to protect the public.

The future of more than 1,700jobs across the North Eastremains unclearfollowing an emergency meeting of government ministers.

David Cameron admitted there is no guarantee that the government will be able to save the British steel-making industry.

He also said he doesn't believe that re-nationalisation is the answer.

Tributes have been paid to entertainer Ronnie Corbett, best known for BBC comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies, who hasdied aged 85.

His publicist said: "Ronnie Corbett CBE, one of the nation's best-loved entertainers, passed away this morning, surrounded by his loving family.

"They have asked that their privacy is respected at this very sad time."

Geordie duo Ant and Dec hailed the "comedy great":

Sunderland Echo
Newspaper

Metro bosses have been out and about meeting passengers at Q&A sessions.

Here are seven questions they were asked, and what the answers were., external

Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in connection with an assault that happened a few weeks ago.

Earlier this month, a31-year-old man was assaulted inside the Empress Bar in The Side,Newcastle.

He sustained an injury to his nose.

New genetic tests are going to be carried out on tumours from children with cancer

Newcastle'sRoyal Victoria Infirmaryis one of several hospitals which will be trialling the new method.

The aim is to find alternative treatments to chemo and radiotherapy.

BBC News Magazine

There's a craze for craft beer, and more breweries than there's been since the 1930s, but pubs are still closing.

Prince Charles is one of the most well-known proponents of traditional village pubs. He has said their disappearancerisks "pulling threads", externalfrom the '"delicate tapestry'' of the British countryside.

Here he is pulling a pint at the Holly Bush Inn in Hexham, Northumberland, back in 2006.

That pub is still going strong,but you can read about why many are closing here.

The Shields Gazette

The shooting of a man by armed police in a South Shields street has sparked a debate among readers. Click here, external to find out what they had to say.

Parents accused of laughing as their children repeatedly punched a stuffed owl at a visitor centre have been criticised online.

Three children aged about eight attacked the owl at the Guisborough Forest and Walkway on 30 March.

Neil Thirkell from the centre, said instead of intervening, the adults they were with watched and laughed.

The £300 preserved owl replaced a previous bird which was stolen.

Mr Thirkell said: "It's just really sad that the kids think it is ok to do that and the parents think it is funny, that just encourages the children more."

CountyDurham and Darlington fire and rescue sent two appliancesanda special rescue unit to Elstob Lane, near Great Stainton today.

They say there were casualties, who were assisted by the fire crews before being seen to by paramedics.

Rebecca Turner
BBC North East

Right now, #FolkloreThursday is trending on Twitter.

People are sharing ancienttales, pictures of ghostly buildings and local folklore traditions.

But what local folklore do we have here in the North East?

Well.. according to some,there's a tradition ofGeordiespunching horses.

It all began back in April 2013 when a man namedBarry Rogerson, having just watched Newcastle lose toSunderland, took a swing for Bud the police horse.

It'sbecome a bit of a moment in NorthEast folklore, andSunderland fans now taunt their local rivals with horse masks.

Then, there was Herbythe fibreglass horse who lives outside The Herb Garden restauranton Westgate Road in Newcastle.

Hehad a "run in with some drunks" and ended up looking like this:

Youtuber Thomas Gray is going on an exploration of modern men, in search of answers to questions such as"How did we go from courting to Tinder?"

This journey of discovery took him toNewcastle.

He plays football, makes some friends,and goes on a night out which he hopes "will follow the exact pattern of Geordie Shore: drink, dance, fight".

Here's how he got on:

BBC Sport

A small snippet from today's Gossip Column:

Newcastle United are set to rely on third-choice goalkeeper Karl Darlow, 25, to help keep them in the Premier League - even though he only has 90 minutes of top-flight experience. The Magpies are without the injured Tim Krul and Rob Elliot for the rest of the season.(Newcastle Chronicle), external

Emmanuel Eboue has been sacked by Sunderland AFC, the club hasconfirmed.

In a statement, the club say it"relates to a monetary dispute between the player and a former agent, which precedes his time at Sunderland AFC and was not something that the club was made aware of by the player".

They sayEboue signed a contract with Sunderland until the end of the current season, and the club has therefore given notice of its intention to terminate the contract.

The player has two weeks in which to appeal againstthis decision.

Amanwho died after a motorcycle crash has been described as "a wonderful son, a loving fiancé and a friend to many".

His bike collided with a car on theA693 between Beamish and Pelton on Tuesday morning.

Radoslaw Drzewiecki, 29, from Chester-le-Street was on his way to work at the Hownsgill Industrial Estate whenit happened.

His fiance, Magdalena Gawel says "words can't describe our sense of loss".

The driver of the car, a 45-year-old woman from Stanley, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving andreleased on bail.

Newcastle have describedclaims by former midfielder Jonas Gutierrezthat he was deliberately dropped so the club could release him as 'ludicrous'.

Summing up a disability discrimination tribunal, Newcastle United's lawyer, Sean Jones QC, said the club "still had respect and affection" for Gutierrez.

But he said there were "holes" in the Argentine's case.

In response, Gutierrez's lawyer, Martin Budworth, said Newcastle's witnesses had given "knowingly untrue evidence".

A decision and announcement on the outcome of the case could take about a month.

Sunderland defender EmmanuelEboue could have his ban lifted if he pays his former agent,Fifa says.

Eboue was ordered to pay the undisclosed amount toSebastien Boisseauby Fifa'sPlayers' Status Committee in July 2013.

Thatdecision wastaken on the basis of the agents rules which were in force at the time.

Eboue was fined 30,000 Swiss francs (£21,675) in September 2014 for failing to comply with the decision and given four months to settle the debut, Fifasaid.

The case was thenheard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but Eboue's appeal was dismissed.

The Ivory Coast international only signed for Sam Allardyce's side in January and is yet to make an appearance., external

Sunderland full-backEmmanuel Ebouehas been given a one-year ban by Fifaover a failure to pay a former agent.

There are 450 workers at the pipe mill in Hartlepool facing uncertain futures asIndian owner Tata Steel is selling its entire loss-making UK business.

Labour has urged ministers to "get their act" together and step in now.

Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting crisis talks on the UK steel industry.

Hartlepool-born Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling has walked 10 marathons in 10 days raising hundreds and thousands of pounds for charity.

The face of Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports covered 260 miles between the football ground of his beloved Hartlepool United and Wembley Stadium in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.

He said that if his team could not make it to the heart of the English football season, at least he had succeeded in doing so.

The money will go to fund research to improve diagnosis of the disease.