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Political leaders in the north-east of England fear new restrictions will impact businesses.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced the North East will be placed under tier four coronavirus restrictions from tomorrow.

The areas covered are:

• Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees )
• North East (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland)

Under tier four rules non-essential shops, beauty salons and hairdressers must close, and people are limited to meeting in a public outdoor place with their household, or one other person.

Announcing the rule changes, Mr Hancock said: "I know that tier three and four measures place a significant burden on people, and especially on businesses affected, but I am afraid it is absolutely necessary because of the number of cases that we've seen."

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The North East will be placed into the toughest tier four coronavirus restrictions.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out the details in a Commons statement.

Tier four rules include a "stay at home" order, and mean businesses such as hairdressers and gyms must close.

The new restrictions will start from tomorrow.

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A Hartlepool man whose baby’s ashes were stolen has appealed for whoever took them to return them - or at least leave them in a public place where they will be noticed.

The ashes, which were in a grey metal safe, were taken along with some other items from a property on Eskdale Court on Saturday.

Thieves also stole the household's Ford Fiesta, which was later found crashed into a neighbour's fence, but the stolen items had been removed.

A spokesman for the Hartlepool Neighbourhood Police Team said: "The child passed away just a few months ago and we are joining the householder in urgently appealing for information which could lead to the return of the ashes to him.

"You can contact police with information, or leave the safe at any police office, bus stop or other public place where it will easily be seen.

"Please contact us, even anonymously, to tell us where they have been left."

A man has been charged with attempted murder after a council worker suffered what police described as "life-changing" injuries on Boxing Day.

The victim - a man in his 20s - was boarding up a window on Cedar Grove in Alnwick after a bottle had been thrown through the glass earlier that day when he was attacked with what is believed to be a meat cleaver.

He was taken to hospital with injuries to his hands.

Northumbria Police later arrested a 27-year-old man who has now been charged with attempted murder and will appear before magistrates in Bedlington on 4 January.