World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton has been voted the Greatest Living Northumbrian in a poll on the Your Place microsites.

The Ashington-born footballer won 27% of the votes, beating actor Robson Green (17%) and comedian Ross Noble (15%).

Other nominees in the poll were Sir Bobby's brother Jack, musician Kathryn Tickell, cricketer Steve Harmison, the Duchess of Northumberland and darts commentator Sid Waddell.

Police have arrested 22 people in a week as part of an ongoing crackdown on crime in Northumberland.

Officers carried out a series of raids in Blyth and Ashington as part of Operation Conquest.

This is the latest in a series of operations in a six-month campaign to drive down crime in Northumberland.

The Journal's Think North East First campaign helped make half-term a boom time for tourism across the region, figures show.

Statistics from the National Trust and English Heritage show North East attractions pulled in more visitors during the February half-term than ever before.

Woodhorn Museum, near Ashington, claimed the most successful week since its opening, with a 40% increase in families turning up to see its Cars of the Stars exhibition.

Business leaders were invited to look around a new £3m business park in Northumberland on a specially arranged open day yesterday.

The Enterprise Court business park, at North Seaton Industrial Estate in Ashington, contains 16 industrial units and office space with a total site area of 72,059 sq ft.

Two veteran North East football stars spoke of their personal experiences of racism yesterday as a long-running campaign to promote equality was taken into a Northumberland college.

Former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett and ex-Newcastle United full-back John Anderson were in Ashington to talk to students as part of their support for the Show Racism the Red Card charity.

Players in the North Northumberland League enjoyed the recent relative good weather and played some of their hectic fixture list.

Teams got straight back into the action with some high scoring matches. Acklington Athletic and Craster Rovers took out the frustration of the last few weeks on each other with a 4-4 draw in their Division One clash.

Phil Grey with a hat trick and a Steven Watson goal were not enough for Craster as the home team hit back to share the points with goals from Richard Lemon, Kevin Kirby, David Littlefair and Steven Pearce.

Pegswood Ex-Services swept aside Ox Inn with a 9-0 thrashing in Division One of the Morpeth Sunday League.

Lee McAndrew scored five, Carl Sanders took a hat-trick and Josh Gilmartin completed the scoring.

Stobhill Social Club held Lynemouth to a draw. Michael Davis and Stephen Warwick cancelled each other out.

Ashington were involved in a six-goal thriller in the Northern League at Billingham Town as the game ended 3-3.

Michael Fenwick and Lee McAndrew, with a brace, struck for the Colliers with John Alexander and Shaun Boynton (2) on the mark for the Teessiders.

Angry sports fans in a North football hotbed have shown council bosses the red card for pulling the plug on live TV matches.

Town hall chiefs in Wansbeck have incurred the wrath of Newcastle United and Sunderland supporters by axing Sky Sports screenings at leisure centres in Ashington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in order to make savings as the credit crunch bites.

Now more than 200 die-hard fans who enjoy watching the Premier League action while enjoying a pint or two in the bars at the sports centres have signed petitions demanding the council overturns the decision.

Nurse Margaret Mackie tied an elderly woman to a chair with a bed sheet. Shocked colleagues watched as the less-than-caring care home worker used the unconventional method to restrain her patient.

And despite fellow nurses and care assistants attempts to stop their colleague, Mackie continued.

The shamed nurse, from Ashington, has now been struck off for misconduct, in connection with the incident at Northlands Care Home, in Morpeth.