Police and trading standards officials carried out the early morning raid on Thursday after a tip-off.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said fireworks valued at �400 were seized and a man in his 40s arrested.

The raid, part of an ongoing operation in the run-up to Bonfire Night, follows the introduction of new laws which restrict the sale and use of fireworks.

Earlier this month police were given new powers to tackle firework misuse.

Bonfire Night

Officers can issue on-the-spot �80 penalty fines to those who break recent laws limiting their use.

The Home Office hopes the new measure will help curb the number of incidents in the run-up to Bonfire Night.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said the Washington raid was part of Operation Jumping Jack, aimed at implementing new laws which restrict the sale of fireworks and their use at night.

Under the new rules, fireworks cannot be set off between 2300 and 0700.

The curfew can be broken only on Bonfire Night, Diwali and the New Year celebrations.

It has also been made illegal for minors to carry or use fireworks in a public place.