Tyneside and Northumberland stories from this week

14 December 2025

News image — A pair walk out of the sea at Cullercoats in North Tyneside and enjoy the view

PA/Owen Humphreys Photo of red skies above the sea with hills in the background in the shadow. In the foreground are two people, hidden in darkness, holding hands and walking into the sea. The waves are reflecting the skies. — A pair walk out of the sea at Cullercoats in North Tyneside and enjoy the view

People share their difficulties of off-grid living and a Christmas comeback for a man whose Halloween display was torched.

Here are some stories from Tyneside and Northumberland you may have missed this week.

Christmas comeback for Halloween blaze victim

Andy Watson/BBC Head and shoulders image of Stan Yanetta standing in front of his illuminated house. Mr Yanetta is looking into the camera and wearing a black woolly hat and orange hi-vis jacket. The gable end of his house is lit up, as is a wooden garden fence. A Christmas tree with fairly lights can be seen over his shoulder. — Stan Yanetta is once again raising money for charity with his display

A man left devastated when his charity Halloween display was torched says he has been inspired to switch on his annual Christmas illuminations as he did not want to disappoint children in the area.

Stan Yanetta has been lighting up his home in South Shields for more than 15 years, raising thousands of pounds.

But in October, CCTV footage showed a man wearing a balaclava pour an accelerant over his Halloween decorations.

Find out more about what happened to Stan here

Red skies brighten up gloomy winter days

Terrier Friend/ Weather Watchers Red clouds in sky look like sand dunes. There is a street light in the right hand corner of the photo in black shadow as well as some tree branches. — The clouds in Newcastle looked like sand dunes in the sky

Magnificent burning skies greeted people across parts of the North East and Cumbria.

Photographer Owen Humphreys from the Press Association was one of those early risers who captured the moment in Cullercoats, North Tyneside, as two swimmers entered the sea.

BBC weather presenter Paul Mooney said the spectacle had been caused by the relatively high pressure and southern winds currently being experienced in the region, which had led to dust particles being trapped in the lower atmosphere, creating the red effect during the sunrise.

Take a look at the spectacle here

'Living off grid is not a dream, it's a nightmare'

Anne Hutchinson is a woman in her 80s sitting in an armchair. She is smiling and is wearing a blue top and has white hair and glasses with pink cheeks. Behind her is a dresser with books and photographs on display. — Anne Hutchinson says in 2000 she and her neighbours were quoted £180,000 for a connection to the mains

Some 2,000 households are thought to be off-grid in the UK, having no access to mains power.

With connections quoted at prices up to £478,000, why is it so expensive and why do people stay?

People living in the North East have talked about their experiences of off-grid living.

Call for police probe into daughter's poison death

Family handout Grace Nevens is sitting in a restaurant and smiling brightly. Her brown hair is pulled up in a ponytail. — Grace Nevens was a former Leeds University student

The family of a 22-year-old woman who died after she ingested a poison she bought online have questioned why there is no ongoing police investigation into the supplier.

Grace Nevens, 22, from Morpeth, Northumberland, died in November 2024 in hospital, having previously visited an online suicide forum.

At a pre-inquest review, the Northumberland coroner said Northumbria Police had confirmed that no investigation was ongoing into the former Leeds University student's death.

Read more about what Grace's family have to say here

Sexual health service 'risked contamination'

PA Media A person is placing a cotton swab into a clear test tube in front of a small mirror. In the reflection, you can see a person wearing a blue mask. — Inspectors found Solutions 4 Health Newcastle had breached legal regulations (library image)

Inspectors found a city's sexual health service could have placed people at risk by leaving test swabs uncovered and "open to contamination".

The CQC rated Solutions 4 Health (S4H) Newcastle "inadequate" and placed it in special measures after finding it breached legal regulations.

The private company took over from the NHS in 2023, after Newcastle Hospitals Trust did not make an offer to continue its contract for Newcastle City Council.