Teesside and County Durham stories this week

5 October 2025

News image — The founders of a new ferret show said they were "delighted" at the turn out

Adam Clarkson/BBC Janine Hipkins and Peter Allison, each holding a white ferret. Behind them is a banner with a picture of a white ferret. — The founders of a new ferret show said they were "delighted" at the turn out

A man whose life was changed by bus spotting, hopeful contenders for the Great Britain junior dragon boat team and a new ferret show.

Here are some stories from Teesside and County Durham you may have missed this week.

Ferret show founder delighted as 300 turn up

Adam Clarkson/BBC Heather Johnstone holding a brown ferret. She has green hair, glasses with a blue rim and a purple t-shirt. — One of the attendees Heather Johnstone said she has been going to ferret shows for about 10 years

The founder of a new ferret show said she was over the moon when hundreds more ferrets than expected took part.

The Old Billingham Ferret Show attracted dozens of people and about 300 ferrets to St Cuthbert's Church Hall on Sunday – more than three times the amount that organisers had hoped for.

Read more about the show's success here

Youngsters eye place on GB dragon boat racing team

BBC/Stuart Whincup A dragon boat on a river. It appears to be stationary with 14 seated people holding paddles and a person standing at the rear with a tiller. A large office-type building is on the shore, along with some trees, and the sky is blue with some clouds. — Paddlers have taken to the River Tees hoping to be selected for the Great Britain junior dragon boat team

Paddlers from all over the country have taken to the River Tees hoping to be selected for the Great Britain junior dragon boat team.

Youngsters were put through a series of training drills and exercises on the river in Stockton by coaches seeking to identify new talent.

The GB team has started a new two-year training programme in preparation for the European and World Championships.

Find out more about the team's aims here

'Bus-spotting has changed my life'

Brodie, 19, from Hartlepool, has just started university

According to student Brodie, from Hartlepool, buses have their own personalities and spotting them has transformed his life.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant the 19-year-old enthusiast did not leave his home for four years. Getting a bus from his hometown to Middlesbrough for the first time was "life-changing", he says.

He runs a TikTok account where he shares his passion and says more people should give the hobby a try.

'Lazy' detective used keyboard scam to fool bosses

Google The Durham Constabulary headquarters building sits behind large trees. It is a white clad, long, flat-roofed, three-storey modern effort with large windows set behind thin pillars. A car park is in front of the building. — DC Niall Thubron, who used "key jamming" to make it look like he was working, resigned from Durham Police

A "lazy" police detective used a keyboard trick to make it look as though he was working from home.

Det Con Niall Thubron was found to have deliberately conned his bosses at the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit by using "key jamming", an act of holding down a key on a computer keyboard.

Durham Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said Thubron's motivation was one of "laziness" and he should be banned from policing.