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Early plans to get Northumberland's biggest towns ready for when shops reopen have been revealed.
Since the start of lockdown, in March, many town centres have lain quiet, with only essential shops allowed to operate.
But, as other retailers prepare to open on June 15, provision must be made to ensure a safe two-metre social distance can be maintained both inside shops and on the streets.
In Newcastle, a one-way walking route is planned on Northumberland Street while "social distancing circles" have appeared in Old Eldon Square.
Now, Northumberland County Council has shared its plans for the 12 key towns of Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Berwick, Bedlington, Blyth, Cramlington, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Morpeth, Ponteland and Prudhoe.
Councillor Glen Sanderson, the county council’s cabinet member for environment and local services, said: “In Northumberland, the layout of shopping streets, particularly in some of the older towns, does not make social distancing easy, with narrow pavements and limited queueing space.
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More than 500 jobs are set to be axed at Monsoon Accessorize after the retailer announced 35 stores closures – but the majority of the region's stores will hopefully remain open.
The high street fashion retailer collapsed into administration after the hit from coronavirus scuppered its turnaround plan.
The firm said it expects to make 545 staff redundant through 35 store closures – but stores in Bedlington, Newcastle’s Eldon Square, Newcastle Airport, Gateshead Metrocentre, The Bridges Sunderland and Durham are not part of the store closure list.
The store in Middlesbrough, however, is earmarked for closure.
The business expects to make the closures despite Monsoon’s founder Peter Simon buying the business out of administration almost immediately in a pre-pack deal, overseen by advisors at FRP.
The deal will transfer around 450 jobs to Adena Brands, owned by Mr Simon, which will inject £15m into the business to allow the remaining stores to stay open.
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Boy racers are using a cemetery as a 'racetrack' amid claims parents are letting them run wild during lockdown.
Complaints have been made to Northumbria Police about youths riding motorbikes in the West Lea area of Bedlington, Northumberland.
Isabel Easson, whose daughter Bethany Fisher died in a car crash, claims a handful of teenagers are terrorising residents.
"There are two of three teenagers on motorbikes racing past the park where the children are, then going through a gap to get into the cemetery . They are using it as a racetrack," she said.
Bethany, 19, died when Jordan O'Donnell's Ford Mondeo ploughed into parked vehicles in Bedlington.
She had been out celebrating her birthday when O'Donnell lost control of the car.
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Tributes have flooded in for a 'kind' and 'caring' woman known as the Mary Poppins of the Hoppings.
Millie Barrass, 64, passed away at her Bedlington home on Sunday, May 10, following a short illness.
The Hoppings community has been left devastated at the loss of a figurehead who was loved by all those who knew her.
She also played an integral role of the successful campaign group 'Save Our Hoppings', which was launched after the popular Town Moor event was cancelled in 2013.
Close friend David Richards, 29, said: "Millie was a kind, sweet person who would do anything for anyone.
"Come hail, rain or shine you would see Millie pushing a silver cross pram followed by plenty of children.
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More than 60 vehicles were taken off the roads during an operation to stop suspected drug dealers in their tracks.
Officers aimed to disrupt organised criminal groups in Ashington and Bedlington and used intelligence to target suspected offenders.
As part of the operation, drivers were pulled over and tested for cocaine and cannabis use at the roadside.
Those who tested positive were arrested and had further drugs testing. Their vehicles were also seized.
Last month, 64 vehicles were uplifted – bringing the total number this year to just over 200 – half of which have been impounded and crushed.
A total of 30 suspected drug-drivers have been arrested - 25 are believed to have had links to organised crime.
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Everyone who enters a Northumberland cancer hospital will be tested to see if they've had coronavirus.
And the data collected through the tests could help the rest of the UK to get access to more reliable testing.
Rutherford Health plc, which runs the private Rutherford Cancer Centre in Bedlington, on Wednesday announced it was rolling out antibody testing for all patients and staff.
Just a few weeks ago, NHS bosses were suggesting antibody tests would soon be on sale through Amazon and Boots. It was said the simple tests could be taken at home and could help people get back to work by confirming they already had the virus and were likely to be immune.
The tests check blood for two types of antibodies, which the body uses to fight infection. If these antibodies are present, the person should have the ability to fight off the infection in future.
But of the 3.5million tests purchased by the UK government, none which have been so far tested meet the standards agreed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
At ChronicleLive, we’re proud to be part of the NHS Heroes campaign, which aims to make sure all the amazing people of this wonderful organisation know exactly how much they mean to the nation.
We’re asking you to show them love by helping us create a living map of gratitude from every corner of Britain.
By dropping a heart on the map, you’re saying you appreciate the efforts undertaken daily in the NHS.
To pledge your support, just go to www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk 
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An incredibly talented Special Constable has temporarily hung up his handcuffs as he heads to hospital to help tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
Joshua Michie not only serves with Northumbria Police Motor Patrols team as a Special, but he’s also a trained doctor working for the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Although the 25-year-old is focusing all his attention on treating the vulnerable and keeping his patients safe during the coronavirus crisis, he would also like to lace up his boots and help officers on the beat.
He said: “This is unprecedented and I never thought I would be working through a pandemic. It is an experience which will definitely stay with me.
“At the moment, I’m socially isolating when I’m not working in the hospital. It’s really hard because I love being a Special and I’m desperate to get back out there.
“I would love to be helping with patrols – I’d like to have the chance to be out in the community talking to people, engaging with them and getting them to see things from another angle.
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A seven-year-old girl has brought her community closer together by creating beautiful messages of hope.
Olivia Walker, from Bedlington, started by drawing a large poster to put on the fence for her next-door neighbours to see, because she "didn't want them to be sad when they were walking the dog".
She then began to make more personalised posters, to display on fences or in her windows, aimed at cheering up other neighbours.
The rainbow has become a popular symbol of hope within the pandemic over the two weeks, with many households displaying rainbows in their windows as a sign that this 'storm' will pass.
But Olivia has taken it a step further with her personalised messages, drawing more for strangers online after her designs were shared on a local Facebook group and brought delight to many who saw them.
The St Bede's R C Primary School pupil said: "I wanted to do it because people are along, and I wanted to make them happy. It makes me happy to see how much people like them."
At ChronicleLive, we’re proud to be part of the NHS Heroes campaign, which aims to make sure all the amazing people of this wonderful organisation know exactly how much they mean to the nation.
We’re asking you to show them love by helping us create a living map of gratitude from every corner of Britain.
By dropping a heart on the map, you’re saying you appreciate the efforts undertaken daily in the NHS.
To pledge your support, just go to www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk 
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Just one punch can lead to such devastating consequences.
From broken jaws and fractured skulls, single acts of violence in the region have not only caused long-lasting serious injury.
Some families will know how lucky they are that their son or daughter survived their injuries, but other families have had their lives wrecked.
Lives have been lost with a number of victims unable to recover from the horrific injuries they sustained from a single punch.
While some one-punch attackers have faced time behind bars, others have been able to walk free from court.
We take a look at seven people who have been brought before the courts across the North East in recent years for a one-punch attack.
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The North East’s magistrates’ courts were closed from Tuesday for all-but-urgent cases and those where the defendant is in custody.
Following Boris Johnson’s announcement of tough new measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, which include only allowing people to leave their homes under specific circumstances, the region’s courthouses shut their doors to members of the public.
Only remand cases - where defendants have been charged with an offence and then kept in custody by the police - urgent cases, such as applications for Domestic Violence Protection Orders, and cases via video link will be heard in one courtroom each at North Tyneside, South East Northumberland and South Tyneside.
All other matters, such as where the accused is on bail or has been summoned to appear at court via a postal requisition, will be adjourned until a later date.
Staff members and security were on the doors on Tuesday, advising that only personnel directly linked to an urgent case, such as a defence solicitor or a prosecutor, would be allowed into the buildings.
A tweet on Tuesday morning from HM Courts & Tribunal Service read: “Magistrates’ Courts will only hear urgent cases today (overnight custody & prisoner production).


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