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Police investigating the death of a man found unconscious in Bedlington this morning have said that they do not believe there to be any third-party involvement.

Police investigating the death of a man found unconscious in Bedlington this morning can now confirm that they do not believe there to be any third party involvement. Officers were called to the Spar on Station Road, Bedlington at 5.40am, today (March 6), after the body of a man was found. Emergency services attended and the man was taken to hospital where he sadly died. Police believe that the man may have been a victim of robbery prior to his death however, that his death is not linked to the incident. A 43-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and is currently in police custody. Police are asking anyone who saw anything suspicious to get in touch with Northumbria police and quote reference number 115 06/03/18 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A man has died after being found on the forecourt of a garage in Bedlington . Police and paramedics were called to the Spar garage on Station Road in the Northumberland town at 5.40am on Tuesday. A man who was found there was taken to hospital where he died. Northumbria Police has not confirmed if the man’s death is being treated as suspicious. A police spokesperson said: “Emergency services attended and the man was taken to hospital where he sadly died.” The garage has been cordoned off by police and forensic investigators have also arrived at the scene.

Updated at 11:50am on Tuesday 6 March 2018 Scheduled bin collections continue today - as teams aim to carry out normal collections wherever it is safe and possible to do so. Please put your bin out as normal, unless your situation is described specifically below. Many normal collections were made yesterday - although there were some areas, including rural locations, where this is not possible. Some collections were also missed due to unfortunate vehicle breakdown. If your bin is not collected on the normal day this week please leave it out, in a safe place, and, weather permitting, we will attempt to collect it by the end of this week. These will be kept under review and further guidance provided at the end of the week. We will be prioritising general rubbish bins before recycling bins - due to the nature of the waste they contain. Regarding bins missed last week: If your general waste bin was missed last Wednesday, 28th February, please put it out for collection this Wednesday, 7th March, and again on Wednesday 14th March. Your recycling bin will not be emptied and should be put it out for collection on its next scheduled collection day of Wednesday 21st March If your general waste bin was missed on Thursday 1st March please put this bin out next Thursday 8th March and again on Thursday 15th March. Your recycling bin will not be emptied and should be put it out for collection on its next scheduled collection day on Thursday 22nd March. On general waste, we will accept up to two additional black bin bags (or something of a similar size) alongside regular general waste bins. All missed recycling bins, including those which will not be collected this Wednesday and Thursday, should be put out on their next collection day. Any additional recycling items can be put in cardboard boxes, paper bags, or clear plastic bags. We are supplying clear recycling bags at our customer information centres and other venues at: Alnwick Greenwell Lane, Alnwick, NE66 1HB (Closes at 4:30pm) View map location Ashington Wansbeck Square, Ashington, NE63 9XL View map location Bedlington Bedlington Library, Glebe Road, Bedlington, NE22 6JX View map location Berwick Walkergate Building, Walkergate TD15 1DJ View map location Blyth Blyth Library, Bridge Street, Blyth, NE24 1DJ View new location Cramlington Concordia, Cramlington, NE23 6YB View map location Hexham Queens Hall, Beaumont Street, Hexham, NE46 3LS View map location Morpeth Royal Sovereign House, Manchester Street, Morpeth, NE61 1AF View map location Seaton Delaval Library, Astley High School, Elsdon Avenue, NE25 0BW View map location Ponteland Town council office, Unit 1, Meadowfield Court, Meadowfield Industrial Estate, Ponteland, Northumberland, NE20 9SD View map location Prudhoe Library, Spetchells Centre, 58 Front Street, Prudhoe, NE42 5AA View map location Customers who are expecting their first garden waste collection of the season this week should put their their bins out for collection on the scheduled day. Like general waste and recycling bins, we aim to undertake garden waste collections in all planned areas, where it is safe to do so. The council apologises for any inconvenience that these arrangements may cause. Many thanks for your patience during this time. Keep up to date through the council’s ‘Alerts’ channels which are available via the website www.northumberland.gov.uk; Twitter: @northumberlands; and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nccalerts

it’s cold out there - but benefit bosses said it was not cold enough for some Northumberland residents to qualify for cold weather payments. The Department of Work and Pensions had not included six postcodes in the list of areas where the benefit is triggered in the event of very cold conditions. An official website had said people in parts of the county, including Morpeth and Ashington, would not get the £25 payment because it has been too warm. Anyone entering the postcodes on the gov.uk website over the last few days were told they were not entitled to the one-off payment. Areas missed off the list of qualifying postcodes were NE22, NE24, NE61, NE62, NE63 and NE64. The postcodes cover Morpeth, Ashington, Bedlington, Newbiggin and many small villages.

An establishment in Bedlington is taking part in the third annual World’s Biggest Pub Quiz to help raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Updated at 12:45pm on Monday 5 March 2018 This week teams are aiming to carry out scheduled bin collections as normal - where it is possible and safe to to do. Please put your bin out as normal, unless your situation is described specifically below. If your bin is not collected on the normal day this week please leave it out, in a safe place, and, weather permitting, we will attempt to collect it by the end of this week. There will be some areas, including rural locations, where this is not possible. These will be kept under review and further guidance provided at the end of the week. We will be prioritising general rubbish bins before recycling bins - due to the nature of the waste they contain. Regarding bins missed last week: If your general waste bin was missed last Wednesday, 28th February, please put it out for collection this Wednesday, 7th March, and again on Wednesday 14th March. Your recycling bin will not be emptied and should be put it out for collection on its next scheduled collection day of Wednesday 21st March. If your general waste bin was missed on Thursday 1st March please put this bin out next Thursday 8th March and again on Thursday 15th March. Your recycling bin will not be emptied and should be put it out for collection on its next scheduled collection day on Thursday 22nd March. On general waste, we will accept up to two additional black bin bags (or something of a similar size) alongside regular general waste bins. All missed recycling bins, including those which will not be collected this Wednesday and Thursday, should be put out on their next collection day. Any additional recycling items can be put in cardboard boxes, paper bags, or clear plastic bags. We will be supplying clear recycling bags at our customer information centres at: Alnwick Greenwell Lane, Alnwick, NE66 1HB (Closes at 4:30pm) View map location Ashington Wansbeck Square, Ashington, NE63 9XL View map location Bedlington Bedlington Library, Glebe Road, Bedlington, NE22 6JX View map location Berwick Walkergate Building, Walkergate TD15 1DJ View map location Blyth Blyth Library, Bridge Street, Blyth, NE24 1DJ View new location Cramlington Concordia, Cramlington, NE23 6YB View map location Hexham Queens Hall, Beaumont Street, Hexham, NE46 3LS View map location Morpeth Royal Sovereign House, Manchester Street, Morpeth, NE61 1AF View map location Seaton Delaval Prudhoe Library, Astley High School, Elsdon Avenue, NE25 0BW Library, Spetchells Centre, 58 Front Street, Prudhoe, NE42 5AA View map location View map location Customer information centres are receiving supplies of bags today (Monday 5th March), however please allow until Tuesday 6th March so that supplies have been distributed. Customers who are expecting their first garden waste collection of the season this week should put their their bins out for collection on the scheduled day. Like general waste and recycling bins, we aim to undertake garden waste collections in all planned areas, where it is safe to do so. The council apologises for any inconvenience that these arrangements may cause. Many thanks for your patience during this time. Keep up to date through the council’s ‘Alerts’ channels which are available via the website www.northumberland.gov.uk; Twitter: @northumberlands; and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nccalerts

Bin collections have been severely disrupted by snow and icy conditions across Northumberland and the current weather forecast means that we will be unable to collect any further bins this week. The county council has provided the following guidance to residents whose bin collections have been affected by the extreme winter weather. Many collections were completed on Monday and Tuesday. If you are one of the small number of properties not collected on either of those days, please put your bin out for collection on your next scheduled collection day. Unfortunately we were unable to collect on Wednesday or Thursday, and no further collections will be made this week. If your general rubbish collection was missed on Wednesday 28th February please put this bin out next Wednesday, 7th March, and again on Wednesday 14th March. Your recycling bin will not be emptied and should be put it out for collection on its next scheduled collection day of Wednesday 21st March If your general rubbish collection was missed on Thursday 1st March please put this bin out next Thursday 8th March and again on Thursday 15th March. Your recycling bin will not be emptied and should be put it out for collection on its next scheduled collection day on Thursday 22nd March. The county council apologises for any inconvenience that these arrangements may cause, but it has to prioritise the collection of general rubbish so that residents do not have to wait four weeks for a collection of waste that can become unpleasant. Recycling bins that have been missed this week they should be taken back in, and put out again on your next recycling bin collection day in a fortnight’s time. If you are unable to fit all of your recycling into the bin at that time, crews will take additional items. These must be contained safely in paper carrier bags, cardboard boxes or clear sacks and the waste team is issuing clear plastic sacks to council information points for affected areas. Unfortunately items in black sacks won’t be taken. Unfortunately all Household Waste Recovery Centres across Northumberland have had to close today (2nd March) due to adverse weather conditions. Efforts are being made to open sites tomorrow but please check alerts before making that journey. Check the council website for alerts and opening days and times for each centre - www.northumberland.gov.uk Teams will make every effort to return for any commercial waste collections that have been missed during the adverse weather conditions as soon as possible. For commercial customers who have wheeled bins, the normal policy of collecting only waste that is contained within the wheeled bin will be temporarily relaxed and excess bagged commercial waste left alongside the container will also be removed when the next collection takes place. Refuse collection staff that are unable to safely carry out collections have been redeployed to work alongside staff on snow clearance and gritting duties on main footpath and car parks in town centres, busy urban shopping areas and other important pedestrian links. Further information will be issued through the Council’s ‘Alerts’ channels which are available via the website www.northumberland.gov.uk or: Twitter: @northumberlands Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nccalerts

An air cadet from 2252 (Bedlington) Squadron has been invited to attend a Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Progress has continued to be made on the town centre scheme that is designed to regenerate Bedlington in the last few months. Northumberland County Council’s regeneration company Arch is going through a tendering process for contractors to build the scheme having had significant interest from potential retailers. The tendering works are due to conclude soon with the scheme due to come to a board meeting in the near future to get final sign off. Speaking about the scheme Cllr Richard Wearmouth, cabinet member for economic development, said: “Right from the start of the new administration we said that regenerating Bedlington Town Centre would be a significant priority and work has continued through the last few months to realise this. “We have been in regular contact with the local county councillors who have been pushing hard to make sure that we get a scheme that works well for the town. “I look forward in the very near future to giving full details of the scheme that is to be put before the board including the timeline for the works to be undertaken.” Bedlington Central Cllr Russ Wallace added: “The regeneration of our town centre is absolutely crucial to the future of Bedlington. I am therefore absolutely delighted that the development is moving rapidly into the construction phase.” To find out more about the latest progress go HERE

Many of the considerable numbers of men who enlisted for the First World War from East Bedlington never returned to take up their work in the pits.

Northumberland County Council has agreed a budget to save £65m over the next four years while making ambitious plans for the future. Councillors approved efficiencies of £8.2m for the coming year, £21.1m in 2019-20, and rising to £65.1m over the term of the Medium Term Financial Plan 2018-2022. Council Leader Peter Jackson said: “We’re pleased to have agreed our budget which allows us to balance our books, and do the right thing for the people we serve. But the hard work starts now. “The next three years will be more challenging than ever, and may have a impact on the way we deliver services. “However, we’re bold and ambitious for the future, and by approving this budget we’ll be much better placed to help support a thriving local economy and deliver value for money for the communities we serve. To protect vital services and significant demand in services, the council has reluctantly decided to a Council Tax rise of 2.99%. While this rise in line with inflation, it equates to 85 pence per household per week for a Band D property. Coun Jackson added: ”We’re still very much ambitious for our future, and for the future for the people of Northumberland, and our capital programme of £588m is the biggest ever delivered in the county. “Over the coming years we pledge to continue investing in Northumberland’s future and making sure we get a fair deal for the whole county - one that works for everyone.”

More than £750,000 in cash and suspected Class A drugs has been seized by police after raids in Gateshead this week. The raids were conducted by officers from Northumbria Police on Monday following an intelligence-gathering operation into the suspected supply of Class A drugs in the North East. During the operation £250,000 in cash and more than 5kg of what is believed to be cocaine was seized which has an estimated street value of more than £500,000. Detective Inspector Don Gibson, who has been leading on the operation, said it was satisfying to be able to take a significant amount of what are believed to be Class A drugs off the street. He said: "We have carried out months of intelligence gathering into suspected drugs supply and this has enabled us to seize a significant haul of what is believed to Class A drugs. "It is believed to be cocaine and so what we have seized could be worth as much as £1 million which is one of the biggest seizures we have had. "Illegal drugs have a huge impact on our local communities whether that be through the supply itself or the associated violence and disorder that comes with it. "Our officers will continue to gather intelligence on any suspected illegal activity and would encourage the public to report suspicious behaviour to us. "By working together to take illegal substances off the streets, we can continue to make the Northumbria area a safer place for residents and visitors alike." During the raids four men and one woman were arrested by police and this morning the four men were charged in connection with the seizures. They appeared before magistrates in Bedlington today charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. Three of the men were remanded in custody until the next hearing at Newcastle Crown Court while a fourth man was released on bail. The woman arrested following Monday's operation has been released under investigation.

Visually impaired Bedlington Station resident Jean Scrowther is searching for a volunteer sighted buddy to accompany her and her guide dog Bess to do a Lidl shop, sometimes pop for a coffee and occasionally go to Morpeth on a market day.

Moving tributes have been paid to a top Northumberland badminton player who has died at the age of 85. Lynn Lacey, nee Jordan, represented the county for around 25 years and won a string of tournaments, but also went on to become a good tennis and golf player. Her real name was Lydia. However she became known in the sporting world as Lynn after her name was misspelt on a team sheet when she was a teenager and the wrong name was subsequently used in press reports about her. Lynn, of Bedlington, has now died after a battle against cancer. Her funeral took place on February 13. Her husband Tom Lacey has paid tribute to her and spoken of her long and successful sports career. Lydia was born in Walker, Newcastle, and was the youngest of five siblings.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of Sunday pub roast-guzzling, it’s that a beautiful exterior is no indicator of the quality of grub that lies within. The General Havelock is a boozer that reminded me not to judge too much on appearances; the place might not please the eye, but its Sunday dinners certainly please the stomach. The pub has neither a spectacular location, situated as it is close to the A189 Spine Road near Blyth, nor, it has to be said, a well-kept air, with its peeling paintwork on the windows, rather battered furniture and visible mould in one corner of its restaurant. A slight smoky haze, presumably from the kitchen, pervaded both the pub and restaurant section, and I even discovered the lock in the cubicle in the gents’ toilets wasn’t working. However, if you don’t mind your pubs being a bit rough around the edges, the General Havelock’s food will more than make up for what it lacks in the way of refinement. You’ll have to be happy to launch straight into your roast, as there are no starters served – and no other choice of main course. A standard-size pork, chicken or beef meal is £7, or you can opt for a small one for £6. Choosing lamb adds £1 to the bill. I was unsurprised when Mrs E ordered beef, having noticed that particularly wanton look that she gets in her eyes when she hasn’t had any of the stuff for a while. I, on the other hand, struggled to make a decision, so appreciated being offered the option of a bit of all the meats by our friendly server.

Northumberland County Council is backing a flagship campaign to get up to half a million people out and about cleaning up their local communities this March. The Great British Spring Clean is a campaign with a simple aim: to bring people across the country together to clear up the litter that blights our towns, villages, countryside and beaches. Litter remains a huge problem across the country, causing harm to the environment and wildlife, with councils in England having to spend over £700 million on street cleaning services every year. Running from 2 to 4 March, and promoted by Keep Britain Tidy, the Great British Spring Clean wants to inspire hundreds of thousands of people to get outdoors, get active and help clear up the rubbish that lies around us. Northumberland County Council will be encouraging and supporting groups and individuals who want to ‘do their bit’ to help clear up the litter from streets, parks and beaches. Officers will be on hand to give advice, and essential equipment can be loaned to groups who want to collect litter. Council teams can also arrange to pick up the bagged waste afterwards. An ‘environmental prize’ that supports community clean up activity will be offered by the council to the group which collects the most litter during the Great British Spring Clean weekend, with their prize presented at the annual Love Northumberland awards. Last year’s winners received a Superbin, a large steel litter bin with a storage compartment for volunteers litter picking equipment. Councillor Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for the environment and local services, said: ‘We are justifiably proud of our beautiful county and are determined to keep it that way. “We are delighted to be supporting the Great British Spring Clean and encourage as many groups, individuals and organisations as possible to take part. “We can offer equipment, waste collection and all the advice and guidance that groups might need. Together we can make a real difference and clean up the environment on our doorsteps.” If you would like to loan equipment such as litter pickers, hi-visibility vests, gloves and rubbish bags you should email nicola.wardle@northumberland.gov.uk or phone 01670 622997 by Friday 23rd February. To find out more about campaign, and register your event visit www.greatbritishspringclean.org.uk

Two Northumberland firefighters found themselves saving a life outside the county as they made their way to a training course. This morning (February 16), NFRS Firefighters Paul Cameron and Tom Oliver were on their way to an Initial Boat Operators Course on the River Tyne at Newcastle Quayside. En route they came across a crashed car. They then performed CPR on the driver, who it's believed may have suffered a cardiac arrest, until paramedics arrived. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark McCarty said: "Paul and Tom acted in the best tradition of the emergency services when they came across this incident and their quick thinking and professionalism helped save the driver's life." Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service firefighters from Colby Court also attended and made the scene safe for the general public and all other road users.

A Bedlington resident is hoping to succeed as an author following the publication of her first novel.

An online campaign which helped to share Northumberland residents’ love for their local parks has won a national award. Northumberland County Council ran the campaign last July, and it has now been recognised as the best in the UK by national environmental campaign charity Keep Britain Tidy. The Love Parks Award recognises an outstanding event or campaign that ran during Love Parks Week 2017, and Northumberland was awarded the top prize at Keep Britain Tidy’s annual Network Awards last Thursday. The Love Parks initiative aims to ensure that residents and visitors use local parks and protect these important green spaces, and the award was open to entries from all local authorities in England and Wales. Northumberland County Council ran a social media campaign to promote how great Northumberland’s parks are and to highlight why residents and visitors ‘Love’ their local parks. Cllr Glen Sanderson cabinet member for environment and local services said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this national award. “People tell us on a daily basis how much they enjoy parks and green spaces across the county - and it was extremely good to be able to highlight so many of those reasons through this campaign. “I would like to sincerely thank all the residents and visitors who took the time to take part. It is a great credit to our parks and local services staff who maintain our beautiful ‘Green Flag’ parks to such a high standard and who have worked closely with our communications team to run a hugely successful campaign that was so highly commended by the judges.” At the award ceremony, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton said: “Each year, our award winners show just what is possible when people have the passion and commitment to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep. “This year is no exception and I would like to congratulate them and thank them all for their incredible work.” During the Northumberland campaign photos and videos were posted on social media each day, building a colourful campaign which demonstrated the fantastic features of the 12 parks across the county that are managed by the county council. Thirty three posts gained a huge 42,059 impressions on Twitter and on Facebook seven posts and videos reached 146,855 people and were viewed 67,300 times. Things that Northumberland residents and visitors said that they love about local parks included meeting friends and family; dog walking; enjoying flowers, plants and green spaces; watching wildlife; enjoying water features such as lakes, streams and paddling pools; and taking part in sports and leisure activities like bowls, football, cycling and play. You can view a video about Northumberland’s Love Parks campaign here.

Are there any areas of land near you that you think could be developed to improve your community? Northumberland County Council is calling for people across the county to put forward sites that they think could be suitable for future development. As part of producing a new ‘Northumberland Local Plan’ for the whole of the county the council is giving people an opportunity to suggest sites for potential use. This ‘call for sites’ will help the council to understand where land could exist for a range of possible future purposes and will add to information already held by the planning team. Sites which could be used for housing, economic development such as business units, or for mineral extraction, will be particularly welcomed. Those which might be used for retail, leisure or other types of development will also be considered. They could include vacant or derelict land and buildings, surplus public sector land, agricultural land, and areas which might present additional opportunities for development within existing settlements. The county council is preparing a new county-wide local plan. The new full plan will set out both the strategic and detailed policies that will guide future growth and development across Northumberland over the next 15 to 20 years. Councillor John Riddle, cabinet member responsible for planning at Northumberland County Council, said: “We are preparing a new local plan for Northumberland which will not only set over-arching planning policies for the future but include detailed land allocations for future development. “We are therefore calling on communities across the county to come forward with any sites that they think might be suitable for development that will enhance the future of their area and the county as a whole. “The council already has a lot of information about sites, but we are extremely keen that this plan meets the aspirations of all residents and communities and so we are inviting everyone to put forward their ideas. “Once we have gathered all this information and assessed it we will then consult on them widely as part of the local plan.” Landowners, developers, agents, local residents and other interested parties are asked to put sites forward for consideration by 5pm on Monday 12 March 2018. The best way to submit information about sites is an online form which can be found at www.northumberland.gov.uk/localplan. An accessible form can also be downloaded, completed and returned to the Council and printed copies are being made available in each of the council’s customer information centres across the county. After this period of consultation, the council will consider and review all of the information received and use it to inform the process of selecting sites that will be proposed for future development in the plan. A draft version of the new local plan will be published for public consultation later this year.

Northumberland County Council is holding a State of the Area Debate on Tuesday 20 February from 3pm in the Council Chamber at County Hall in Morpeth. Cllr Peter Jackson, Leader of the Council, will set the scene before introducing Cabinet colleagues who will briefly speak about the current challenges and opportunities for the county, to stimulate discussion. A public debate will take a ‘Question Time’ style format, facilitated by the Business Chair Cllr Richard Dodd. The meeting will be open to all, and questions from members of the public or councillors can be submitted in advance or will be taken from the floor on the day. The event is expected to run until around 4.30pm. Anyone wishing to submit questions in advance should send them to democraticservices@northumberland.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday 16 February 2018.

Campaigners have spoken of their delight after it was announced that an option to remove a key structure at Humford Country Park in Bedlington is now off the table.

Teenager Bethany Fisher died after Jordan O'Donnell crashed his car on a residential street in Bedlington