Local News

Nine men and a woman have been arrested in connection with a huge drugs and firearms investigation which has seen police seize Class A drugs, £30,000 in cash and a sawn-off shotgun;

Police are investigating what they are describing as a "deliberate fire" after emergency services cordoned off a Middlesbrough hotel;

...and hundreds of chemical workers across Teesside are planning a wildcat strike over a cost-of-living pay row - and are warning of widespread disruption next week.

Nine men and a woman have been arrested in connection with a huge drugs and firearms investigation which has seen police seize Class A drugs, £30,000 in cash and a sawn-off shotgun.

Three men from Whitby along with six other men and a woman from Manchester have been arrested on suspicion of a variety of offences including conspiracy to supply Class A (namely cocaine) and Class B (namely cannabis) drugs, money laundering and firearms offences. 

It follows a joint investigation involving the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit supported by North Yorkshire Police, Cheshire Police and Greater Manchester Police - after concerns were raised about drug supply and the use of firearms.

North Yorkshire Police has confirmed all 10 suspects are in police custody where they are being questioned by officers.

A number of searches have been carried out and officers have uncovered cash, mobile phones and other evidence believed to be linked to the supply chain.

Police are investigating what they are describing as a "deliberate fire" after emergency services cordoned off a Middlesbrough hotel.

Cleveland Fire Brigade and Cleveland Police were called to the Cambridge Hotel, in Acklam, on Wednesday to tackle a blaze. 

Firefighters cordoned off the entrance to the hotel, on Cambridge Road, and urged people to avoid the area.

Nobody was inside the hotel at the time of the fire which is believed to have been started in an outhouse and spread to the hotel at around 4.50pm.

A spokesman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said that there were no casualties as a result of the incident.

Hundreds of chemical workers across Teesside are planning a wildcat strike over a cost-of-living pay row - and are warning of widespread disruption next week.

Campaigners on sites across Teesside, from Wilton to Seal Sands, are set to walk out in protest over national pay rates.

They will be joined by thousands at refineries, factories and power plants across the UK. The unofficial strike action could see the return of huge traffic delays to major routes around site entrances.

Depending on the scale of the protest, congestion could be seen around Wilton, Teesport and busy Haverton Hill Road. Workers from a large number of sites are understood to be taking part in the walk-outs on August 10 - and are threatening further action every second Wednesday until a solution can be found.