Local News

Student police officers who helped return a stolen motorbike have been praised for pursuing masked suspects;

One of the largest single explosive demolition operations in the UK is due to take place on Teesside this coming weekend;

...and residents in our area are being reminded that advice, guidance and support for the cost of living crisis will be available to residents at an event in Redcar tomorrow.

Student police officers who helped return a stolen motorbike have been praised for pursuing masked suspects.

Four student officers from Cleveland Police were leaving a recent training day in Grangetown when they spotted a pair of men in balaclavas who were pushing a motorbike along the road outside the training centre.

The men abandoned the leaking motorbike in the middle of the road and made off and the student officers started their pursuit.

The group unfortunately lost the pair in a nearby field, but they contacted the force's control room to keep them updated on the situation.

Police trainers carried out further research and discovered the motorbike was stolen in a burglary a few days before, so they contacted the owner who arranged to collect his bike.

Now the group have received praise from police bosses for their quick thinking and prompt action.

One of the largest single explosive demolition operations in the UK is due to take place on Teesside this coming weekend.

Teesworks’ mammoth Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Plant will be entirely brought down by explosive demolition this Saturday.

The activity is considered to be one of the largest single explosive demolition operations in the UK in the past 75 years, with around 1.6 tonnes of explosives being used to level the 65-metre building.

To prepare the parcel of land for the blowdown, a £25m project has been carried out over the past 12 months to pull down a series of large industrial shed buildings and seven tall chimney stacks that made up part of the 30-acre steelmaking facility.

Major plant items and equipment have also been stripped out from the facility to prepare it for demolition.

The demolition will take place between 8am and noon, with three blasts over a seven second period bringing the 60,000-tonne structure down.

Tees Dock Road will be closed for a short time prior to and following the activity and, as with all demolitions on-site, dust suppression measures will be in place.

Residents in our area are being reminded that advice, guidance and support for the cost of living crisis will be available to residents at an event in Redcar tomorrow.

Organisations who will be on hand to support residents with guidance and information include Welfare Rights, Age UK Teesside, MECC Affordable Warmth, Beyond Housing, South Bank Credit Union, Redcar and Cleveland Citizens Advice, Footprints in the Community and Stop Loan Sharks England.

The drop-in session is taking place tomorrow between 1pm and 4pm at Coatham Memorial Hall.