Local News

A man has been charged with two counts of robbery in Middlesbrough;

A large amount of illegal tobacco and vapes has been seized in a joint operation involving Middlesbrough Council and Cleveland Police;

...and an investigation has been launched after an acre of historic woodland was destroyed in a blaze.

A man has been charged with two counts of robbery in Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough CID have been conducting investigations into robberies reported at Morgans Bakery at Norfolk Place on 19th August and Coral Bookmakers on Prescot Road on 29th August.

The 38-year-old man is also charged with possession of class B drugs and theft from a motor vehicle.

He appeared at Teesside Magistrates Court yesterday.

A large amount of illegal tobacco and vapes has been seized in a joint operation involving Middlesbrough Council and Cleveland Police.

Middlesbrough Trading Standards were joined by counterparts from the regional serious organised crime unit in co-ordinated raids on a shop, two  residential premises and a car.

During the operation teams seized a large quantity of illicit cigarettes and vapes, Class A drugs, a quantity of cash and a large knife.

The haul included more than 37,000 cigarettes, nearly 2,000 vapes and nearly 300 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco with a combined value of more than £58,000.

The raid was the culmination of intelligence and surveillance which showed that illicit tobacco was being sold to order, with the goods being stored off-site in residential premises and vehicles to avoid detection by enforcement agencies.

The operation was supported by officers from Middlesbrough Council’s Environment Protection team and environmental services and a sniffer dog.

An investigation has been launched after an acre of historic woodland was destroyed in a blaze.

On Wednesday last week, fire crews attended a blaze between Egton Bridge and Glaisdale on the North York Moors after it spread over the dry woodland ground.

North Yorkshire Police say it spread after a campfire was not extinguished properly, with an investigation now underway.

The historic woodland had been burning for around three weeks before it was discovered. Fire crews from Scarborough, Goathland and Whitby stations attended to extinguish the fire and were joined by local estate volunteers, working for several hours ferrying water in difficult to access areas on steep terrain.

The public are reminded that camping in the North York Moors National Park is not allowed without prior landowner permission.

Everyone should take all their litter, camping equipment and other items home and refrain from lighting fires or barbecues, otherwise you may end up being prosecuted for a criminal offence.