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The £17m vision for Northumberland County Hall

Northumberland County Council has unveiled plans to spend £17million on refurbishing its outdated headquarters.

County Hall in Morpeth , which was built in 1981, is set to have its interior updated to give it a new lease of life.

And once the work is complete, an entire wing of the building is to be rented out in the hope of generating income for the council.

More on the proposals.

Morning news

Here are our top read stories of the day.

1. Road rage menace created shocking scenes like ‘stunt driving you see in movies’ on A1 at Gosforth
   
2. Savage sex attack intruder has sentence cut - as he was not given enough credit for guilty plea
   
3. Marnie Simpson ‘quits Geordie Shore’ a day after branding show scripted and fake
   
4. Heartwarming: Rough sleeper gives up his own blanket to help get snow-stuck cars moving
   
5. Darren Bonner murder trial: Jury trying Richard Spottiswood discharged for legal reasons
   

Man playing dominoes attacked

Police are appealing for information after an assault in Sunderland.

At about 7.45pm on Sunday, January 14, police received a report a 55-year-old man had been assaulted at Dubmire Working Men’s Club, Chilton Moor, Houghton Le Spring.

The man was sitting playing dominoes with a friend when he was attacked, causing him to suffer a serious eye injury. The offender left the club and the victim returned home, before later receiving hospital treatment for his injuries.

Officers are now appealing for any witnesses to the incident and anyone who may know who the offender is.

Anyone with information is asked to ring Northumbria Police 101 quoting reference 631 160118 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Best snowy weather pictures

Were you happy to see the snow yesterday?

Or do you think it’s just a pain?

Whatever you think, the snowfall also makes for some great pictures.

Here are a selection sent in from out readers.

Will the snow return?

Will we see any more snow today?

Here’s where the showers will hit throughout the day.

An ice warning is in place now until 11am.

Rush hour under way

No specific problems to report on the roads this morning.

No breakdowns or collisions on the major roads so far.

It is busy though on the A1 Western Bypass, ht eA189 Spine Road and the A19 at the Silverlink Roundabout.

Stag and hen party firm unveils aparthotel plans

An aparthotel for stag and hen parties could open in Newcastle’s Cloth Market as part of plans being put forward by a Tyneside events company.

Last Night of Freedom Limited organises thousands of stag and hen weekends every year from its base in Gateshead, planning trips away to European including accommodation and activities for prospectives brides, grooms and their friends.

Now the firm, which organised 23,000 stag and hen parties in its first 16 years, hope to launch an aparthotel for “short stay leisure accommodation” in Honeypot House, set above the listed Beehive Hotel pub on the corner of High Bridge and Cloth Market.

Read more on the plans here.

New attraction at South Shields Pleasure Park

There will be a BIG new attraction at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields in time for its re-opening for February half term.

The popular seaside attraction has been closed since November but will re-open right on cue for the start of the first school break of the year on February 9.

And if you’ve been braving the elements and having a walk along the front in the past week or so you can’t fail to have noticed a large Ferris wheel going up.

More on the new addition.

Road rage menace's 'stunt driving' on A1

A road rage menace created scenes like “stunt driving you see in the movies” as he repeatedly rammed into the side of a van in shocking scenes on the A1 Western Bypass.

Lewis Jeavons was driving a Volvo when he became embroiled in a dispute with a hire van after joining the dual carriageway at Gosforth Park, Newcastle.

Other road users looked on in shock as Jeavons pursued the Enterprise van, speeding up to it and tailgating at up to 80mph.

More on the shocking driving.

Island crossing

You can now cross over to Holy Island this morning.

It will stay safe to use the crossing until 2.05pm.

Which schools are closed?

The following schools have announced they will be shut today after yesterday’s snowfall.

Durham:

• The Oaks Secondary School
• Castleside Primary School

South Tyneside:

• Helen Gibson Nursery School, with the exception of the cabin used for the two-year-old children which is to remain open.

Will Amanda Staveley end up buying NUFC?

Amanda Staveley remains committed to buying Newcastle United from Mike Ashley - and a £250million bid remains on the table despite the Toon owner’s indication that he no longer wants to talk to PCP Capital Partners.

The Chronicle has learned that despite Ashley’s stance on the deal, Staveley is still keen to make the deal happen and is prepared to show proof of funds.

More on the takeover latest.

Front page news

On today’s front page - who will make the next move in the Newcastle United takeover bid?

Two escape from house fire in Sunderland

Fire crews helped to put out a house fire in Sunderland yesterday evening.

Crews from Marley Park, Sunderland Central and North Moor were called out to a terraced house on Lyndhurst Terrace just before 6.30pm.

The fire was in a first floor bedroom and was put out using a hose reel.

A 25-year-old man and 51-year-old woman who were inside escaped before firefighters arrived.

The woman, who was suffering from smoke inhalation, was given oxygen and was taken to hospital by ambulance for a precautionary check-up.

The cause of the fire was accidental.

Beware of icy roads and paths

A yellow ice warning is in place across the North East until 11am this morning.

Untreated roads and paths will be slippery making falls more likely.

In the west of the region, there is also a warning of snow until 11.55pm, which could cause some delays and disruption.

Cold and frosty day

It will be a cold day with sunny spells, and scattered wintry showers.

Frost will linger over hills with some snow showers, especially on the Cheviots and Pennines.

Light or moderate westerly winds will strengthen over hills later. Maximum temperature 3C.

Good morning!

Hello and welcome to the breaking news blog for Friday, January 19, 2018.

We will be bringing you regular updates throughout the day of all the breaking news and sport.

We have pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Newcastle and North East traffic, weather forecasts, crime and council news too.

It’s Kathryn Riddell here and I’ll be keeping you updated on what’s going on across the North East including the latest on the roads for the rush hour.

It’s very icy on some paths this morning so take care.