Skip to content

Wearside stories you may have missed

PA Media Charlotte Crosby attending the MTV Europe Music Awards 2024. Her long brown hair is in a ponytail.PA Media
Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby said she tightened her home security after a break-in

One in four Metro trains broke down this week and a Geordie Shore star spoke out about burglars breaking into her home.

Here are some stories you may have missed on Wearside this week.

A look inside Sunderland's medical cannabis boom

Inside Sunderland's medical cannabis boom

Six years after medical cannabis became legal in the UK, the industry is said to be booming.

Tucked away on an industrial estate by the River Wear is the UK's largest medical cannabis processing site.

Inside the lab, the smell becomes apparent.

The BBC followed one production line from Portugal to Sunderland to see the process up close.

One in four Metro trains broke down in one morning

Getty Images A Tyne and Wear Metro train. The train is travelling on the right hand side tracks towards the camera. A signal light showing red is on the left above a 15kmh speed limit sign.Getty Images
Seven of the regular 28 Metro trains broke down on Tuesday morning

Passengers were delayed on the Tyne and Wear Metro after a quarter of its trains broke down in a single morning.

A weekday Metro service is made up of 28 trains but seven were removed from service on Tuesday morning, causing severe disruption on the network.

Train operator Nexus said the breakdowns were mainly caused by power and brake faults.

We asked the company about when a new fleet of trains would be in service.

Geordie Shore star tightens security after a break-in

Getty Images Jake Ankers and Charlotte Crosby smiling on a red carpet. Jake has brown, short hair and is wearing an all-black shirt, suit and bow tie. Charlotte has long, curled brown hair and is wearing a long-sleeved black dress.Getty Images
Jake Ankers and Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby said they got patrol dogs following a break-in

Sunderland TV reality star Charlotte Crosby said she had tightened security at her home with patrol dogs after "scumbags" broke in.

The pregnant former Geordie Shore star said she was with her fiance, Jake Ankers, and her two-year-old daughter when masked burglars forced entry on 21 November.

Durham Police said it was investigating and the suspects had left the scene before officers arrived.

The competitive fighter putting her town 'on the map'

Kennedy Freeman, wearing a cream hoodie and holding her newly won World Championship belt, which is big and coloured gold, silver and steel, with the championship logo on it. She's standing in front of a screen with BBC Radio Newcastle written repeatedly all over it.
Kennedy Freeman is one of only two women to hold a Cage Warriors title

A competitive fighter says she feels like she has put Stanley, in County Durham, on the map by winning her first Cage Warriors mixed martial arts (MMA) title.

Kennedy Freeman beat Mafalda Carmona to become bantamweight champion at the event in Newcastle.

"I've got such a serious face when I'm in the cage and then, every time the announcer announces where I'm from the crowds just go crazy," she told the BBC.

Mum faces £1,000 bill to keep daughter walking

Amelie, who is strapped to a specialist device, has curly hair tied back and is holding her hands together as her mother looks on.
Amelie's syndrome was diagnosed two years after birth and affects her development and mobility

A mum from Consett, County Durham, said being unable to meet her daughter's needs "destroys" her heart.

Kayley Burns faces a bill of more than £1,000 per year to maintain vital equipment for her daughter Amelie who has a rare disorder.

The NHS said where people have long-term complex needs, "each situation is individually assessed".

You can read her story here.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]