Tyne and Wear Metro demands passengers keep wearing face masks

Passengers using the Tyne and Wear Metro will have to wear face masks after national restrictions are eased on 19 July, its operator has said.

Nexus said the wearing of a mask at its stations and trains was a condition of carriage, apart from for those exempt.

North East Council leaders have asked for legal powers to enforce mask wearing on public transport.

The government has said people should continue wearing masks in crowded and enclosed spaces even after law changes.

A Nexus spokesman said customers may be refused travel if they do not wear masks, adding: "You should also wear face coverings when inside bus stations and interchanges or travelling on the Shields Ferry."

Customer services director Huw Lewis said: "We are all expected and recommended to keep wearing face coverings in busy indoor settings, including shops and on public transport.

"We will be encouraging customers to follow this advice when making journeys and we will have extra teams out on Monday to talk with customers about why that's the right thing to do for everyone.

"We have made wearing face coverings part of Metro's Conditions of Carriage, unless you are exempt, and we will use that as a base to encourage people to do so in busy spaces. It has never been a legal requirement to wash hands regularly, but we've all been doing that and we should take the same approach to face coverings."

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