Tune in to Merseyside Breakfast every weekday morning from 6am to 8.30am. Every day Lee Bennion and Claire Hamilton will keep you up to date with the latest news and sport.

We want your opinions on the big talking points of the day.

Call the programme on 0151 709 9333,

E-Mail merseysidebreakfast@bbc.co.uk

or text on 07786 209333.

Every week you can discover more about your area with our '50 Must do's on Merseyside'; stay up to date with the latest capital of culture news; get an in depth look around our local museums and of course avoid the jams with the all important travel news.

We hear what's going on in your area.. From St Helens to Southport..Wirral to Warrington. Take a daily look at what's making the headlines in the papers and sport pages. Plus all the morning's business news. And every day join in a quiz to test the morning brain matter, with great prizes to be won.

Lee Bennion

Lee grew up in Neston and went to school in Chester. He joined BBC Radio Merseyside in 1998. His career as a reporter got off to a good start when, on his way to a job, he filled the diesel powered pool car with petrol. The car somehow managed to splutter it's way to Aintree, where the interview was, and after the job Lee was towed back by those nice men at the AA. The true pro that he is, despite the adversity, the piece managed to make it on air. The car however needed a new engine!

Despite that, Lee kept his job and went on to do every job in the newsroom, except cleaner. Most recently he has been News editor but over the years has produced Morning Merseyside and was given a six month sentence with Roger Phillips. He managed to escape and spent a year working for BBC Network News in London. While in London Lee was sent out on stories all over the country from the Burnley riots to camping outside 10 Downing Street waiting for the prime minister to make a statement in the wake of Sept 11th. The lure of home was too much though and he headed back up North in 2002.

One of the highlights of his career was interviewing Paul McCartney during the Queen's visit to Liverpool. But he became totally star struck when meeting his childhood idols INXS for a Merseyside Tonight interview.

He is a long suffering Tranmere Rovers season ticket holder attending his first game at Prenton Park when he was seven. It was a 2-2 draw against Southend United in 1982 in the old fourth division, and was so exciting he fell asleep early in the second half. Despite this less than promising start Lee has travelled the country watching Rovers and cites the play off victory against Bolton at Wembley in 1991 as the highlight - as well as beating Everton 3-0 at Goodison.

Having recently realised he may not make the Rovers number 9 shirt his own Lee is currently trying to keep hold of his fast disappearing youth by learning to play the guitar (badly). Still thinks he's not too old to become a rock star. Spends a lot of time going to live gigs and takes a keen interest in the local music scene - and hopes the early mornings won't put paid to that!

As a small child Claire wanted to be Margaret Thatcher, then a ballerina and then Joan Jett. Sadly (or happily) these career options never quite panned out, so she opted for journalism instead.

Claire came to Liverpool ten years ago to study politics and fell in love with the city.

After graduating, she worked in a series of jobs - using her touch typing skills as a receptionist, switchboard operator and freelance journalist. After passing her driving test at the seventh attempt and completing a course in Broadcast journalism, she joined the BBC. Working as a reporter in Manchester during the Commonwealth Games and interviewing Sir Paul McCartney at the concert for George Harrison at the Liverpool Empire are among her career highlights. She has also dressed in a bee keepers suit and learned to morris dance.

Claire began presenting Merseyside Tonight on BBC Radio Merseyside in 2004, a year in which the area witnessed the murder of hostage Ken Bigley, the Boris Johnson debacle, the death of a Pope and the election of another - not to mention Liverpool's Champions League victory.

Her passion for music means she can often be found hanging around in the north wests music venues watching bands and wishing she'd concentrated harder when learning the drums at school. Unlike Lee - she isn't chasing this musical dream. Instead, she's taken up knitting.

Tune in to Merseyside Breakfast weekdays from 6am to 8.30am.