BBC News Tyne & Wear

Police have appealed for information after a jogger was struck by a vehicle on South Tyneside.

The 54-year-old was taken to hospital suffering from serious injuries following the incident which involved a flat back lorry on Shed Lane in East Boldon at about 10:10 BST on Monday.

Witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage is asked to contact Northumbria Police.

A note paying tribute to key transport workers has been left on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The anonymous letter was found by cleaners on board a train at South Shields reads:“Thanks for Metro staff for working hard in this situation. We appreciate you. We love you all.”

Tyne and Wear Metro

The find comes just a few days after a seven-year old Kasie Williams left a letter for staff.

Hers read: "I really want to say thank you for still working hard in this bad times.

"If you didn't come to work my mum and me couldn't of got any food and supplies in.

"So thank you all you are fantastic!"

Customer services director, Huw Lewis, said:“These letters are a precious thing for us to share.

"I can't say thank you enough to the people who have taken the taking the time - and had the thoughtfulness - to write.”

Parks bosses in Newcastle have praised the public for following the government’s guidelines and staying home, with visitor numbers “very low”.

Newcastle City Council has previously issued warnings about too many people gathering on the Town Moor, but now say that the message on limiting the spread of Covid-19 “seems to be getting through”.

While there were reports of some people congregating around the Newburn Riverside area over the weekend, it's understood the incidents were nowhere near as serious as those seen in London, where thousands flocked to green spaces.

Urban Green Newcastle, the charitable trust that took over control of the city’s parks from the council last year, said it hopes to keep its green spaces open throughout the crisis.

Urban Green

James Cross, Urban Green’s CEO, said: “I’d like to thank the people of Newcastle, and indeed those outside the city that usually travel to our green spaces, for following government’s advice to stay at home.

“We performed regular patrols of our parks on Saturday and Sunday and found visitor numbers were very low".

Two men who claimed to have coronavirus and coughed at police officers have been jailed.

It follows an incident on Friday night in which officers attended a hotel in Whitley Bay to respond to a report of damage to a window.

Daniel Taylor was taken into custody and coughed in the face of a sergeant.

In a separate incident on Saturday evening, Marc Punton was stopped by officers on foot patrol in Gateshead town centre, and coughed and spat at one of them.

During separate appearances before magistrates both admitted assault of an emergency worker.

Punton, of Affleck Street, Gateshead, was jailed for 36 weeks and Taylor, of Helena Avenue, Whitley Bay, was jailed for 26 weeks.

Northumbria Police described the incidents as "despicable acts" which caused "a great deal of distress".