Continuing last week's coastal theme, Environment Editor Tony Henderson talks to an artist who knows every nook and cranny along the region's shoreline.

When artist Ron Thornton read last Saturday's report in The Journal about a pioneering management plan to protect the Northumbrian coast, he could not have been more pleased.

For Ron has devoted a lot of time and energy over the past two and a half years on the North East coastline.

In the Second Division of the Northern Alliance, leaders Amble took a weakened side to face hosts Newcastle BT and paid the penalty in the form of a 4-0 defeat.

The BT lads had drawn their three previous home games, but soon set out their stall in this one with both Greg Palmer and Anthony Stobbs finding the net within 15 minutes of the kick off.

Richard Beverley increased the lead on the stroke of half-time before Neil Clubbs scored his first goal for six years to complete BT's tally.

People in a Northumberland seaside town are being invited to a meeting tomorrow night to discuss controversial plans for a new supermarket.

The Duke of Northumberland's estates was given outline planning permission in May to build a supermarket and 49 homes on land at Amble.

Since then, there has been a groundswell of opinion in the town that people were not consulted properly prior to that application being approved.

A strategy which is a UK first aims to protect one of the best coastlines in Britain. Environment Editor Tony Henderson reports.

A pioneering management plan has been launched for a coastline hailed as a national treasure.

The strategy, unveiled at an event in Berwick before more than 60 representatives of a wide range of organisations and groups, covers the Northumberland Coast area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site (EMS).

Health care chiefs have given the go ahead for a £200m investment in services in Northumberland, including a new emergency care hospital on the outskirts of Cramlington.

Wansbeck and North Tyneside hospitals will see significant investment while community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle will be rebuilt.

The package of measures was approved yesterday at a meeting of the NHS North of Tyne Trust.

With a game in hand in the Northern Alliance Division One, second-placed Amble United are only four points behind Gateshead Rutherford as they aim for a second successive promotion.

The Seasiders, who have won six of seven home games to date, kept the pressure on their rivals by beating struggling visitors Seaton Burn 4-0.

Brad Wake and Ron Warwick were on target in the opening half, with later goals added by Brent Aisbitt and Greg Dance, who scored from the spot in the 59th minute.

The Amble lifeboat crew rescued a man who suffered head injuries after falling out of bed when a wave hit his ship.

The man, thought to be of Asian origin and in his late 20s, was on board the survey vessel Fleur de Lys which was working nine and a half miles east of Amble Harbour in the early hours of yesterday.

A large wave hit the boat unexpectedly, throwing the man out of his bunk bed. He suffered a cut to his head, which was bandaged.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service is taking to the road to attract new recruits.

A series of events are being held across the county to inform people of career opportunities with the service.

Moves are being made to re-open a North East pier which closed more than a year ago following floods.

The pier at Amble has been out of bounds since September last year when flooding caused severe damage to part of the town harbour.

The pier is popular with locals and visitors alike - particularly dog walkers and fishermen - and its closure has caused unrest in the town.

With the damaged section of harbour still sealed off more than a year later, steps are now being taken to restore access to the pier.

A temporary access from the neighbouring Little Shore is to be created in the form of a ramp or bridge.

Northumberland's council has been chosen as one of nine in the country to take part in a pilot scheme on local authority performance.

Northumberland County Council has been awarded £100,000 to help it take part in the project, which aims to help authorities tailor their services to meet customers' needs.

Over the coming months the council will be speaking to its staff, customers and partners to find out how it is performing, particularly in the areas of planning, neighbourhood services and children's services.