POLICE are treating the death of a man in the North-East in the early hours of today as a murder.

Officers were called to an address in Beechbrooke, Ryhope, Sunderland, following reports of an assault, shortly after 3.30am.

A badly injured man was taken to Sunderland royal hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

A Northumbria force spokeswoman said: "This is being treated as a murder inquiry.

"The investigation is in its very early stages and this is all we know, at present."

Further information is expected to be revealed about the incident and the victim, later today.