THE North-East is braced to continue under Tier 3 restrictions as authority leaders suggest the situation has not changed since talks began earlier this week.

Today, meetings have been taking place between council and authority leaders across our region on what restrictions are likely to apply.

The Government are expected to formally announce which areas will go under what tiers in a statement tomorrow morning after addressing MPs tonight.

But this afternoon ahead of the decision, the Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said it was looking increasingly likely that the region will continue under Tier 3.

SEE MORE: Boris Johnson says Covid rules will still be relaxed for five days over Christmas

In a Facebook Live, he said: “There's lots of discussions going on over the next couple of days, (I) had a call this morning with the local council leaders and Public Health officials who are feeding into the process and we're making representations as well."

"If you want my honest opinion I genuinely don’t know, there’s a decision – the Prime Minister is chairing a meeting tonight to look at the whole of the country, to see what’s going to happen.

"I think they will end up leaving us in Tier 3. I will be surprised if many areas are reduced down to Tier 2, if any, in all honesty with London now in Tier 3."

Mr Houchen went on to say that he believed "everybody" is being "overly cautious" over the festive period.

He said: "I think everybody is being overly cautious about Christmas and I’m already seeing Scotland and Wales are not changing the rules – so three families can still meet over that five-day period but  are suggesting that people think otherwise and maybe reduce this down to two families."

"I hear there’s an announcement from Boris later today - but I suspect, I don't know, but I think we are going to be in Tier 3 for the Christmas period."

Mr Houchen added that health officials believed a move to Tier 2 may cause "hard work to be lost" and see the region placed back into Tier 3.

He said: "A move to Tier 2 is possible, our rates are coming down, people are following the rules – but the argument from health officials rather than politicians is that if we are going to relax the rules too much at this moment in time, all of the hard work will be lost and we will find ourselves back in Tier 3 – especially over the Christmas period and into New Year."

Meanwhile, council leaders in the North of the region - representing County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Sunderland, Northumberland, North and South Tyneside, are also said to be of the understanding that the region will remain under Tier 3.

SEE MORE: North-East 'likely' to remain under Tier 3 as restrictions relaxed over Christmas 

Sources suggest that "nothing had changed" since discussions between them, Communities Secretary Rob Jenrick and Government health officials, took place on Friday.