Young people growing up in parts of the North East are more likely to end up with lower grades, qualifications and pay than people in the South, a new report says.

Those growing in former mining, industrial and shipbuilding areas, or rural and coastal places including the likes of County Durham, Northumberland and Sunderland have the lowest opportunities in the UK.

The findings, outlined in a new report by the Social Mobility Commission (SMC), show “stark” regional divides which “scar society.

It concluded young people growing up in these areas tend to end up with lower qualifications and lower pay. They are more likely to end up in what it described as working-class jobs than young people from the same socio-economic background who grew up in parts of the country with better social mobility, the report said.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving opportunities, as each place has its own particular challenges,” said Alun Francis, SMC chair.

“A common theme is economic opportunity and the quality of jobs across the country, but there are also deeply entrenched issues around educational underperformance among families and communities which are more acute in some places than others.”

Social mobility is the link between a person’s occupation or income and that of their parents, moving up or down through the generations.

Parts of London and the Home Counties had the most favourable outcomes looking at qualifications, hourly earnings and jobs taking their background into account, compared to Gateshead which had some of the least favourable outcomes, the report said.

It added that areas with good transport links to big cities appeared to be the key to better social mobility, like in Manchester.

Meanwhile, Kim McGuinness told the Echo her central mission as North East Mayor is to break down barriers so “stayers” like her didn’t have to leave the region chasing better prospects.

She said: “I'm under no illusion as to the scale of the challenge, and I will work with the Government and the region's business community, and use every power at my disposal, to turn this around.

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“This report underlines just how vital it is that we tackle poverty and break down barriers to opportunity across the North East - that's my central mission as Mayor and I'm determined that young people should not have to leave the region to enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling career.

“That hard work starts now, and we've already taken steps through schemes such as MADE North East, which will train the next generation of skilled workers in automotive, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing.

“I want to go much further and will do everything in my power to connect people to the opportunities we're creating in the high-pay, high-skill jobs of the future.”