A historic shipyard is being sold only four months after being mothballed.

A&P Tyne, in Wallsend, North Tyneside, which dates back to the 1800s, is on the market for an undisclosed price.

Unions said it was unlikely a buyer would come forward to take the site on as a going concern after A&P Tyne scrapped the yard's assets.

Newcastle estate agent King Sturge hopes to sell the site to another yard, but has said it would consider redevelopment if it did not find a buyer.

The yard closed in October after running out of work and bosses wanted to consolidate operations in Hebburn, South Tyneside.

At its peak, the yard employed more than 1,000 staff. When it closed, it had 350 staff, including contractors.

Billy Coates, regional organiser for the GMB, said: "We will be pressing them to come up to the market with a rate that would allow the likes of Swan Hunter and others to get in to use the yard to get into the ship dismantling business."

A&P Tyne managing director Fred Newman said if the right offer came, he would not rule out reopening the site.