Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will today bring to a close the Government's ''Your Say'' information campaign on England's first elected regional assembly - after just three weeks.

The field is now left open for the campaigners from the respective ''Yes'' and ''No'' camps to go head to head before voters go to the polls on November 4.

As part of the Deputy Prime Minister's closing two-day tour of the north east, he will visit key regional cultural icons in Sunderland, Northumberland and Middlesbrough and take part in the last Your Say debate.

The north east is the only region in England going to the polls after problems with the all-postal voting in the local elections in the north west and Yorkshire & Humber regions.

The ballot in the north east could be the last using all-postal voting as the Electoral Commission condemned its use and recommended the Government use an alternative method.

Mr Prescott will bring the three-week campaign to a close by visiting the National Glass Centre in Sunderland and English Heritage's Corbridge Roman Village in Northumberland.

He will also see one of Middlesbrough's best landmarks - the Transporter Bridge - and take part in the final Your Say debate at the University of Teesside.

The stage will then be set for the rival campaigns to battle it out before for the referendum.

Only this week, Yes4theNorthEast, who are likely to become the official flag bearers of the Yes campaign, published a poll saying voters were likely to back plans for the assembly.

The poll shows support for a Yes vote is running almost 2-1 ahead of the No vote with 48% of those likely to vote saying they intended to vote Yes compared with 27% voting No.

A quarter of respondents are still undecided as to how they will vote.