A television ghost hunting team claim they have found the identity of the spirit haunting a North-East lighthouse - and she has a very famous aunt.

In 1838, Grace Darling earned her reputation as the country's most celebrated maritime heroine when she rescued crew members of a sinking ship in treacherous conditions.

But now, more than 160 years later, a medium working with paranormal investigators on a satellite television series claims her niece, Isobella Darling, is still making her presence felt in a North-East lighthouse.

The Most Haunted team, led by former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding, spend 24 hours in "haunted" venues around the country, using a range of specialist equipment, trying to prove the existence of the supernatural.

On each occasion, they take with them spiritualist medium Derek Acorah (ok), who is given no prior knowledge of the venue or its history.

It was on a stay at Souter Lighthouse, near South Shields, that he claimed to make contact, not only with Isobella Darling, but also with a number of other spirits.

While viewers saw the team expecting to encounter a former lighthouse keeper, Acorah came up with Isobella, who was known from the 1881 and 1891 census records to have lived at the lighthouse at that time.

None of the previous reports of ghostly activities at Souter lighthouse had suggested her involvement.

Staff had reported spoons levitating, cold spots and the feeling of being physically grabbed, with much of the activity reportedly taking place in the kitchen and living areas.

As the medium walked into the living quarters, he claimed: "I get 'Isobella'."

Moving into the kitchen, he is asked by Fielding: "Do you know what's been going on here?"

After responding "things levitating", he claimed: "I see her. The way she's looking at us, she's not happy with us.

"She gets a big kick out of seeing the expressions of women folk, how they are responding to what she's trying to display."

After the stay, Fielding said: "It was quite exciting to know that we had discovered not just who was haunting Souter, but that she was famous as well."

In the office of property manager Nick Dolan, Acorah came up with another name, John, and said: "I feel as though someone who's been here has suffered deep depression."

The programme makers claim that name relates to a colliery worker who lived in the lighthouse compound in the late 1930s and died in that room.

Acorah also picked up on the fact the lighthouse had not been named Lizard. Although it is at Lizard Point, it could not be given that name because there is a Lizard Lighthouse on the South coast.

And he said a spirit was claiming to have one "down with the Chantress", which producers felt was a reference to the SS Eugina Candriss, a steamer which collided with the SS Exmouth nearby and sank in 1943.

Last night, Barbara Matheson, house manager at the lighthouse, said: "I think most people were fairly impressed, especially about the man called John. We knew that was a fact, because his son had been in and told us all about him.

"As for Isobella, we knew she lived here, but we didn't know she was still hanging around."

*Most Haunted is on Living TV on Tuesday and Sunday evenings.