THE winner of the North-East battle for the next edition of the board game Monopoly is due to be announced tomorrow.

Maker Winning Moves has refused to reveal whether Durham or Sunderland won an e-mail vote, because the nation has been mourning the death of Queen Mother.

But company representatives will visit the region to announce which city and its landmarks will feature in the next edition, due to be produced in October.

Spokesman Graham Barnes said: "The moguls will be armed with big dice, a giant property card of the first landmark to come on board the new board and clipboards, which they will use as they immediately pound the streets of either Durham or Sunderland to ask locals who they would like to see take up residence on the Mayfair and Old Kent Road squares.

"E-mail addresses are being set up, so the great North-East public can poll nominations for these two coveted spots.''

The decision to launch a new North-East game comes on the heels of the success of the Newcastle and Gateshead edition, which hit the shops in 1998.

Durham and Sunderland emerged as the two most popular choices, ahead of Middlesbrough, Northumberland and Darlington, which polled the least of the five last year.

More than 5,000 votes were cast for the two cities as they went head to head for the distinction of appearing in one of the most popular board games.