CHRISTMAS stockings in the North-East will be bulging with goodies this year if spending projections are to be believed.

According to debit card company Switch, shoppers in the North will set cash tills ringing to the tune of £919 per person over Christmas.

While the rest of the country tightens its belt - spending £826 per adult on average, a fall of £7 on last year - generous North-East people are pushing the boat out.

In a random survey of 1,000 households, researchers found that children should be rubbing their hands with glee. Their biggest gift under the Christmas tree will cost nearly £110 on average.

According to financial expert John Dickinson, of Brewin Dolphin Securities, in Newcastle, the North-East's capacity for festive spending is well recognised.

He said: "The region is generally regarded for being quite a high spending community. A lot of people do not have mortgages, so they might have more disposable income to spend over Christmas.

"There is real money in the North-East. Northumberland Street, in Newcastle, for instance, is the most expensive place for rent outside Oxford Street in London."

Switch's head of marketing and strategy, Nigel Turner, says that the current climate, in light of the terrorist attacks on New York, has not affected Britons' determination to shop.

He said: "Despite the current international situation, consumer confidence seems to be stable in Britain over Christmas.

"This is comforting news for most sectors of the economy, although the travel industry is expected to be adversely affected."

Despite the positive outlook on the high streets of the North-East, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), had a different view.

It claimed that sales on the high street fell in October, for the first time since April 2000.

A sharp drop in business at clothing and department stores meant sales volumes across the retail sector fell 0.1 per cent below the level seen in September.

The fall is in line with city exceptions and is unlikely to trigger fears about a prolonged slowdown in consumer spending following the September 11 atrocities.

The ONS said the figures showed "much the same underlying growth" as those for September