THE end of an era will be marked this weekend when the last shift switches off the lights at a North-East coastguard station.
The Tyne Tees station, at Tynemouth, is closing - a move which comes in the face of overwhelming protests, including a 60,000- signature petition to save it.
The nearest station is at Bridlington, Humberside, which will take over Tyne Tees' responsibilities, which stretch up to the Scottish border.
Objectors claimed lives would be endangered by the move _ but the government says that digital technology at Bridlington will enable watch officers to monitor a bigger area, at less cost.
The 24 staff at the station were offered the opportunity to transfer elsewhere. Six have taken up the offer, while the rest have taken early severance.
Staff will say their final farewells at the Rex Hotel, in Whitley Bay, tonight.
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