MEN in blue trounced their plain-clothed colleagues in a five-a-side police football tournament that has helped raise about £4,000 for charity.

Seven teams from uniform and CID at Stockton police station, met at the Pavillion, in Thornaby, on Monday night, to battle it out in a series of matches that had the support of three top North-East clubs.

Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle all donated prizes for a raffle to aid fundraising, which, together with money from a sponsored walk, will go towards children's cancer research.

Detective Constable Warren Shepheard, who helped organise the matches, said the final was close fought, ending in a 4-3 win for the uniform team.

They collected a shield, which will be used for another series of matches later in the year.

Det Con Shepheard said: "The games have created a lot of interest, and the next tournament could see a guest team included.