THOUSANDS of people in the region enjoyed free bus travel yesterday - but European Car Free Day proved a little tricky for some.

Claims were made that Newcastle city councillor Kevan Jones, in charge of development and transport, was the victim of a dirty tricks campaign by environmental protestors.

Bogus notices were left on car windscreens in the city on Thursday night that streets were going to be closed to mark the event and that the Metro train service was offering free travel.

The notices carried the Newcastle City Council logo and Coun Jones' telephone number.

A council spokesman said the hoax may have been sparked by the ruling Labour Party's refusal to close Percy Street, the main access to the Haymarket Bus Station, to mark the car free day.

Labour members said the motion put forward by Liberal Democrat councillors was "unfeasible".

Meanwhile, members of the Reclaim the Streets Group held a protest march through Newcastle yesterday afternoon.

About 7,000 free bus tickets were handed out on Wearside to encourage regular drivers to leave their cars at home and take public transport instead.

Sunderland was the only city in the North-East to take part in the event, with its Can You Live Without Your Car Day.

But city centre manager Chris Rawlinson was forced to hitch a lift by car from her home on the outskirts of Durham to the city's bus station before continuing her journey, so she could make an early morning photo call.

Sarah Hutton, marketing co-ordinator for city centre management, promised her boss had stuck faithfully to the rules for the rest of the day.

Several large organisations, including the city council and Sunderland University, encouraged staff to take part.

Sarah said: "We will be able to gauge the success of the day when we find out how many people took advantage of free bus passes. But the aim of the event was to raise awareness to put public transport at the forefront of people's minds.

"If we can encourage people to use their cars more sensibly then it will make a difference."

As part of European Car Free Day, children from Hudson Road Primary School, in Hendon, visited the city centre to carry out air pollution tests and a travel survey