A CULT North-East poet has given up after years of trying to get his work published.

Andrew Tait, from Jesmond in Newcastle, reckons he has received nearly 1,000 rejection letters from publishers in the past 15 years.

The music teacher did manage to get his verse published in adult comic Viz, but that was only because he won a competition where the person who sent in the biggest bribe got their poem in print.

But conventional recognition has eluded Mr Tait, prompting him to stage a number of unusual publicity stunts over the years in a bid to get noticed by a publisher.

They include a hunger strike, a demonstration in Downing Street and a sit-down protest on the Tyne Bridge.

He also sent his efforts to famous poets and lyricists for feedback and has a large collection of replies from notable people such as current poet laureate Andrew Motion and his predecessor Ted Hughes.

But all failed to sway the publishers and he now has their refusal letters displayed on the hallway and stairs of his home.

Mr Tait, who first started trying to get published in the 1980s, has now decided to put his work on tape instead and has also started working on his autobiography.