THE North-East supplies many of the men who work off-shore, so it came as no surprise when it was announced yesterday that some of the victims of the Morecambe Bay helicopter crash came from our region.

Rig workers are a special breed of men, used to working in harsh conditions, conscious of the hazards of their job, and having to spend long spells away from their families.

Due to the decline of traditional industries in this part of the world, it is the only way many of them can earn a living. And while the financial rewards are significant, so are the sacrifices.

The victims - including Alfred Neasham, from Coxhoe, Keith Smith, from Stockton, and Leslie Ahmed, from South Shields - would have been looking forward to being home for the New Year after spending Christmas off-shore.

This would have been a terrible tragedy at any time, but it is particularly heartbreaking at this time of year.

Our prayers go out to the families who are having to come to terms with this terrible loss when they should have been celebrating the festive season and looking forward to the New Year.

Our thoughts are with the rescue workers who searched in vain for signs of life in the Irish Sea. How hard it must be for them.

And we are thinking of the army of rig workers - many of them from the North-East - who are off-shore now, many miles from home.