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Wearside and County Durham stories you might have missed

Andy Watson/BBC Jamie Whillians. He is standing in front of a production line of cars in the Nissan factory at Sunderland. His upper half is visible, and he is wearing a grey button up, with a Nissan logo on his left-hand side.Andy Watson/BBC
Jamie Whillians praised staff at Nissan's Wearside operation for their work on preparing for production for the new Leaf

A new direct train link to London, an update on a felled Christmas tree and complaints about a town's policing plans.

It has been a busy week on Wearside and County Durham.

Here are some of the stories you might have missed.

Celebration as town's first London trains pull in

Jim Scott/BBC Grahame Morris MP, left, and wearing a cap stands with Seaham's Mayor Margaret Levitt - wearing all black and with the chain office over her shoulders - and Chris Brandon from Grand Central in a dark suit and tieless light blue shirt. They are standing on the platform at Seaham where the yellow fronted Grand Central train has arrived. In the background, many people are holding up umbrellas.Jim Scott/BBC
Grahame Morris MP welcomed the new service along with Seaham's Mayor and Chris Brandon from operator Grand Central

The launch of a town's first direct rail link to London marks the start of a plan to boost tourism and "lift" the area up, according to its mayor.

Grand Central (GC), which runs services from Sunderland to the south, has started calling at Seaham where it will stop four times per day in both directions.

A celebratory event was held on the platform to mark the first time the County Durham town has been directly connected with London King's Cross.

The new stop, approved by Office of Rail and Road to initially run for a year, would take up to 35 minutes off the journey time to London, GC's director Chris Brandon said.

Man to face trial over chopped Christmas tree

Durham Police The large Christmas tree at Shotton Colliery which has fallen on its side. It has lights on it. There is a square black fence which is meant to be surrounding it, but the tree is over it on one side. There are a row of terraced houses behind it, outside which a silver car is parked. To the left is a road with a row of shops. The sky is grey.Durham Police
The tree in Shotton Colliery was felled on Wednesday night, shortly after its lights were switched on

A man is set to go on trial accused of cutting down a village Christmas tree hours after its lights were switched on.

The tree had stood in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, for more than 10 years and had been put up as a monument to the fallen soldiers of World War One.

But last Wednesday the tree was felled and left on its side over the fence placed around it.

Dylan McNamara, 26, of Bruce Glazier Terrace, Shotton Colliery, pleaded not guilty to a charge of criminal damage when he appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on Saturday. He has been released on bail ahead of a trial scheduled for 15 May 2026 at the same court.

Nissan begins building new Leaf in UK

A production line at Nissan's factory in Sunderland. The shell of the New Nissan Leaf is central in the image. There are no car doors, wheels, front bumper or back bumper. It is a green colour.
The new Leaf will be built in Sunderland and powered by batteries also manufactured nearby

Car manufacturer Nissan has started building its new electric Leaf at its UK factory.

The government said it was the first new high-volume car to be built in the country since 2020.

Nissan has invested more than £450m to manufacture the Leaf with more than £300m going directly to its site in Sunderland, which has 6,000 workers and is the UK's largest car factory.

Production senior supervisor Jamie Whillians said staff had worked "incredibly hard" over the past year in preparation for a new model that was "great for the plant, the region and staff".

Councillor hits out at police fire station plan

Google Street view image of Washington Police station, on the corner of two streets. It's a large, brutalist, grey building.Google
The move from Washington Police Station is due next year

A police force's plan to base some of its officers in a fire station has been criticised by a councillor.

Last week, Northumbria Police said Washington's neighbourhood policing team would move to the town's community fire station alongside firefighters from 2026.

It follows the force's announcement last year that Washington Police Station would be shut due to expensive renovation costs.

But Sunderland City Conservative councillor Antony Mullen said a town the size of Washington deserved a "proper police presence" and not simply some officers based at a fire station.

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