Frustrated politicians are to renew demands for full dualling of the killer A1 through Northumberland - although the chances of major improvements in the next 10 years appear increasingly remote.

The long-running issue of upgrading the Morpeth to Berwick section of the road - described yesterday as an "absolute national scandal" by a senior councillor - has resurfaced following critical comments made last week by north Northumberland coroner Tony Brown.

Speaking after inquests into two accidents which claimed the lives of three drivers on single-lane stretches of the road, he said further preventable deaths were inevitable unless the 45-mile stretch was made continuous dual carriageway.

Seaweed will definitely be off the menu next week (Saturday) for five National Trust wardens.

The Journal reported on Thursday how the wardens had been marooned on the Farne Islands by high seas off the Northumberland coast for 15 days with food and water supplies dwindling.

With no foodstuffs such as bread, potatoes, sugar, cereals or margarine, the men had resorted to frying kelp with lentils.

Northumberland Theatre Company (NTC) is to take The Last Snow Rider by Ann Coburn round village halls and small arts centres across the country this winter, beginning tonight.

The play will be at Seahouses First School on the 27th January at 7.00pm.

The cast includes NTC regulars Kim Evans and Gemma Clough and newcomers William Reay from Bellingham and Christopher Ranson.

Visit www.northumberlandtheatre.co.uk for a full list of performances and contact details for tickets.

Santas on sand raised money for ill children in Northumberland in a special charity race.

More than 50 runners donned Father Christmas outfits and ran the six or seven miles from Seahouses to Bamburgh Castle and back last weekend.

They were raising money for Chin-Up, and early indications suggest they raised about £1,200.

A cracking contract win means free range eggs from Northumberland will be on sale in Tesco branches in the region, as Katharine Capocci reports.

Northumberland-based Sunny Hill Free Range Eggs has been awarded a contract to supply six North East branches of Tesco stores.

Run by sisters Christine Jackson and Catherine Armstrong, Sunny Hill Eggs is one of the North East's largest producers of free range eggs.

Fried seaweed was on the menu yesterday - and for the foreseeable future - as National Trust wardens began their 15th day trapped on the Farne Islands.

This is the longest ever spell for wardens being marooned on the islands off the Northumberland coast.

Normally the five wardens replenish their stocks either by visiting the mainland in their boat once a week or supplies being delivered by the bigger tourist boats from Seahouses.

Fresh fears were voiced yesterday over the perils facing motorists on the A1 in Northumberland following a head-on smash which claimed the lives of two drivers.

North Northumberland coroner Tony Brown said the A1 from Morpeth to Berwick was the "weakest link" in the road between London and Edinburgh because of its dangerous mixture of single and dual carriageway sections.

He predicted there will be more preventable deaths in the future unless the road is given a higher priority for upgrading and dualling.

Below is a sneak preview of how tourism bosses believe Northumberland's identity could be portrayed in the future.

It follows an announcement from Northumberland Tourism that it plans to "present a new face to the world" in 2010.

As part of a re-focussing of advertising and promotion the travel chiefs are aiming to lure more big-spending holidaymakers to the area.

Road safety campaigners have hit out after a speeding tailgater was spared jail. Paul Hogg was three times over the limit when he was clocked doing 100mph on the A1, centimetres behind other cars.

Safety campaigners have labelled his driving "appalling", warning he could easily have killed innocent people.

Last night they said it was "ludicrous" that Hogg was allowed to walk free from court yesterday.

They are as much a part of Christmas as mince pies and mistletoe.

This year more than six million turkeys will be devoured by families across the UK as part of Christmas lunch.

Birds from a farm near Belford are just some of those which are being reared in preparation for the big day.