The Stephen Carlos Nott

12/08/2026

OK theres no solar eclipse where I smell

Just light and beer in my compound tent city
In the northern forests

12/08/2026

If that's an eclipse. I'm a pink Wilderbeast

There lying to us

10/08/2026

Everyday rip-offs cost people money and make life harder. So we’re stepping in.

Andy Burnham’s Labour Government will crack down on fake discounts and make it easier to cancel subscriptions that are easy to join, but a nightmare to leave.

10/08/2026

OPINION: We don’t usually offer opinions. That’s not what ShoutAbout Local is about. We report the facts and let people make up their own minds.

But after three weeks of covering the nurdle spill, one thing has become impossible to ignore.

Nobody seems to be in charge.

We’ve had the North East Mayor Kim McGuiness saying she doesn’t have the powers to deal with the situation and calling on Government agencies to do more.

We’ve had Tynemouth MP Sir Alan Campbell, who sits at the heart of Government, saying he didn’t want to comment publicly until he was satisfied he had all the facts.

We’ve had North Tyneside’s Elected Mayor Karen Clark saying the Council is doing everything it can, while being able to deploy just 16 additional staff to support hundreds of volunteers because we all know council resources are stretched.

So where does the power actually lie?

How can an environmental incident affecting multiple council areas, our coastline, our river, tourism, wildlife and local businesses not have one organisation clearly in charge with the authority and resources to coordinate the response?

Instead, responsibility appears to be scattered between councils, the Port of Tyne, the Environment Agency, Defra, the North East Combined Authority, Government departments and others.

This isn’t because of the people in these positions themselves, we’re absolutely sure Karen, Alan and Kim are doing everything they can. It’s the system that’s wrong. It’s bloated, confusing and appears ineffective.

The one thing that has stood out above everything else is the response from ordinary people.

Hundreds of volunteers have given up evenings, weekends and holidays to protect our coastline. They’ve organised themselves, turned up day after day and, quite frankly, have become the driving force behind this clean up.

If there’s one positive to come from this, it’s the incredible community spirit we’ve witnessed.

But once the beaches are clean, there needs to be a serious conversation about who actually has the power to lead when something like this happens again - because the current system doesn’t seem fit for purpose.

People get frustrated with politicians but it seems to us that most of the blame lies with the confusing system and structure that makes it impossible to anyone to take control and make things happen.

10/08/2026

🚨Andy Burnham set to U-turn over early release of PC Harper’s killers

Andy Burnham is reportedly preparing to “explore every option” to prevent the killers of PC Andrew Harper from being released early from prison.

The move comes after hundreds of thousands of people backed a petition calling for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to remain behind bars.

PC Harper was killed while responding to a burglary in Berkshire in 2019, after being dragged behind a vehicle.

10/08/2026

NURDLE SPILL EMERGENCY BRIEFING
Thursday 13th August, 6.30-9.00pm
Stay informed. Get involved. Help protect our beaches.

What’s going to be covered:
🔹 Expert Updates: Hear directly from Fidra, Volunteer Coordinator Olly, Roy from Nurdle UK, and updates on Council cleanup efforts.
🔹 Global Insights: lessons from other spillages, common pitfalls, and effective strategies.
🔹 The Next Phase: what this looks like and what choices our community faces moving forward.
🔹 How You Can Help: practical steps on how you can make a direct impact.
🔹 Community Voice: submit your questions to local elected representatives when you sign up.

Venue: Cullercoats Methodist Church or online Streamed by ShoutAboutLocal.

Register on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tynemouth-nurdle-beaches-emergency-briefing-tickets-1996344733839?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Please register in advance. The form will ask you to select whether you'll attend in-person or online so that capacity at the venue can be properly managed.

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

With Christina Randall – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

06/08/2026

Looks whats booked in for 2027 !!! ❤️