'Demolition man' on the Tyne

Mr Dibnah is renowned as an industrial historian

The country's most famous steeplejack has been brought in to start work on a development at the site of one of the last major remnants of the North's railway heritage.

Lancashire industrial historian Fred Dibnah was at hand to help fell the first bricks at the Ochre Yards in Gateshead.

A hotel, leisure club, offices, pub and 608 apartments are planned for the Gateshead side of the river Tyne, on what was the old North Eastern Railway station.

The Bellway Homes development is close to the High Level Bridge and will retain some of the brick facade of the old station.

'Beautiful bridges'

Fred Dibnah shot to fame in a 1979 television series where he was shown demolishing old factories, and restoring ancient machines.

Mr Dibnah said: "It is really good that they are preserving the area where you come in, by the beautiful railway bridges, and the old stone buildings, and cast iron window frames.

"Anybody who destroys anything made of stone should be prosecuted.

"It is not all beautiful, but it took a man all day to make one stone.

'Removing asbestos'

"Now the same thing can be done in five minutes with a few buckets of concrete."

Bellway Homes are developing the brown field site.

Spokesman David Thomas said: "We are not developing normal houses on a greenfield site in a normal way.

"We have got to remove asbestos, there is oil contamination, and the demolition work."