A TELECOMS firm is investing £54m to bring 4G services to the North-East, just days after revealing 140 jobs are at risk.

Mobile phone company EE says its superfast 4G will be live in Darlington and Middlesbrough by the end of the year.

The company says 4G, which allows instant internet access, will be rolled out in Houghton-le-Spring and Chester-le-Street, both in County Durham, today (Tuesday, October 1).

Newcastle and Sunderland already have 4G coverage.

Bosses expect more than 50 per cent of the North-East will be covered by 4G this year, which will rise to 60 per cent early next year.

Earlier this month, EE, which is Darlington's biggest private employer, revealed it would make about 140 cuts to its administration and support staff departments.

The company is in consultation with about 200 workers across its sites in Darlington, North Shields, North Tyneside, and Doxford, Sunderland, but said any job losses will be made across the whole of its UK division.

In August, the firm, which operates the T-Mobile, Orange and EE brands in the UK, announced it was creating 100 North-East jobs by taking on full-time and part-time call centre and sales workers in Darlington and North Shields.