THE announcement that the North-East is the region likely to suffer the most from Brexit brought the predictable flurry of national media enquiries.

With the same voyeuristic fascination I imagine the Victorians visited Bedlam, the statistics brought them to our door searching for the horror. This followed Victoria Derbyshire and her programme’s 'look' at Redcar the day before, only interested in finding the grim and desperate to confirm their picture of the town decided upon before they left the M25.

It was one of the most inaccurate pieces I have seen.

It’s not often I get on the outrage bus.

I don’t read some daily national newspapers and can’t get worked up about EU straight bananas, wheelie bins or what might give me cancer this week.

However, this time, the keys have come out of the drawer and a quiet tut just won’t do.

So, in defence of Redcar and the North-East, the region I have come to love, I write the following to our national media:

Brexit will affect us. Our exports to that market are the highest of any region in the country.

That’s right, we export, we make things and we’re damned good at it.

Instead of looking for your imaginary impoverished Bedlam inmate, you should be asking what the Government is doing to get its finger out, particularly over Brexit, to give businesses the certainty they crave?

Protecting and developing this beacon of manufacturing benefits the whole of the UK.

The real story is how the North-East is a great asset, which could be even greater, being endangered by politicians.

Secondly, if you had bothered to turn the cameras 180 degrees, you could have reported on billions yes, billions of pounds of investment from private companies in Redcar creating jobs and putting this region on the brink of something really special.

It is a pattern repeated across the North-East and is something that should be celebrated.

And then let’s look at statistics, because we know you love them.

Any statistic can tell a story.

Redcar and Farnham, in Surrey, are towns of the same size and have similar primary school attainment stats.

All towns have good and bad some just don’t get repeatedly demonised in the national media.

Finally, if you must focus on something, hold our politicians to account.

Talk about the North-East, but use what is good and what could be made great by decent decisions.

Rant over, I’m off for a calm down.

Rachel Anderson is head of policy and representation at the North East England Chamber of Commerce