A £10,000 campaign on poor food hygiene is taking place across Teesside.

All five Tees Valley councils - Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, and Darlington - have been given the grant by the Food Standards Agency to combat poor hygiene.

The cash will be paid out over the next two years to help get the message across to residents.

A television advert featuring the perils of barbecued food and cross-contamination during hand washing will spearhead the campaign.

The advert will build on radio commercials carried throughout the North-East last year and will compliment a leaflet drop to food outlets in the Tees Valley.

Rob Llewellyn, Stockton Borough Council's principal environmental health officer, said: "Here we are continually pressing home the message about the importance of food hygiene across the board, from restaurants to schools, and this money will help us spread that message across Tees Valley.

"The television commercial gets the message home in an informative way, yet it does carry a humorous edge.

"It will air during the summer barbecue period when we traditionally see a rise in reported food poisoning."