MORE than 1,300 years on, what may be the nation's first flag flew proudly over the Tyne anticipating a new role.

Campaigners for a regional assembly are hoping the ancient flag of the King of Northumberland, King Oswald, who died in 642, will again become the preferred emblem of the North-East people.

Members of the Campaign for a North-East Assembly have produced the standard and designed four others in order to stimulate debate in the region about Home Rule.

The group will eventually choose one of the flags which, they hope, will symbolise the region if it is granted a regional assembly. That could happen if Labour wins the General Election.

As well as King Oswald's banner, the group's other options include: St Cuthbert's Cross, held in Durham Cathedral and used as a symbol of the region; Celtic and Scandinavian crosses to show the north as a meeting point of those cultures; the traditional version of Oswald's flag in red and yellow; and another flag designed by the late William Crampton for the Northern region in the 1970s.

"King Oswald's banner is our preferred option," said spokesman for the Campaign for the North-East Assembly Don Price. "It is the oldest flag in the whole country. But the St Cuthbert's Cross is the one which seems to be the most popular with the public so far.

"The strength of our regional identity is the strongest in England according to the polls and there is an increasing interest in the region's history and culture. For example, some 120,000 people came to see the Lindisfarne Gospels when they were displayed in Newcastle recently which was almost unprecedented."

Mr Price said three polls conducted in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Cleveland and Teesside showed that the public were roughly two-to-one in favour of having a regional assembly.

If Labour wins the election, it has pledged to establish an official discussion document on the options for a directly-elected regional government.

l TV personality Clive Anderson joined campaigners with the ancient flag on Tyneside yesterday. Last night, he was taking part in a Newsnight debate on regional assemblies in Newcastle.