THE Duke of York visited the region yesterday to open three projects.

Children waving Union flags welcomed Prince Andrew to the new Rosebrook Primary School, in Stockton.

He was greeted by the Mayor of Stockton, Councillor Colin Leckonby and the chief constable of Cleveland Police, Sean Price, before meeting staff and pupils on a tour of the school.

The Duke, who is fourth in line to the throne, watched children learning about snakes and rats. He then visited Dinsdale Court, in Middleton St George, near Darlington, to look at a £3m sheltered housing complex.

The building, which includes 22 flats, was completed in October last year.

Prince Andrew’s final stop was to Kromek’s new headquarters in NETPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham.

NETPark has been home to Kromek, best known for pioneering an airport scanner that can identify liquids in bottles, including explosives, alcohol and narcotics, since 2004.

The company has moved to one of three new buildings on the site, developed at a cost of £10m, to house the global headquarters of science and technology companies.

Arnab Basu, chief executive, said: “The new headquarters signals a prosperous, long-term future for the business.”