THE Prime Minister came to the region's most marginal seat on Monday to applaud the North-East's economic record since he was elected.

But David Cameron added there is "still far more to do" to get the region's economy fully back on track.

The Conservative Prime Minister was speaking in the Stockton South whose Conservative Party MP James Wharton has a majority of just 332 and is the 19th most marginal constituency in the country.

Speaking at the Icon Plastics precision moulding factory in Eaglescliffe Mr Cameron was challenged by The Northern Echo on his Government's approach to cutting back on council funding and social welfare spending, which some argue has disproportionately affected the North-East.

One study, by Sheffield University, has claimed that the region has had a 19 per cent reduction in the number of public sector jobs - compared to ten per cent country-wide.

Mr Cameron responded by saying there are 47,000 more people in work in the region now compared to when he was elected.

He said the Government has invested in the North-East's Regional Growth Fund, which has received twice money as much as its London equivalent.

And he pointed to examples of job creation in the private sector, including the new Hitachi factory at Newton Aycliffe and the the Icons Plastic factory - where he was speaking - which has grown from having eight employees in 2010 to 38 now.

He said: "The North-East economy has, in some quarters, shown the fastest growth and also the fastest growth in exports."

Earlier in the day Mr Cameron met members of the public in Alnwick in the closely fought Berwick constituency but all did not go according to plan. One man with a ukulele serenaded him by singing that he should "f*** off back to Eton".

And one woman told the Tory leader - who has been criticised for personal attacks on his Labour counterpart: "I don't like the name calling in politics ... Be a good boy."