A FATHERS' rights campaigner who spent more than two days on the top of the Tyne Bridge today denied being a danger to passing motorists.

Simon Anderton, 49, appeared before Newcastle Magistrates Court charged with causing a danger to road users.

Anderton, accompanied by a security guard, appeared from the cells wearing a purple The Real Fathers For Justice T-shirt to face District Judge Stephen Earl.

Members of his family and colleagues from the protest group Real Fathers for Justice sat in the public gallery.

Anderton, of Meldon Terrace, Heaton, Newcastle, waved several times to supporters from the dock during the brief hearing.

He pleaded not guilty to the single charge and elected to be tried by a jury before Newcastle Crown Court.

The district judge refused an application for bail and remanded him into custody to appear via video link on June 27 for a committal hearing to the crown court.

As Anderton was led away he received a large round of applause from his supporters in the public gallery.

He scaled the Tyne Bridge in the early hours of Sunday and then unfurled a banner reading Happy Fathers Day.

Anderton then tied a dummy with its head in a noose - intended to represent a father - to the arch of the bridge.

He came down voluntarily on Tuesday evening when he was arrested following concerns about his health because he had no food and only a small bottle of water with him on top of the bridge.

Real Fathers For Justice was formed in 2005 and has similar aims to Fathers 4 Justice.

Both groups use high-profile stunts to attract attention to issues of fathers rights and campaign on behalf of men denied access to their children.