A MAN has been charged and is due to appear in court after a social media video appeared to show someone “urinating” against a statue outside the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, leading to an arrest.

A police spokesperson today confirmed that a man is set to appear in South Tyneside Magistrates Court today following the incident.

Northumbria Police yesterday confirmed a man was arrested after the footage first began to circulate on TikTok, before making its way to Twitter over the weekend.

Read more: Man arrested after TikTok video shows man 'urinating' on statue at Stadium of Light

The footage shows a man appearing to urinate against the statue of former Sunderland AFC manager, Bob Stokoe and has promted outrage from football fans.

In a statement yesterday, a force spokesperson branded the alleged behaviour as “totally unacceptable” saying a full investigation is now underway.

They added: “We are aware of a video circulating on social media which appears to show a man urinating on a memorial outside the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

“This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable and a full investigation has been launched into the incident.

“A man has since been arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and remains in police custody at this time.”

The police spokesperson added that they “recognise that incidents of this nature can cause anger and frustration within our communities.”

They added: "We would ask everyone to please respect the ongoing investigation and refrain from anything that could jeopardise these live enquiries.”

The statue was erected in honour of the football, who was  in charge of the famous 1973 FA Cup winning team and Sunderland manager between 1972 and 1976.

Read more: This major Darlington road will be closed for more than a year - here's why

Mr Stokoe, who was born near Prudhoe in Northumberland and had also played for Newcastle United, passed away in 2004 at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

-------

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054