STAFF have spoken of their shock after it was revealed that two well-known regional TV news presenters are being axed.

Tyne Tees TV presenters Jonathan Morrell and Philippa Tomson, who front the Tyne and Wear and Northumberland broadcasts of North-East Tonight, will step down from their roles in February, it has emerged.

Ian Payne and Pam Royle will become the station’s anchors.

A source at Tyne Tees said: “We are devastated at this news. Jonathan and Pip get good ratings and so this has come as a shock to many of us.

“It is good news for Pammy, who is obviously a well-known face here too, and I think everyone wishes her the best of luck.”

The changes come in a wave of redundancies, with all presenters asked to reapply for their jobs and be re-interviewed.

The revamp of ITV will see Tyne Tees and Border merging, with the loss of 91 of the 168 staff, including journalists and production staff, in the two regions. More than 50 staff at Tyne Tees may face redundancy.

There will be a cutback in news regional bulletins and the main evening programme will carry news from both regions – Border covers Cumbria, the Isle of Man and southern Scotland.

The company says it needs to make savings of £40m because of the downturn in advertising.

Mr Morrell, 38, has fronted North-East Tonight since 2005, when popular presenter Mike Neville left the screen due to ill health. Mr Morrell and Ms Tomson officially took up their posts in the autumn of 2006.

Ms Royle, along with Mr Morrell, had been the mainstay of fronting North-East Tonight when Mr Neville fell ill in the summer of 2005, with other journalists also presenting the programme during his absence.

Tyne Tees moved from its City Road premises in Newcastle to Television House, near Gateshead’s MetroCentre, in November 2005.

An ITV spokesman last night said he could not comment on individual cases.

He said: “We are still engaging in consultation with all of our ITV regional staff, across the country. That process is ongoing and we will make an announcement in due course.”