MORE than a quarter of the electorate have cast their votes in the referendum for a regional assembly.

At close of play on Wednesday - day eight of the voting - a total of 487,939 ballot envelopes had been received, a return of 25.7 per cent.

The highest turnout by local authority area is still Redcar and Cleveland, where 32.6 per cent of the electorate have voted already, followed by Darlington, with 29.3 per cent. The lowest was Blyth Valley in Northumberland, where just 19.1 per cent have voted.

The focus of campaigns for both a 'Yes' and 'No' vote in the referendum appeared to switch this week, as debates about the actual issues were replaced with increasingly personal attacks.

Gordon Brown and John Prescott branded North-East Says No campaigners as 'London Tories' with no interest in the region. And on Wednesday, Middlesbrough mayor Ray Mallon marched up to 'No' headquarters in Owengate, Durham City, where he attacked its leaders for running a 'deceitful' campaign.

The 'No' lobby branded the attacks as childish and 'yah-boo' politics.

Turnout in County Durham so far: Chester le Street, 9,575 (22.3pc); Derwentside, 15,618 (23.3pc) and Durham City, 18,091 (25.5pc).