JULIA Breen has been appointed business editor at The Northern Echo.

The 26-year-old has been deputy business editor for the past six months and has worked at the newspaper for more than three years in a number of posts, including education correspondent and as a Darlington area reporter.

She previously worked on the News & Star and Cumberland News newspapers, in Carlisle and West Cumbria.

Her predecessor, Mike Parker, left to work as a public relations officer at the North East Chamber of Commerce, based in Durham.