A North-East river could one day be as romantic as the Danube or Seine.

That is the hope of the Tees Valley Tourism Bureau, which plans to launch a national campaign to promote the Tees as "un riviere d'amour".

A bureau spokeswoman said a total of 21 sites of outstanding romantic interest on the Tees had already been identified.

She said: "You'll have to wait for the details, but we're serious. We think the Tees is every bit as romantic as the Loire or Moselle."

The campaign will be launched next week and it is hoped it will receive national attention.