THE daughter of a North-East MP is due to appear in court within the next few days after an alleged drunken outburst at a Middle East airport.

Yvonne Bell, the daughter of Middlesbrough MP Stuart Bell, was charged with being under the influence of alcohol, making an insulting gesture at a police officer and using foul and abusive language.

Ms Bell, who works as a television producer for Reuters news agency, was arrested early on New Year's Day, in Dubai airport.

It is understood that she was in the process of changing planes as she travelled from Afghanistan to Singapore. She was held for four days before being released on bail.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said last night that Ms Bell would appear before a Dubai court within the next few days. She could face a £4,000 fine, or two years in prison.

Last month, Mr Bell's son, Malcolm, appeared in court charged with the theft of £850 from George Galloway, MP for Glasgow Kelvin.

The 19-year-old, who had been working in the House of Commons at the time as a researcher for his father, is also accused of obtaining an Egyptian figurine, worth £1,788, by deception.

Mr Bell junior, who lives in London, is on unconditional bail and is due to return to court on Thursday, January 17.

Mr Bell, 63, has been the Labour MP for Middlesbrough since 1983.