THE best pictures captured by the region's local newspaper photographers are on display in Durham.

The photographs, taken from 1999 entries for the North East Press Awards, are on show at the University Library, Palace Green, until December 15.

Topics covered include News in Focus, Moments in Sport and Faces and Communities.

Among the photographs is one taken by The Northern Echo's Stuart Bolton, which scooped the North East Picture of the Year: the Ian Weir Award.

The award was named after former Northern Echo photographer Ian, 38, who died of a heart attack while waiting for a bypass operation.

Stuart's winning photograph shows Darlington's Gary Bennett being hugged by Marco Gabbiadini after scoring a goal in the derby with Hartlepool. Fans had been shouting racist abuse at Bennett, now the Quakers' manager, and the picture captures his response.

Work by The Northern Echo's Mike Urwin and Richard Doughty also feature in the exhibition.

The library plans to add the pictures to its local history collection when the exhibition ends.