The gazza-style Geordie nigth out is under threat, research has found. Newcastle's independent pubs and clubs are losing out to an invasion of expensive 'style bars'. Pints of lager and luminous Ben Sherman shirts are being ditched in favour of foreign vodkas and designer clothes.

Paul Chatterton, from Newcastle University's Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies said "The city and the region are moving rapidly away from connections with their industrial past. What place is there for the Geordie drinking culture and the traditional 'boozer' within these changes?"

But all is not lost. The research says that problems such as excessive drinking and violence are unlikely to disappear.