Up to 600 jobs could be cut by South Tyneside Council, as it warns it must find savings of at least £55m over the next four years.

The council has pledged to use its voluntary redundancy scheme, early retirement and the deletion of vacancies in a bid to avoid compulsory redundancies where possible.

It has started formal discussions with trade unions over the job losses, and will be consulting with staff over any potential redundancies.

A statement from the council read: 'The HR1 covers the period October 2015 to the end of March 2020 and the figure of 600 jobs reflects the maximum number of potential job losses anticipated over this four-year period.

'The council will do everything it can to reduce this figure and wherever possible avoid compulsory redundancies.'