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A dad had his last £10 worth of cannabis taken off him on Christmas Day.

It certainly wasn't the season to be jolly for Richard Teague, who was stopped in North Shields by police who were actually looking for someone else.

But less than two months later he was back in trouble after the Tyne Tunnel Pedestrian Bridge CCTV spotted him rummaging through a skip.

Prosecutor Laura Croft said: "Staff were concerned he was trying to steal property."

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But while Teague didn't make off with anything, police found more drugs on the 27-year-old.

And he's now been banned from the tunnel as part of a 12-month community order.

North Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard Teague has got over 20 convictions, and already owes money to the court.

But in mitigation, Mark Harrison said he had been making improvements to curb his criminality.

His sentencing heard how he had been passing drug tests, and it was merely a "blip" when he was found with cannabis and opiates in the tunnel on February 7.

And Mr Harrison claimed he was only stopped on Christmas Day after "attracting the attention of the police" by removing stuff from his pockets as they approached.

"Had he kept his hands in his pockets, they probably would have kept on going," he said.

"He's been nothing other than clumsy."

The defendant admitted possessing class A and class B drugs, as well as being a vagrant found in an enclosed premises.

Teague, of Bewicke Road in Wallsend , will also be subjected to a six-week overnight curfew.