Ah, so that's the Transporter Bridge in your avatar. Used to live in Nunthorpe back in the late 60s…..
It seems that some people consider Teessiders to be Geordies. The woman who plays Ruth Archer affects a truly preposterous cod Geordie accent but is often defended on account of being a "genuine" Geordie (she merely went to secondary school in Stockton). Rather like someone from Reading or Brighton being described as a Cockney.
Murray