As only 6,063 of these live in Cumberland and Westmorland, though God knows in an area of sparse population this is bad enough, it can easily be guessed where the brunt of this crisis falls.

Of this total figure for the North-east of 81,306, no fewer than 62,872 are men, and 10,110 women. 5,016 of them are boys under the age of eighteen and 3,398 are girls under eighteen.

Here below you can spot the grisly story face-to-face in your own backyard.

Number unemployed

But perhaps the most sickening figures of all we save until last; the number of unemployed school-leavers in the region - youngsters who have spent all summer looking for work. There are a staggering 3,148 of them - 2,064 boys and 1,048 girls. All the signs are that nearly all of them will still be looking for their first job at Christmas.

The present male unemployment rate in Hartlepool is 11.9%. Within a year, this could be 15% if the steel industry cuts back any further. And as the mayor of Hartlepool, Alderman J A Pounder told the last meeting of the North-East Development Council, the axe may fall as early as January when a further 600 men may lose their jobs. Hartlepool has already lost almost 1,000 jobs in the last year and is now quite clearly bleeding to death.