These incredible images show the Northern Lights in all their glory over South Tyneside .
Better known for being spotted in places like Iceland and Norway, conditions were perfect on Friday evening for seeing them over South Shields.
Photographers flocked to the coast in a bid to capture the phenomenon - also known as the Aurora Borealis - that is caused by electrical charges from the sun hitting Earth's atmosphere.
Craig Todd, 31, rushed to the coastline to capture the spectacle for the first time at Souter Lighthouse.
He said: "It is the first time I got it last night. I have been to the same place before and turned up but the forecast has not been quite as strong. It was quite a clear sky last night."
The South Shields native said the lights can be tricky to catch.
"They can disappear quite quickly," he said.
Snapper Steven Lomas, 33, has seen the lights before but said they were particularly bright this time.
He added: "They were quite visible because of the low activity coming from the sun.
"You could see the green band across the sky, it was more visible.
"There was a group of about five friends who went out to get photographs."
