The former PM is due at the Customs House, in Mill Dam, for the annual South Shields Lecture.

But he has been warned to expect a torrid welcome from protestors who accuse him of being a "warmonger" and not welcome in the borough.

Tyneside Stop The War Coalition and South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition will protest outside the venue.

A spokesman for the South Tyneside Stop The War Coalition said: "We regard Tony Blair as a war criminal and we don't regard him as a fit person to be giving a lecture in South Tyneside, or to be a so-called peace envoy in the Middle East.

"It was also Tony Blair's Government that barred anti-war protests within a mile of Parliament, which was used to try and stop the national anti-war march in October under the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"It is these warmongers who are not welcome in South Shields, and should be brought to account."

Mr Blair accepted the invitation from town MP David Miliband to give the address.

The lecture was established by the Foreign Secretary in 2001, and is a free event for local residents to come and hear high-profile speakers.

* To read an exclusive interview with Mr Blair, don't miss tomorrow's Gazette.