Sammy the seagull who caused a stack load of chimney trouble 50 years ago

A gull, who was later given the name of Sammy, was creating a flap in Barrington Street in 1970.

When Sammy fell down the chimney

Sammy slipped from his rooftop home above the Douglas Vaults and fell down the chimney.

It caused huge excitement among the seamen who were next door at the British Federation offices.

Sammy, who was just a fledgling at the time, made a racket with his squawking and screaming.

He scuttled helplessly around inside the chimney while his anxious parents hovered overhead, until Raymond Bash, of South Frederick Street, stepped in.

Food for thought at Sharp’s butchers

With the bird tucked inside his jacket, Mr Brash scaled the building to restore Sammy to safety.

Maybe you watched the scene unfold. Tell us if you did.

And if you need more of a reminder of life in South Tyneside back then, here are a few extra facts.

Oven ready chickens were selling well at Sharp’s family butchers which had branches in Frederick Street, Western Approach, Prince Edward Road and Carden Avenue.

Sports stars gathered at La Strada

There was a row in South Tyneside’s cinemas when new laws meant 16 and 17 year olds could not watch X-rated films.

The big worry for the borough’s picture houses was that some of them employed projectionists of that age.

But there was another source of entertainment back then and that was La Strada. In 1970, it was hosting the region’s Sports Personality of the Year awards.

Stars such as Len Shackleton, Bob Moncur, Frank Clark and Jimmy Montgomery were there.

Share your own memories of 1970 by emailing [email protected]