North East Mayor Kim McGuinness is banning junk food advertising across the Tyne & Wear Metro network from 1 December 2025.
Mayor Kim is the first outside of London to take this bold action which marks a significant step forward in protecting children's health and giving young people the best possible start in life.
The move follows a successful campaign led by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and a pledge signed by UK Mayors to tackle the harmful impact of junk food marketing on children and young people.
Mayor Kim said: "Every day, thousands of young people travel on our Metro network for school and with their friends – I want parents to know their children will be protected from adverts for burgers, sweets and fizzy drinks. This is us sending a clear message to junk food companies - enough is enough.
“The days of targeting children and young people with predatory adverts for food and drinks that harm their health are over. This is about giving our young people the best chance to grow up healthy and make positive choices about what they eat and drink.”
Helen Mathews, Commercial Director at Nexus, said: “We’re pleased to support the Mayor with this important initiative to help protect children’s health.
“We have a large advertising estate on Metro across our 60 stations and on our fleet of trains. We see a wide range of brands booking this advertising space. By allowing only healthier food and drink to be advertised across our system we can play our part in making our region healthier.”
When a similar ban was introduced by Transport for London, evidence showed households bought less unhealthy food, tens of thousands of obesity cases were prevented, and millions of pounds is expected to be saved by the NHS as a result.
The policy aligns with Government legislation banning junk food advertising on television before the watershed, due to come into force on 1st January 2026. The ban will apply to foods classified as 'less healthy' under Government guidance, including products high in fat, salt or sugar.
The ban will cover advertising on infrastructure owned and operated by Nexus, including the Metro network’s stations and trains, the Shields Ferry and selected billboard sites alongside Metro lines. Small independent businesses such as local restaurants are not included in the ban and neither are tenancies on stations.
The ban represents a key manifesto commitment from Mayor Kim and demonstrates the Mayor’s commitment to tackling health inequalities across the region.