The city council of Newcastle has ordered a ban on some Geordie terms from its dialect.

Under the directive, women were no longer to be called "pet." Other terms of endearment used by the North Ease Geordie that were covered in the ban were "hinny," which is an affectionate term for a woman, and "love," "darling" and "sweetheart."

Council officials say these greetings and other terms used by the North East people "were disrespectful and could cause offense." The council wants woman to be addressed by their full name.

The council is also sending workers to politically correct "equality and diversity" courses.

But not everybody is happy with the order. One council employee told The Sun, "It's like they are trying to kill the Geordie language. We are scared to talk to anyone now."

And Tory Euro MP for the North East Martin Callanan adds, "These are traditional North East terms of affection. I can't believe anyone would be offended by them."

But a spokesman for the city council said "all its staff were trained to treat people with dignity and respect."