A BEST-SELLING author has retweeted a street sign which shows that one of his creations will live on in a Northumberland housing estate.

Inspector Rebus author Ian Rankin retweeted an image from a fan of the street sign for Rebus Close in Ponteland.

Streets in the housing development on the site of the former Northumbria Police HQ have been named after fictional detectives.

DCI Vera Stanhope and Inspector Morse are just some of the other famous fictional policing characters the streets are named after.

Street names include Lynley Way, Barnaby Way, Rebus Close, Holmes Row, Wycliffe Close, Alleyn Gardens, Gideon Walk, Fletcher Crescent, Dagleish Road, Vera Drive, Dixon Close, Morse Crescent, Frost Grove, Taggart Grove, Lewis Close, and Wexford Place.

The 23-hectare site of the former headquarters was purchased by Bellway in 2018 for £21m, having been vacant since 2016 when the force relocated nearby.

There was an agreement that the proceeds of the sale would be reinvested back into policing across Northumberland.

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “The sale of the former HQ site in Ponteland allowed us to invest in our services across the Force area and ensure we are best placed to meet the ever-changing demands of modern-day policing.

“It is great to see that the heritage of the area will be maintained for future generations with roads being named after fictional policing characters.

"The names compiled would certainly make for a pretty formidable team of investigators.”