Three heavyweight daily titles have each issued last-ditch pleas for voters to back continued membership of the European Union as Referendum Day finally arrives.

As Britain went to the polls to decide whether to leave or remain in the EU, the Northern Echo published a front page urging voters to “put the North East first.”

Like its Newcastle-based rival The Journal, the Echo argues that leaving the EU could potentially jeopardise hundreds of millions of pounds of European funding for the region.

In a Tweet, former editor Peter Barron described the front page as being “in the best traditions of the Northern Echo.”

The paper’s stance was echoed north of the border by The Scotsman which also issued a last-minute declaration for Remain.

It said in an editorial:  “We must believe that a better future will come from co-operation and fellowship with our neighbours.

“If we go for division now it will be a retrograde step that will colour the future for our children and their children.

“Surely the brighter future lies with remaining a part of Europe.”

Pro-independence daily The National also sided with the Remain camp, changing its masthead to include the words: “The newspaper that supports Scotland in Europe.”

It said:  “The best result for our outward-looking nation is an emphatic vote to Remain.”

Over the past week, four major Trinity Mirror-owned regional dailies have all declared for Remain – The Journal, the Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool Echo and the Birmingham Mail.

In contrast to the national press, which has largely favoured the Leave campaign, no major regional titles have come out in favour of Brexit.