BBC News staff are forced off air and have to evacuate studio as they prepared breakfast bulletin 

BBC News staff were forced off air this morning by a sudden evacuation.

Studio staff were escorted out of the building before the live broadcast after a fire alarm was set off.

BBC North East and Cumbria employees were getting ready to begin their breakfast program when the alarm was raised.

A statement was posted on their official Twitter account which read: ‘Apologies to our Look North viewers.

‘The fire alarm went off just before our last breakfast bulletin which meant we had to evacuate the building.’

The news team are expected to be back on air by 1.30p.m for their lunchtime show Look North.