The twin monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow’s bid for World Heritage status has been withdrawn after an evaluation by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) found it was not worthy of inclusion.

The decision to withdraw the bid follows an evaluation by iCOMOS that recommended the site - founded in the late 7th century AD and the home of scholar the Venerable Bede – should not be inscribed on the World Heritage List.

In a statement, a DCMS spokesperson said: "DCMS, English Heritage and the Wearmouth and Jarrow team have agreed that we should withdraw from the nomination process for this year.

"Clearly, everyone involved is disappointed with the recent ICOMOS evaluation. There is strong local support for the world heritage bid and the team there have done some great work, which ICOMOS have acknowledged.

"We will study the report further to look at what still needs to be done, building on the work so far."

Commenting on the decision and the way that the parties learned of the news, Mike Benson, director of Bede’s World museum told local press: "I feel sorry for all the people who have put so much hard work into the bid over the years.

"I'm surprised we weren't informed about the report by ICOMOS before it was placed on a website.

"But we still see the story of Bede and this site as a world story. And if the people outside our door still believe we are world-class, that is what's important."

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