In embracing the future with almost unprecedented gusto, England's caretaker coach Peter Taylor has ensured Sven-Goran Eriksson can view the brightest young talent the country has to offer without even leaving Italy. Taylor's England squad bears as much
IT usually pays to quit while you're ahead. The activists in fuel protest lobby were way ahead in terms of public support when they called off their blockades in September. In the space of a few days they brought a stubborn Government to its senses; highlighted
FLOODS I WONDER if I might be so bold as to express the thanks of the community for the sterling work of our public servants during the rain and floods. Many worked in very difficult and atrocious conditions to hold back the elements, alas in vain in
Toon favourite Lomana Lualua has been told to clean up his act after leaving his new club Newcastle in the lurch. The Geordies needed the 19-year-old flyer at Leicester after being rocked by news that jinxed £7m striker Carl Cort faces a further month
DEFIANT fuel tax campaigners last night vowed to continue with their London-bound convoy - despite signs the protest was on the verge of collapse. A slow-moving procession of about 100 trucks, tractors, vans and cars brought Newcastle city centre to a
WITHOUT pit closures Frank Wilson and Barry Curtis would never have started their own business. Like so many young lads before them Frank and Barry went down the mines straight from school. And that is where they believed they would spend the rest of
TURN ONS The popular comedy-drama Cold Feet (Sunday, ITV, 9pm) kicks off with a two-hour episode as the usual three couples cope with fresh bouts of love, pain and the whole darn thing. Inspector Morse (Wednesday, ITV, 8.30pm) is only months away from
LESS than a decade ago, the region saw the wholesale shutdown of its coal mining industry. Communities across County Durham were devastated as thousands of men were thrown out of work, and the resulting economic collapse crippled once-thriving towns and
A COMPANY is asking its bus drivers to play their part in helping to make sure passengers can join in the two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday. All drivers on Arriva North-East's 400-strong fleet have been instructed to pull into the side of the road
AS Bruges is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe we expected to be confronted by hundreds of sightseers thronging the picturesque city. But unlike other busy continental cities, it's possible to enjoy a peaceful amble through its fascinating
TEESSIDE Airport's new managing director predicted a bright future last night for the proposed freight development, which will bring thousands of jobs to the area. Former managing director at Glasgow Prestwick, Hugh Lang spoke of his desires for a freight
BLAYDON have former Newcastle Falcons player Steve O'Neill back for the North One top-of-the-table crunch at home to Darlington Mowden Park tomorrow, writes TIM WELLOCK. After a three-week absence with a shoulder injury, the powerful flanker joins Soa
A POLICE force is joining forces with an electricity company to help residents protect themselves against the dangers of bogus callers. Yorkshire Electricity is working in partnership with North Yorkshire Police and People United Against Crime to get
A CLAIM by the European Commission that a ban on high-tar tobacco exports will not lead to job losses in the North-East has been rejected by union leaders. Consumer affairs commissioner David Byrne says there is no evidence that stopping the manufacture
THE scheme that aims to boost the education and welfare of County Durham's youngsters has announced ambitious expansion plans. County Durham Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership is looking to more than double the number of care places available
Get the latest news on the convoy here as well as background information and an opportunity to tell us your views. A CONVOY of hard-line fuel protestors have this morning left for London - despite police warnings that they face arrest and signs of waning
Darlington manager Gary Bennett yesterday secured midfielder Thomas Butler for another month - and also got permission for him and Kevin Kyle to play in the FA Cup. Bennett met Sunderland boss Peter Reid yesterday afternoon, and both of them agreed that
A MOTHER has made a cry for help for her 22-year-old daughter who is recovering from a cocaine overdose. The plea comes as police and drug experts reveal the use of cocaine is on the increase in the region. The woman, who has asked not to be named, is
A COUPLE who eloped after only six weeks together celebrated 65 years of marriage at the weekend. In a romance straight from the pages of a novel, Les and Rose Robson, married in 1935 at Bishop Auckland register office on Armistice Day - on the 11th hour
SO who said Hartlepool United can't score goals? It might have looked that way for 45 minutes on Saturday as they trailed 1-0 to Kidderminster, but come the second half Pool scored more freely than they have done all season as they chalked up their biggest
AN organisation dedicated to helping sporty schoolchildren is celebrating a big cash boost. Durham Sport has received a total of £20,000 from Siemens Business Services and Sportsmatch, the Government's sports sponsorship incentive scheme. Durham Sport
DARLINGTON'S 19-year-old scrum half Robbie Stewart has earned a shock call-up for the England team to compete in the World Sevens Series. Stewart was selected to play in the North Two East match at home to Old Crossleyans today, but will be preparing
David O'Leary is set to pick the brains of his two biggest managerial rivals as the Leeds boss sets his sights on another Champions League miracle. After emerging from the 'Group of Death' in the first phase, sending Spanish giants Barcelona and Turkish
NEWCASTLE United boss Bobby Robson yesterday ruled out £7m striker Carl Cort until the New Year and confessed: "Thank God for Alan Shearer.'' The United skipper leads his side out at Leicester today, just as he has in every match since Robson took charge
ALLEGATIONS against police officers in the region are among the lowest in the country, figures reveal. The complaints made against officers in England and Wales have been released in the Police Complaint Authority's annual report. They show Cambridgeshire
RAILTRACK is facing a massive compensation bill from train operators for disruptions caused since the Hatfield disaster. GNER, now also battling with problems caused by the floods, is thought to have lost millions of pounds in revenue. Like other operators
A JEALOUS boyfriend who killed a man with a single punch for kissing his girlfriend was jailed for 15 months yesterday. Victim David Clare, 26, hit his head on the pavement in Middlesbrough and died in hospital nine days later. Neil Collier, 25, a trainee
Dear Sharon After 14 happy years in Darlington, 11 of them at the Memorial Hospital, I am moving on and would like to thank two groups who do excellent work in the town. Firstly, the town councillors. All those I have dealt with have been highly committed
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid became the target for crowd abuse after his side came within a whisker of losing this season's unbeaten record at the Stadium of Light. The home defence was all at sea as Norwegian midfielder Jo Tessem was left with only
A NORTH-EAST woman suffering from a rare condition which makes her unusually prone to cancer is searching for a surgeon prepared to remove her breasts, even though at present they are thought to be healthy. Susan Marrison was diagnosed with the hereditary
QAT this time of disastrous floods, I would like to know what you can tell me about the Great Flood of 1771. I understand most of the bridges on the rivers Tyne and Wear were destroyed. - Stan Dack, Newton Aycliffe. A THE Great Flood of November 17, 1771
FLOOD-HIT railway passengers on the East Coast Mainline are facing misery until at least Sunday as divers check the safety of submerged bridge supports. Although the line is to re-open today at Hatfield - scene of the crash which killed four people last
POLICE chiefs are joining forces with one of the region's biggest electricity companies in a bid to stamp out the dangers of bogus house callers. North Yorkshire Police have embarked on a partnership scheme with Yorkshire Electricity to help residents
IT took our Viking ancestors four months to travel across the seas to conquer the North-East of England centuries ago. But with modern technology Norway is now closer to the North-East than our own capital city. It takes just 50 minutes to fly to Stavanger
LOCAL authorities say they will not be cutting back on road gritting this winter, despite a landmark legal ruling. The House of Lords ruled earlier this year that a council did not have to salt all the roads in its area after an accident on a road that
FORCING rhubarb is perhaps not top of your agenda at the moment, however, if you want to produce those lovely succulent, crunchy pink sticks in the early spring, you must prepare the crowns now. Ideally any rhubarb plant that is forced into early cropping
A campaign to help the North-East's endangered red squirrels has been given a cash boost. The quarrying firm Hanson's environment fund has given £2,000 to Northumberland Wildlife Trust's Red Alert scheme. The money will be used to plant trees and put
FEARS were raised yesterday for the jobs of more than 300 North-East fishermen as the threat of huge cutbacks in North Sea cod quotas drew nearer. Now urgent talks are to be held between the fishing industry and Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley. Marine
Republican George W Bush held a tiny and rapidly diminishing lead over Al Gore last night in the Florida recount to find the next US president. With 62 of the state's 67 counties completing their recounts, the Texas governor's lead slumped to 341 votes
David Beckham will take the role of father figure when England face Italy in a friendly in Turin on Wednesday. In his first match as caretaker manager of the national side, Peter Taylor named the 25-year-old Manchester United as skipper and his leader
A FREE tree scheme will not only make County Durham greener - it could also win a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Durham County Council grants are available to pay for planting projects, which are timed to coincide with National Tree Week, the
Alen Boksic looks certain to miss Middlesbrough's biggest test of the season after failing to recover from knee ligament damage. Bryan Robson was hoping the Croatian would be back to lead what looks like Mission Impossible against Manchester United tomorrow
AS THE AXE fell on Murton Colliery, union official Alan Napier, right, stayed at the forefront of the of the last ditch battle to keep the pit open. The fight,however, would eventually be lost and in those final months before closure Alan paid dearly
BRYAN ROBSON is today hoping a hint of disharmony between Manchester United and their fans can help Middlesbrough further repair relations with their own disgruntled followers. Ten-man Boro, who had goalkeeper Mark Crossley sent off, were given a rousing
THE wonderful thing about Lanchester Apple Juice is that not only does it taste of apples, but you can tell which apples it tastes of. Just as we choose different varieties of apple to eat, now we can choose them to drink as well. Most commercial apple
THISTLE Hotels has reached another milestone in the development of its North-East empire with the opening of a new £500,000 restaurant and bar at its Newcastle hotel. The new Gengis venue is the latest investment in the region by Thistle which has recently
THIRSK-based GSM Group has won a major contract to supply Nissan's Sunderland plant with component labels. The contract for two million labels per year bucks the trend of motor manufacturers sourcing outside the UK. The contract will lead to the creation
IN the wake of certain utterances from Adam Crozier it's time for a spot of Scot-bashing. The bagpipe brigade's rugby team will be firmly silenced by the wizards of Oz at Murrayfield tomorrow. An English captain and their liking for kilted Kiwis won't
A SUCCESSFUL first two years serving the businesses on its doorstep has seen a North-East firm announce plans for a major expansion which will see it double in size. Precision Toolroom Services and Machine Limited (PTSM) has built up an impressive client
RAILWAYS IN recent years the economy of the North-East has been one of Europe's success stories. In part, this has been the result of having good transport links based around the major international airport in Newcastle and a train service to London and
A business centre that could create up to 200 jobs on South Tyneside has been opened. The £3.8m centre, on reclaimed land in the old St Hilda's railway sidings in South Shields and run by TEDCO, South Tyneside's enterprise agency, has space for 75 businesses
IF Bryan Robson ultimately fails to drag himself out of the mire at Middlesbrough, he will surely reflect on one defining moment in this game at Old Trafford. Lightning was threatening to strike twice after Christian Karembeu - of all people - handed
A convoy of defiant truckers last night appealed to motorists to join their fight for a big cut in fuel duty after completing the third leg of their go-slow protest journey from the North-East to London. Twenty hauliers and farmers and ten car drivers
Darlington will be holding their annual Sportsman's Dinner at Feethams on Tuesday and you could be there thanks to Northen Echosport. The guest speaker will be former Leeds and England star Duncan Mackenzie with comedy from Dave Grizzly Adams. The evening
PREMIERSHIP teams are now reluctant to take Sunderland on at the Stadium of Light and play an open game, Wearside boss Peter Reid claimed last night. After finalising preparations for the visit of Southampton, Reid admitted he is worried by a shortage
POLICE yesterday praised three Good Samaritans who lost their lives as they attempted to help at the scene of a crash. However, motorists were urged to think of their own safety when confronted with such life-and-death situations. Six people died in the
HARTLEPOOL came up with the biggest upset in the second round of the Canada Life Denny Cup with a dramatic victory over Cumbria, winners of the national inter-club competition for the past two years. Cumbria, finalists in four of the last five years and
THE REGION'S cross country enthusiasts can test themselves tomorrow over the course which will be used to host the North-East Championships at Hartlepool on December 9. The North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League stage their second fixture at
Durham City manager Brian Honour is hoping his side can start another winning run when they go to Peterlee today. Durham's run of six straight wins came to an abrupt halt at Morpeth last Saturday, and now Honour wants his players to start again today.
HOME-GROWN striker Adam Boyd today gets his chance to stake a claim for a Hartlepool United striking role. Pool entertain Kidderminster at Victoria Park again without three strikers in seven-goal Kevin Henderson, four-goal Anth Lormor and the suspended
FARMERS in the region are being offered new incentives to go organic by the Government. They are being invited to join the 23 farmers in the area who are already converting to organic production to meet the expanding demand from consumers. Farmers converting
THE BRILLIANCE of half backs Jonny Wilkinson and Gary Armstrong yesterday earned Newcastle Falcons a Tetley's Bitter Cup quarter-final at home to London Irish. They trailed 16-15 to Bristol with 12 minutes left, but Wilkinson's sixth penalty put them
NORTH-EAST officials say a new breed of super rat immune to the latest poisons has yet to reach the region. The National Pest Technicians Association claims numbers of the brown rat - rattus norvegicus - are the highest in living memory. And it says that
