A SCHOOL which has become a leading light for the cyber age is to reveal the secrets of its success today. Murphy Crescent School, for children with severe learning disabilities, was honoured at a ceremony in London for their use of computer technology
Teesside League CUP finals took pride of place as the holders of both trophies lost their grip with the Playsport League Cup changing hands from Tigers to Mavericks while Mariners lost their hold on the Second Division Roy Puttick Trophy in favour of
THE management of Cleveland Fire Authority is about to be restructured with roles such as deputy and assistant chief officer replaced. The restructuring means job titles will reflect the roles of individuals rather than their rank. A spokesman for the
TORY leader William Hague is to face an official parliamentary standards investigation over a charity which did not exist. Labour MP Fraser Kemp this week lodged a complaint with parliamentary standards commissioner Elizabeth Filkin after the revelation
POLICE in Sunderland say they are beating shoplifting, and are catching four out of five thieves who prey on city centre stores. They say much of the success is due to the city's Shopwatch scheme, which relays information about shoplifters to its 130
SCHOOLCHILDREN on Teesside are being included in a Government-backed survey into people's attitudes about buying counterfeit goods. The Patents Office in London has approached the University of Teesside at Middlesbrough for help in gathering information
A ROBBER armed with a knife threatened a woman counter assistant as she opened a post office early yesterday. The balaclava-clad robber burst in to the post office in Durham Road, Middlestone Moor, near Spennymoor, at 6.30am, brandishing a large kitchen
Hathaway Auckland and District League Oagain frozen pitches caused the postponement of all of last week's league games. The only two games to take place were both in the Darlington Charity Cup. Darlington RA were too strong for Thornaby Village and ran
DETAILED plans for Sunderland AFC's proposed training academy were submitted for council scrutiny yesterday. The club has already won outline planning approval for its multi-million pound Academy of Light, within the 65-acre Whitburn Moor Farm, on green
WHO Wants To Be A Millionaire? contestant Richard Scott is giving his wife a second honeymoon after winning £16,000 on the show. Richard Scott, a civil engineer, from Eston, Middlesbrough, told the TV audience that he wanted the money to take his Egyptian-born
A NIGHTSPOT has had its application for an entertainment licence turned down because it is too noisy. Sedgefield Borough Council received more than a dozen objections from residents about late-night noise levels at The Lakeside, at Woodham Golf and Country
PLAYBOY drugs baron Peter Beaumont-Gowling probably knew his executioner, detectives revealed last night. The former international restaurateur, who ran a string of businesses throughout the North-East, was found shot dead at home by his girlfriend shortly
MOURNING time, and from Durham County RFU secretary Chris McLoughlin a dead reckoning selection of black edged condolence cards, an ageless exercise in mocking the afflicted. Most concern West Hartlepool's exploits around the turn of the last century,
CHEWING on last Friday about the Middleham trained handicapper Pies Ar Us - a horse with a bit of meat about it - the column observed that Darlington was "the pork pie capital of the world." A challenge to Darlo's global supremacy immediately arrived
Bedlington manager Tony Lowery is looking forward to a reunion when his side travel to Marske in the quarter finals of the FA Carlsberg Vase on March 3. Lowery was a teammate of Marske manager Charlie Bell when both were at Mansfield earlier in their
A SCHEME that gets Sunderland youngsters looking after the environment has been given Royal approval. Eco Rangers, which has been running for three years and involves more than 4,000 youngsters, was given a special mention in the Queen Mother's Birthday
A CITY centre car park has kept its reputation for being thief-proof over the past year. Not a single case of vehicle theft has been reported at St Mary's Car Park, in Sunderland, since it opened in November 1993. The car park, which has retained its
A ROLLING register was introduced in Harrogate yesterday which should help keep the district's electoral roll up to date. Until now, the list of names and addresses has only been altered to account for house moves and deaths once a year. But anyone can
PETER Beaumont-Gowling always craved the life of an international playboy. Friends recall his early attempts to amass the fortune which would eventually fuel the cocaine and champagne lifestyle he yearned for - which began in unlikely circumstances. Despite
PETER Beaumont-Gowling always craved the life of an international playboy. Friends recall his early attempts to amass the fortune which would eventually fuel the cocaine and champagne lifestyle he yearned for - which began in unlikely circumstances. Despite
Harrogate and District League A school team will be thrown out of the league unless they pay overdue subscriptions before the end of this month. The league has 47 teams in six divisions, including new sides from Northallerton and Thirsk. But it could
SINCE love may conquer all but it's duty which pays the gas bill, the column found itself on the evening of St Valentine's Day at a diocesan service in Penshaw in celebration of holy wedlock. Some marriage lines now follow. There, too, were Ted and Mona
POLICE remain anxious to locate a missing man, who has not been seen since he is believed to have jumped into a fast flowing river. Extensive searches of the River Wear and its banks in the area of Barker's Haugh sewage works in Durham have failed to
Bishop Auckland could be away to Hyde United in the next round of the UniBond League Cup. Bishops are still waiting for the outcome of the Whitby and Blyth group game before they know whether they will be playing in the quarter finals of the League Cup
A MAN who raped a divorcee and drowned her in a bath to silence her was yesterday sentenced to life. Michael Wade, 43, had told detectives he revived an affair with Jean Whitfield when he traced her five years after they parted. He gave detailed descriptions
Auckland and District Ebac Youth League Bishop Auckland manager Jackie Foster knows he has a good crop of youngsters this season. His latest charges are top with maximum points from five games and a goals tally of 27-5. The Bishops also top their qualifying
Camerons Teesside League ACKLAM Steelworks reached the semi-finals of the R T Raine Trophy with a 6-0 win over hosts New Marske Sports Club. Alan Oliver scored the opener for Acklam after 15 minutes, five minutes after New Marske created the first good
AFTER a very close and exciting race in the senior (16-19yrs) boys 4x50m medley team race at the 43rd English Schools National relay team finals at Crystal Palace, the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Darlington, Murray Goodrick, Matthew Bowden, Luke
PUPILS and staff at a North-East independent girls' school have said their own farewell to a much-loved teacher and friend. Val Lawson, taught at Polam Hall School, Grange Road, Darlington, for 28 years. She died earlier this month, aged 56, after a long
THE Northern Echo's famous candle-girl - the girl whose smile graced the front page of our first paper of the new millennium - can today be named. She is Lydia Maropoulos who is now seven and lives in Bearpark, near Durham City. We've been searching for
A VICTORIAN painting bought for five shillings in the 1950s is one of the treasures unearthed when BBC1's Antiques Roadshow rolls into the North-East tomorrow. The programme, presented by Michael Aspel, was recorded last April at Eston sports centre,
WHO Wants To Be A Millionaire? contestant Richard Scott is giving his wife a second honeymoon after winning £16,000 on the show. Richard Scott, a civil engineer, from Eston, Middlesbrough, told the TV audience that he wanted the money to take his Egyptian-born
A BUSINESSMAN finally achieved his six-year dream of opening a multi-million pound biscuit factory in the region yesterday. Mobeen Mehdi told more than 200 people that it was the day he had been waiting for, and he was proud to see his dream come to fruition
SCHOOLCHILDREN rolled out for a visit to a North-East factory yesterday. The 24 nine and ten-year-olds from Redby Primary School, Fulwell Road, Sunderland - who included Georgia Elliott, above - visited the city's Rolls-Royce factory. The pupils were
Albert Ferrer admits the FA Cup tie with Arsenal tomorrow could make or break Chelsea's season. Victory for the cup holders in the fifth-round clash at Highbury would sustain a challenge for European qualification on two fronts and the competition represents
AN art teacher is celebrating international success. Andrew Barlow, 67, a retired engineer, is a watercolour specialist who teaches painting at evening classes at Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough. He has been chosen from thousands of artists internationally
George Graham hopes to inspire his players to victory today by telling them what a great feeling it is to hold an FA Cup winner's medal. Spurs take on First Division strugglers Stockport at White Hart Lane, bidding to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals
Harry Redknapp has revealed how West Ham had serious doubts that Michael Carrick would ever make it as a footballer. Three years ago, Carrick was a tall and gangly 16-year-old who looked too thin and weak to play football. But the Hammers kept faith as
BRAZILIAN centre-half Emerson Thome admitted last night: "It would be beautiful to win the FA Cup with Sunderland." But the 28-year-old defender knows that to stand any chance of fulfilling his dream he will have to keep a tight grip this afternoon on
HIGH-FLYING Hartlepool United chief Chris Turner last night saluted skipper Micky Barron as he sets his sights on a promotion place. A stunning run of 27 points from a possible 33 has lifted Pool to fourth place in Division Three, just two points behind
ITALIAN group De'Longhi is to buy food blender-to-kettles maker Kenwood Appliances in a £45.9m deal. Kenwood said it had reached agreement with the family-owned Italian firm on the cash offer, which would create a leading European manufacturer of air
NEWCASTLE Airport has recorded another exceptional month for growth in passenger numbers. More than 192,000 people flew out of the airport, an increase of 29 per cent on the same time last year. Of those, 90,000 took domestic flights, a 40 per cent increase
YOUNGSTERS in a Teesside town are to get a £10,000 play area thanks to their local town council. The play area at Butt Lane, on the Whitby Avenue estate, in Guisborough, is the second to be funded by Guisborough Town Council in a four-year programme to
LLOYDS TSB saw its profits leap seven per cent to a bumper £3.9bn last year. The figure compares with the previous year's £3.6bn, while total income also increased seven per cent to £8.5bn. Lloyds, which is awaiting a decision on whether its £19bn bid
Tees Rowing Club Most of the rest of Yorkshire may well have been on flood warning last weekend but the River Don at Sprotborough near Doncaster seemed to have received divine exemption. While the Ouse at York was so high that rowers from the city could
AN award-winning party venue has teamed up with a radio station to broadcast a weekly live party night aimed at kick-starting the weekend. The Baja Beach Club, on Newcastle's Quayside, next to the Swing Bridge, is broadcasting live on Metro Radio every
ENGLAND boss Clive Woodward has attempted to play down the hype surrounding his Six Nations favourites ahead of the Twickenham clash against massive underdogs Italy. Despite the accolades showered on England following a record 44-15 victory over Wales
A CALL has been made for further investment in a struggling North-East village. Chopwell, in Gateshead, has been hit by the growth of out-of-town shopping complexes such as the MetroCentre. Many shops and businesses have closed as a result of the lack
NEWCASTLE'S European Shield semi-final against Harlequins will be held at Headingley on April 22. While the Falcons had hoped to stage the match at Kingston Park after being first out of the hat, European officials have decreed it will be held in Leeds
Darlington manager Gary Bennett is hoping that the introduction of Steve Harper and David Brightwell will spark a much needed revival in the Quakers' bid to beat the dreaded drop. The former Hull pair, who moved to Feethams on Thursday, go straight into
TECHNOLOGY business Virtuoso has celebrated a year in business with a visit from a Government minister. North West Durham MP and Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong joined representatives from regional business support organisations at Virtuoso's
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy is recovering in hospital after he was hit by a car in east Cleveland. The accident happened in the village of Carlin How, on Thursday evening, when the boy, who was riding a bicycle, was crossing the A174 road near its junction
Q You recently said that Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) could only be reduced if the claimant had an occupational pension of more than £50 a week. Why then is my wife's superannuation from her late husband deducted in full from my JSA? A The £50 rule for
THE RSPCA is investigating the dumping of a snake in a rubbish bag. The 4ft brown and yellow ringed Californian king snake was found in a Darlington alley way by two 11-year-old boys last Saturday. It had been beaten and left for dead in a passage between
BIKERS are being warned they could be revving up for a ride to court. They are being told to stay out of a protected dune haven for rare plants and nesting birds - or be brought to court and fined up to £20,000. The motorcyclists are wrecking sites of
FAMILY and friends were joined by MP Peter Mandelson yesterday at the funeral of teenager John Paul Jeffries, whose body was found in a marina. Mourners, including the Hartlepool MP, packed Grange Road Methodist Church, where John Paul had been baptised
COUNCILLORS are angry at claims that a former council officer at the centre of a racial abuse row "let down" the council. Mac Williams, former principal health and safety officer at Durham City Council, spoke on BBC 2's Close Up North documentary of how
YOUNGSTERS from Thornaby schools found out about the effects of hoax 999 calls during a visit to a fire station yesterday. Five children were invited to Stockton fire station after they won a poster competition, run by the Thornaby Light community newspaper
SUNDERLAND 0, WEST HAM UNITED 1 FRENCH striker Frederic Kanoute made up for a series of first half misses by shooting West Ham into the quarter finals of the FA Cup in a hard-fought game at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland, hit by injury and suspensions
NORTHERN ECHO competition winner George Howe plans to treat his family after winning a year's supply of petrol. Mr Howe, 76, from Kirk Merrington, does not drive and relies on his family to give him lifts. And after winning £1,067 worth of petrol he plans
YOUNG rugby players' motoring skills failed to match their ball handling ability when they tried out the latest in driving training technology. Teenage players from Durham were invited to run the rule over motoring school BSM's high-tech driving centre
WE'VE all been there. The moment when you realise your car has got a flat tyre. Inevitably, you are miles from the nearest phone box and the spare is useless. Oh, and it's probably raining. A new gadget from a company called SmarTire aims to make that
A NIGHTSPOT has had its application for an entertainment licence turned down because it is too noisy. Sedgefield Borough Council received more than a dozen objections from residents about late-night noise levels at The Lakeside, at Woodham Golf and Country
PLAYBOY drugs baron Peter Beaumont-Gowling probably knew his executioner, detectives revealed last night. The former international restaurateur, who ran a string of businesses throughout the North-East, was found shot dead at home by his girlfriend shortly
WE'VE all been there. The moment when you realise your car has got a flat tyre. Inevitably, you are miles from the nearest phone box and the spare is useless. Oh, and it's probably raining. A new gadget from a company called SmarTire aims to make that
FERRYHILL could soon have a new youth centre, thanks to a £34,000 grant. Ferryhill Community Partnership has secured money from the Single Regeneration Budget, subject to certain requirements. Establishing a youth facility was one of the projects singled
Auckland and District Ebac Youth League Bishop Auckland manager Jackie Foster knows he has a good crop of youngsters this season. His latest charges are top with maximum points from five games and a goals tally of 27-5. The Bishops also top their qualifying
CHEWING on last Friday about the Middleham trained handicapper Pies Ar Us - a horse with a bit of meat about it - the column observed that Darlington was "the pork pie capital of the world." A challenge to Darlo's global supremacy immediately arrived
A DETECTIVE has praised a teenager whose evidence helped to convict an older "bully" who robbed the girl of her mobile phone. Detective Constable Steve Gothard was speaking last night after Paul Elliott, 20, was sent to a young offenders' institution
The dreaded floods struck again last week as rivers burst their banks yet again, writes JEFF HERBERT. Matches on the Ouse, Ure, Wharfe, Swale and Wear and Tees at Over Dinsdale were all cancelled leaving just Knaresborough and Yarm's event. Surprisingly
THEY have razor sharp claws, voracious appetites, are capable of laying up to a million eggs and can signal environmental disaster for riverbanks and flood defences. The march of the exotic Chinese mitten crab is unrelenting. Spreading from the estuaries
MORE affordable homes for Dales residents are among the top priorities, as the region looks to the future. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's in the process of updating its blueprint for the future - and has been asking people who live in the
WITH the ground so wet it is difficult to get on with much in the garden. So take the opportunity to get down to the garden centre to choose your seeds. When making your flower seed selection for this year do not overlook the annuals. There are all manner
Cleveland County LEADERS Cleveland suffered defeat away to Pembrokeshire, in the British Inter-Counties Championship, Division Four, beaten 19-17. The ladies B played first but didn't get the start they wanted. Jean Atkinson (14.40) lost 3-0 and Barbara
MORE than 20 hopeful politicians had joined the race for the Labour Party nomination for a rock solid Labour seat as the deadline passed last night. But speculation that Labour's national HQ in Millbank, London, might "parachute in" ex-Tory MP Shaun Woodward
SINCE love may conquer all but it's duty which pays the gas bill, the column found itself on the evening of St Valentine's Day at a diocesan service in Penshaw in celebration of holy wedlock. Some marriage lines now follow. There, too, were Ted and Mona
POLICE remain anxious to locate a missing man, who has not been seen since he is believed to have jumped into a fast flowing river. Extensive searches of the River Wear and its banks in the area of Barker's Haugh sewage works in Durham have failed to
A MAN who raped a divorcee and drowned her in a bath to silence her was yesterday sentenced to life. Michael Wade, 43, had told detectives he revived an affair with Jean Whitfield when he traced her five years after they parted. He gave detailed descriptions
TREKKING for up to eight hours a day across the Himalayas with temperatures plummeting to -15C is tough. But a girl being without shampoo and lipstick for six days - that is a challenge. Nothing will deter Lisa Vickers from raising £2,500 for breast cancer
TRADERS say they are being left in the dark over the cause of blackouts which are hitting their town centre businesses. Shops and businesses in Bishop Auckland were at the end of their tether after being hit by a string of power cuts in the past few weeks
Darlington, as expected, dominated the Durham County Closed Championships at Greencroft Sports Hall, Annfield Plain, at the weekend. All bar the Under-17 boys singles went Darlington's way in the junior events with their latest rising starlet Samantha
CIU Team KO Cup Brian Graham, in a fantastic recovery, potted the final black in the Team Knock Out to give Brandon a four point victory at Wingate, who led by 28 at the start of the last frame. Wingate had a 12 point start and they were able to extend
CATHERINE COOKSON is still the most popular author with library users, according to latest figures. The author, who was born in South Shields, has topped the lending list every year since the Public Lending Right scheme started producing figures in the
Durham City Harriers Three athletes from the club represented the North-East Counties at the Inter-Counties Cross Country at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, which also incorporated the World Championship trials. Firstly, Rosie Smith had an excellent run in
West Ham booked their place in the last eight of the FA Cup thanks to Frederic Kanoute's 76th minute strike. The Frenchman latched on to Frank Lampard's precise through ball to slot the ball past Thomas Sorensen and send the visiting Hammers fans into
A BATTERED wife who escaped a drink drive conviction after fleeing a crazed attack by her husband wept yesterday as the High Court ruled magistrates had been wrong to clear her. Lorraine Tomkinson, 43, had been married only two months when her drunken
A COUPLE who have been refused planning permission to develop a fantasy wood featuring elves and goblins at a beauty spot are to appeal against the decision. Harry and Val Davison have been told by Wear Valley District Council planning officials that
A GUNMAN who terrorised prostitutes in a town's red light area was given six life jail sentences yesterday. Keith Arliss, 37, raped a 24-year-old and indecently assaulted another prostitute, aged 22, in Middlesbrough, before he was arrested by armed police
THE City will be kept busy next week, as a host of blue chips are set to report results. Continuing the reporting season for banks, Internet bank Egg, spun out of Prudential, will kick off the week with full year figures on Monday. The group is expected
EXTRA heart operations are to be carried out in the North-East after Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced he was injecting more cash into the region's hospitals. Cardio-thoracic units in Middlesbrough and Newcastle will share in an immediate £435,000
A MAYOR has decided to leave a growing legacy to her borough to mark her year of office. Dorothy Clegg is nearing the end of her time as the Mayor of Scarborough, but has left a living record of her year by planting three trees in the borough's resorts
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told new England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to forget about picking centre back Martin Keown for the Swede's first international in charge against Spain a week on Wednesday. The 35-times capped defender, who skippered
MIDDLESBROUGH are preparing the ground for a bitter legal battle with Liverpool as the Premier League drag their feet over the Christian Ziege saga. Boro, who claim the German wing-back was the subject of an illegal approach before he completed his controversial
A GIRL has seen her artwork transformed into a poster with a dramatic message. Cheryl Daniel, 11, drew a cartoon of a young girl sitting with her back to a locked door and the sound of arguing in a graphic illustration to support a domestic violence campaign
THE 500th customer to take advantage of a training course designed to improve standards in food preparation, is to open her own New York-style noodle bar. Karen Ooi, 39, from Middlesbrough, and her husband, George, 41, are to fulfil their ambitions of
YOUNGSTERS in a Teesside town are to get a £10,000 play area thanks to their local town council. The play area at Butt Lane, on the Whitby Avenue estate, in Guisborough, is the second to be funded by Guisborough Town Council in a four-year programme to
VERY few people can have doubted that Cleveland Chief Constable Barry Shaw was right to begin Operation Lancet four years ago when serious allegations came to his attention. However, since then, the Operation has degenerated into a farce. Now, as it approaches
CHEFS served up a health lesson at St John's RC Comprehensive School, Bishop Auckland, as part of an ambitious project to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables. Health workers in County Durham and Darlington teamed up with supermarket Asda
HANNIBAL Lecter, the world's most famous cannibal killer, is about to horrify movie-goers as he slices, dices and munches a feast of human flesh. Returning to UK cinema screens, in the sequel to Silence Of The Lambs, Hannibal once again terrifies audiences
TONY Blair has appealed again and again for a rethink. Stephen Byers has issued countless pleas for clemency. Teesside MPs have gone down on bended knee. But it was a largely implacable steel magnate who appeared before the Commons' trade and industry
THOUSANDS of North-East based Leeds United supporters could miss out on seeing the club's crucial Champions League qualifier next week. ITV has decided on a live broadcast of Arsenal's Champions League home game next Wednesday against Lyon. But Anderlecht
AN ex-factory worker died from lung damage, a resumed inquest heard yesterday. Ronald Simpson, 60, of Pearson Street, Spennymoor, Countuy Durham, was taken to Bishop Auckland General Hospital last October with suspected pneumonia. He died five days later
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night called for an overhaul of the Premiership refereeing system to make match officials more accountable for their performances. Reid feels that professional referees could be the answer to a growing problems and suggested
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night called for an overhaul of the Premiership refereeing system to make match officials more accountable for their performances. Reid feels that professional referees could be the answer to a growing problems and suggested
COMPUTER services group Sema, which is being bought by Franco-American firm Schlumberger, has reported "disappointing" results with profits down four per cent. Sema, which this week recommended a £3.6bn bid from the oilfield services group, said pre-tax
A HOSPICE honoured one of its most energetic fundraisers yesterday. Ethel Dobson, from Bishop Auckland, celebrated her 70th birthday in December, but she has stunned workers at the town's Butterwick Hospice with the boundless energy she puts into raising
MARK Tinkler's second-half header made ensured Hartlepool United's assault on the Division Three promotion slots continued at Macclesfield. Tinkler's header, from Paul Stephenson's left-wing corner made it 30 points from a possible 36 in an unbeaten run
Junior round-up Billingham Pumas entertained Blackburn Sparrowhawks at the Forum ice arena in an English Bantam (U-12) North A League encounter. Pumas served up a much improved performance compared to their display when suffering a 15-0 defeat at Blackburn
A BID to protect and preserve a North Yorkshire village by granting it conservation area status is set to be thrown out because residents do not want it. Villagers voted overwhelmingly against the proposal despite being told by experts that their community
TONY Blair has appealed again and again for a rethink. Stephen Byers has issued countless pleas for clemency. Teesside MPs have gone down on bended knee. But it was a largely implacable steel magnate who appeared before the Commons' trade and industry
