Archive

  • Rival fans threatened to kill each other, trial told

    WARRING fans had to be kept apart after making threats to kill each other as they travelled back from London, a court heard. Three Darlington and six Hartlepool United fans are standing trial for violent disorder and affray at Teesside Crown Court. Yesterday

  • Children's Park proves an instant success

    A COMMUNITY has beaten the vandals by installing a new £144,000 children's play park. The Delves Lane Village Hall Association has opened its play park at Delves Lane, near Consett - and it has already proved a big hit. The park was built with cash awarded

  • Warm and homely

    THE contrast was clear immediately. Back then, I was surrounded by excited teenagers shaking free (so they thought) of parents and parental boundaries. But now here I was back in Glasgow with a child of my own, eager to shake free of my determined grip

  • Ice Hockey News

    SUNDERLAND Arrows came out on top in their English Junior (Under-16) North promotion/relegation play-off encounter against local rivals Billingham Bears. Arrows found themselves 2-0 down at Hillheads as Bears scored twice in a minute by 11.08 with a brace

  • Relegated - before season's first over

    Their season has not even started, yet one local cricket club's hopes of defending their title successfully have already been hit for six. Leadgate, winners of the Readers Durham County League last season, have been docked 100 points, fined £50 and kicked

  • Driving out this evil trade

    IT is a fear every parent shares - that their children may become involved in drugs. The picture which has emerged of 15-year-old Catherine Longstaff, whose death is thought to be linked to drugs, is one of an extremely popular, lovable girl. Tributes

  • Staff tell of Maff centre foul-ups

    A VET quit a Government foot-and-mouth centre because he was carpeted for taking animal tongues for private research. Dissatisfied staff at the Government's Disease Emergency Control Centre, in Newcastle, have highlighted the incident and what they say

  • Secret recipe produces a cheese for lovers

    A SECRET recipe, which includes Lindisfarne mead and Swaledale cow's milk, is being used in the production of a special lovers' cheese. The idea of producing the cheese came from Mr David Reed, joint partner of the Richmond-based Swaledale Cheese Company

  • Dreadful Durham hit by a calamitous collapse

    BIRTHS have a habit of inspiring new fathers to great deeds, but the imminent arrival of James Brinkley's first child did absolutely nothing for his Durham teammates yesterday. With Brinkley absent, Durham were reduced to ten men and squandered all the

  • Chester le Street - School poll is a vote-winner

    THE votes have been counted at the mock election designed for school pupils at Roseberry Comprehensive, Pelton. Three sixth formers at the school near Chester-le-Street stood in the mock election purporting to represent the seat from which veteran Durham

  • Wedding day gun victim fights for life

    A MAN who was shot in the stomach after violence flared at a travellers' wedding was fighting for his life in hospital last night. Two men were arrested and three shotguns recovered after armed police surrounded a site where dozens of travellers from

  • Rape claimant 'enjoyed liaison'

    A FATHER accused of rape claimed yesterday his alleged victim enjoyed their liaison. Neil Proctor, 27, is accused of attacking the woman after declaring his love for her when she stepped outside of a house party to search for friends in September last

  • Weights crusader appeals to court

    A street trader is taking his campaign to sell fruit in pounds and ounces to court. Peter Collins, 51, of Sutton, Surrey, is claiming that his local authority is infringing his human rights by forcing him to trade in metric measurements. The move comes

  • Study reveals sport is effective barrier to teenage drug abuse

    SPORTY teenagers are far less likely to dabble with drugs, according to a report. A study of teenage life-styles by a team at Newcastle University suggests that sport is an excellent way of discouraging youngsters from experimenting with illicit substances

  • Cards make world of difference

    DURING last year's summer holidays it was decided that Houghton Kepier's canteen needed a face-lift. Working closely with the City of Sunderland's Contracting Services and with the cooperation and hard work of our kitchen staff, we now have a state-of-the-art

  • Corus confirms 1,100 Teesside jobs to go

    Corus has confirmed that 1,100 jobs are to go in Teesside's steel industry after it formally rejected proposals put together last week by trades unions to save the 6,000 jobs under threat around the country. The company announced last Thursday that amongst

  • Water firm to have eyes and ears too

    WATER bosses are attempting to strengthen links with customers by adopting an initiative pioneered in the US. Yorkshire Water's Community Ambassador programme will see employees acting as conduits between the company and individual councils and organisations

  • Sharks become a force to be reckoned with

    BEDALE Sharks have started the new season with a bang. In previous years they had been bottom of the Moors swimming league, being the smallest and newest club. But on Saturday at Felling, near Gateshead, they were a clear second out of four teams, only

  • Opportunity for workers

    DRUG workers are being invited to hear about career opportunities at an event next week. The event has been organised by the Durham and Darlington drug action teams. It is part of the largest recruitment campaign to be held in the North-East for drugs

  • Darlington - Wildlife plan approved

    an environmental scheme on a stream in Newton Aycliffe has been approved. Great Aycliffe Town Council is hoping to turn Woodham Burn, which runs through the centre of the town, into a haven for wildlife. The river is already important for wild flowers

  • North Yorkshire - Crisis leads company to sell on-line

    A clothing company is turning to e-commerce as a way of avoiding the worst of the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Beamish-based Carryon Clothing has been selling its range of outdoor garments at country fairs and agricultural shows since 1977. As the foot-and-mouth

  • Recruiting call to drug workers

    THE largest recruitment campaign for drug workers in Darlington and County Durham will be launched next week. People are being invited to hear about career opportunities in the area at a promotional event at the Ramside Hall Hotel, Durham City, on Thursday

  • Brighter future for playgroup

    things are looking up for Guisborough's Hutton Lane Playgroup, thanks to intensive fundraising over Easter. There were fears that the playgroup might have to close if attendance figures didn't improve, signalling an end to its 20-year history. But at

  • Past Lives

    THE book of the famous people of Stockton, if it exists, is a slim volume, a local equivalent of that apocryphal classic of the English language, Belgians Who Are Household Names. Belgium has Hercule Poirot. Stockton has John Walker, inventor of the friction

  • Consett & Stanley - Progress made on miners' cash claims

    MINERS champion Pat Daglish has welcomed the 'excellent progress' being made towards ending the suffering of thousands of compensation claimants. Ms Daglish, from Stanley, this week learned that she will receive a second interim payment of £2,000 as a

  • Just how little local debate is really healthy?

    THE shake-up in local government was intended, among other things, to put a stop to the political point-scoring talking shops which many council meetings had become. That has certainly been the case in Darlington where the business conducted by the council's

  • The Albany Northern League

    Brandon manager Kenny Lindoe blamed his side's finishing for their failure to win the Durham Challenge Cup on Monday. Brandon lost 2-0 against favourites Bishop Auckland, but the Northern League side hit a post, missed a penalty, and failed with two chances

  • Double blow for Norton

    Foster's North East Premier League - NORTON II scored almost 200 but still lost in Division Two when they met Benwell Hill. Chris Thomas top scored with 79 and Geoff Kean added 57 as Norton compiled 193 for five. Replying, Benwell Hill had six wickets

  • Village alerted to third phone mast plan

    PLANNING approval is being sought for a third mobile phone mast in Heighington, and there are fears that many more will follow as technology leaps ahead. One 2 One communications hopes to erect a 15m tower with up to nine antennae and four dishes on disused

  • Waxing lyrical as Made in Yorkshire goes to New York

    MR ROGER Etherington is waxing lyrical after a successful business trip to New York. For the manufacturer of furniture polish for antiques secured some valuable contacts which he hopes will lead to a shining future in the US. Mr Etherington runs Rydenor

  • A new chapter opens

    RETURNING to books proved the best course for Mrs Sylvia Notarianni, aged 56, of Darlington. After resuming academic studies in middle age, she is about to receive an adult learners' award for her achievements. Mrs Notarianni, of Oakdene Avenue, is one

  • Business base called for by unit

    PROVISION should be made for a business park in the Redcar area, according to the Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit. The unit is made up of representatives from throughout the Tees Valley and they have suggested the need for a business park in their response

  • Heart patients' group in appeal for premises

    COMMUNITY centres are being asked to help a support group. Take Heart support groups help people who suffer with heart disease. More than 250 recovering cardiology patients regularly take part in weekly meetings at eight venues in south Cleveland. However

  • Bowled over by online action

    If cricket's your game there's plenty of online action to keep you entertained this summer. For followers of Durham, our own dedicated website www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/sport/cricket/durham/ will keep you up with the news. As well as match reports

  • Darlington and District League

    IT was a bad day at the office for Cricketers Hotel who were dominated by Post Boy from the kick-off and were 4-1 down at the interval. Cricketers only consolation was a penalty converted by David Lewis. Post Boy continued their domination in the second

  • Pub bid heads to inquiry

    CONTROVERSIAL plans for a nightspot in Durham's disused Palladium cinema look likely to go to a public inquiry. An appeal has been lodged against Durham City Council's failure to decide the planning application within the statutory two months. Planning

  • Poet laureate joins festival

    POET laureate Andrew Motion is to be the star name at the forthcoming Whitby Literature Festival. He will be reading and speaking at Caedmon School hall on Thursday, as part of a programme of events from May 15 to 24 that will include workshops and a

  • Exhumed cattle could be burned in Teesdale

    A COUNCILLOR has voiced concern over an incinerator likely to be sited in Teesdale to dispose of 2,000 carcases awaiting exhumation. "Most residents are unaware of this," said Hamsterley parish and district Coun Derek Peart. "I think there should be some

  • Mystery crater creates a puzzle

    RESIDENTS were baffled when a hole appeared outside their homes, only to discover that the real mystery is who takes responsibility for filling it in. The hole appeared in the alley between Blackett Street and South View, Bishop Auckland, on Tuesday.

  • Eric swaps town role for borough

    THE mayor of Loftus has handed his civic chains over and picked up the borough chains. Councillor Eric Jackson has been mayor of the east Cleveland town for the past year and has now handed over the chains to Councillor Christine Swales. But his year,

  • Reprieve for rare and hefted flocks

    RARE breeds of sheep and hefted flocks can now be exempted from culls in contiguous areas or from 3km culls. Mr Elliot Morley, the Countryside Minister, announced new guidance while visiting the Esk Valley, saying the government shared the concern about

  • Driver leaves walkers 'in a heap on the road'

    BEING urged back into the countryside left two Darlington walkers in a heap on the road after a brush with a car. Ms Margaret Smart, aged 65, of Woodland Road and Darlington's mayoress elect, Mrs Lillian Elliot, were shaken by the incident just outside

  • Fox's winner nets Allstars a final berth

    Darlington 21st Allstars - The Under-12 Colts were in Alternative Cup semi-final action at Teesside Athletic and it turned out to be a titanic struggle. After going a goal down, Lewis Franklin notched an equaliser and the score remained at 1-1 through

  • Farm family's wedding plans hit by creeping disease

    A CLEVELAND farm has been hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis just days before a family wedding. Some 400 ewes and lambs have been culled at Town End Farm in Kirklevington in a bid to head off the disease. But the precaution has meant Mr Ian Tate and his

  • Head's plea for sanity over use of mobile phones

    A STOCKTON head teacher has hit out at youngsters' excessive use of mobile phones. Mr Chris Allen said the soaring use of phones was generating more problems for both pupils and teachers. He has appealed to parents to take a sensible line on the issue

  • Good day in prospect at Redcar races

    REDCAR'S second meeting of the season takes place on Monday when the feature race is the £10,000-added Tote Exacta 1-2 Fillies' Handicap Stakes over the straight seven furlongs. Regular Redcar sponsors, Stockton-based WS Atkins, return to support the

  • Letters: Good hospital but poor management

    Sir, - My operation at Friarage hospital, Northallerton, last week was routine, but the service was excellent. Believe me, I have seen some contrasts in other parts of the country, from difficult to downright hostile. In spite of scandals (more of that

  • Snooker News

    Worthington CIU Summer League - The newly promoted Willington produced the shock of the first week of the season when they came through to beat the visiting champions Old Shildon in the decider. Colin Lomax got Willington away to a great start with a

  • Fascinating facts for Trekkies

    MUSEUM visitors are being invited to boldly go where no one has gone before. Star Trek: Federation Science, an exhibition exploring the technology behind the hit series, has beamed down to the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. The exhibition contains more

  • Sarah hits top form to hammer rivals

    A TEENAGE hammer thrower from Stockton produced an outstanding performance to win a major regional competition recently. Sarah Morgan, representing the North East in the northern regional athletics competition at Shildon, threw a personal best 41.22m

  • Villagers raise cash with fun run

    VILLAGERS are being urged to put their best foot forward and sign up for a charity fun run. The fourth Deerness Valley Fun Run will be held next Sunday, over a three and three quarter mile course. The event organisers hope to raise money for St Cuthbert's

  • Looking Back

    FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Tailless puppies: Mr Henry Newstead, of South Kilvington, has a cross-bred terrier bitch, which has just had a litter of pups, and three of them are entirely tailless. The pups are healthy and there is not the least

  • Election means all change on BBC panel

    THE panel of the Radio 4 Any Questions programme from Bedale on Friday, May 25, has been changed following this week's announcement of a general election. Two MPs have been added to the panel to give it more political content and balance - Iain Duncan-Smith

  • Consett & Stanley - Parties launch election campaigns

    ALL three main political parties are launching their campaigns to woo voters in both the county council and general elections on June 7. The man selected to fight the North Durham seat for Labour, where MP Giles Radice is standing down, is Kevan Jones

  • Week fosters hope for pets

    ANIMAL lovers are being offered the purrfect opportunity to do their bit for National Pet Week. The week is aimed at highlighting the benefits of having a family pet. Staff at the Saltburn Animal Rescue Association (Sara), hope it will inspire people

  • Plea to teenagers after death crash

    TWO teenagers who stopped briefly at the scene of a fatal road crash may have vital information on how it happened. Father-of-three Gary Beasley, 40, from Linburn Drive, Bishop Auckland, died in the head-on smash near Staindrop, County Durham, on Wednesday

  • The son of a preacher man

    When people approach him in the street, Michael Elwyn sometimes forgets his name. Well, not his exactly but that of his character in the cult TV hit This Life. "A lot of young people come up to me and say, 'you're Miles's dad' and I have to think, 'what's

  • Adults asked 'canoe do it?'

    FOUR schoolboys have dared their teacher, a youth worker and a councillor to join them for a mile-long canoe trip for charity. The youngsters, from Bishopsgarth School in Stockton, are taking part in the canoe event on the River Tees on Friday, June 1

  • How our pressure helped to make a difference

    THE Northern Echo was the first newspaper in the region to instigate action on dangerous railway bridges in the wake of the Selby crash. Having exposed the state of dangerous railings on a bridge crossing the East Coast Main Line at Plawsworth, near Chester-le-Street

  • Band hooked up for dates

    REDCAR band Fizzy Fish has lined up a series of concerts. They will play at the Ice Rink bar, Billingham on Saturday, May 19, at Trinity's, in Stockton on Sunday, May 27 and at The Wheatsheaf, Spennymoor, County Durham, on Monday, May 28. The group will

  • Letters: M25-type chaos in county town

    Sir, - I am a student and having just spent the Easter recess at home in Northallerton, I can hardly believe the traffic chaos that now exists. On two occasions, the car journey from the St James's estate to Darlington road where I was working during

  • New season will begin again minus a Linighan

    JUST seconds of extra time remained in the replayed 1993 FA Cup final when Paul Merson's corner from the right was headed home - "Bullet like? Oh aye, definitely" - by Andy Linighan. Gunners 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1. Tonight on Talk Sport he'll relive

  • New season will begin again minus a Linighan

    JUST seconds of extra time remained in the replayed 1993 FA Cup final when Paul Merson's corner from the right was headed home - "Bullet like? Oh aye, definitely" - by Andy Linighan. Gunners 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1. Tonight on Talk Sport he'll relive

  • Residents want play park support

    PEOPLE are being urged to back proposals for a new play area - or lose the chance of £80,000 for their community. A lack of facilities in Kirkleatham, Redcar, prompted Top Lakes Residents' Association and Kirkleatham Community Forum to call for action

  • Hobbs finds a place in the Snetterton sun

    GUISBOROUGH teenager Dennis Hobbs was in top form last weekend when he posted a fine tenth place in round three of the ultra-competitive British Supersport Championship at a sunny Snetterton circuit in Norfolk. Riding the brand new SMR 600cc Honda for

  • Tale of the two Ronnies

    IT'S been a week of the two Ronnies. No, not Barker and Corbett, but O'Sullivan and Biggs. It has also been the week when police patrols in London schools were announced, around 50 years too late to save Biggs from a life of crime. What probably saved

  • Airport changes course with £6m deal

    A £6M partnership deal is set to speed up Teesside airport's South Side development and help transform its terminal building. The five-year partnership agreement with the regional development agency One North-East will include a major feasibility study

  • New honour roll for memorial

    ROADS around Hartlepool are to be closed while the town's war memorial is updated. More than 1,000 new names are being added to the memorial in Victory Square on Victoria Road. The 1,797 names have been etched on bronze plaques, which will be fixed to

  • RA land trophy triple success

    Darlington RA made it a hat-trick of cup final wins when they lifted the Darlington Charity Cup at Feethams on Tuesday night, beating Hartlepool Arriva 4-1. The RA, also looking a good bet for the Hathaway Auckland and District League crown, took a 1-

  • Junior Football

    Chester-le-Street Town Juniors - There were three reasons to celebrate for the Under-17s to celebrate a 6-1 victory at Sandhole on Sunday. Firstly, it was the teams 100th league win since formation in 1995 - representing an impressive 70 percent win ratio

  • Minister says war on disease is being won

    COUNTRYSIDE Minister Mr Elliot Morley believes the war against foot-and-mouth is being won. Speaking at Castleton in the North York Moors National Park, he said the disease was now under control: "but people must not drop their guard." Mr Morley was marking

  • Quakers fans turn on Bennett

    QUAKERS' chairman George Reynolds this week defied the views of the Feethams faithful by giving under-fire manager Gary Bennett a ringing vote of confidence. As Bennett's team ended their miserable season in 20th place in the Nationwide Third Division

  • Firm looks to future

    EXPANSION plans for a Redcar firm could see the firm treble in size over the next two years. Shaw Vision and Control, which has just moved into new premises at the Kirkleatham Business Centre in Redcar, and is now focusing on its own long- term development

  • Lion roaring to go in cup final

    It's all happening in Hartlepool. The town's highly successful Third Division team are looking for promotion through the play-offs and crack Sunday side Hartlepool Lion Hillcarter are also seeking national glory. Lion figure in the final of the FA Umbro

  • Pop down to the wood - it's virtually real

    WOODLAND footpaths in Wensleydale are closed because of the foot-and-mouth crisis, but visitors can still enjoy their beauty by calling in at an art exhibition. More than 70 paintings inspired by woods in the upper dale go on display at the Dales countryside

  • Residents kick up a stink over works at sewage plant

    PEOPLE living on the outskirts of Redcar and Marske may have to put up with a terrible stench caused by upgrading work at a sewage plant. For the past nine days, residents have been plagued by the smell from the sewage works at Marske. As the weather

  • Police seeking clues to double bikes snatch

    TWO newspaper delivery boys had similar mountain bikes stolen on consecutive mornings in neighbouring streets. The thefts, in the Whinfield area of Darlington, happened on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the first incident, a paperboy had left his black Saracen

  • I'm ill. Why won't you believe me?

    REBECCA Atkinson looks and sounds like any other outgoing bubbly teenager. With six GCSEs under her belt and working hard towards an A-level in English literature, she hopes one day to be either a teacher or a photographer. But Rebecca, from Tanton, near

  • Tape could trap fire hoax caller

    UNUSUAL steps taken by firefighters in Darlington to catch a young hoax caller have paid off and could be used again to catch others who put lives at risk. Today, firefighters will visit the school of an 11-year-old Darlington boy they believe is responsible

  • Angling News

    An exciting new Angling Competition for the region's youngsters is to be launched and the kids will enjoy sponsorship thanks to Tek Neek and Italian fishing tackle giants Trabucco who are now based in York, writes JEFF HERBERT. The Woodland Lakes Junior

  • Cricket News

    York and District League Edward Readman Memorial Trophy - Stuart Coleman, the Carlton Towers opener, became the first player to hit a double century in a York and District League cup match when he hit 201 out of his side's 270 for seven at Sheriff Hutton

  • Ward is key figure in Staithes cup win

    A Hoggarth and Sons Eskvale and Cleveland League STAITHES gained a 1-0 win over Grangetown in the final of The Northern Echo Cup at Whitby last week. Staithes scored the only goal of the game five minutes into the second-half when Richie Ward's shot was

  • Chester le Street - Town has success fulfilling its agenda

    A BLUEPRINT for life in Chester-le-Street over the next 30 years has got off to a good start, according to a report published this week. The town's Local Agenda 21 plan, a long-term strategy for economic development, environmental protection and community

  • Police accused of 'too soft' tactics against travellers

    POLICE have defended the way in which they responded when travellers with eight caravans illegally occupied vacant industrial estate land at Leeming Bar at the weekend. Angry villagers and business leaders on the estate in Leases Road said local life

  • Strumming stars at festival

    FOUR teenage guitarists from Richmond school are tuning up to take part in the country's biggest youth music festival. The ensemble was chosen from thousands of hopefuls at a regional audition in Rochdale, and will play at the Queen Elizabeth hall in

  • Owen aims to exorcise his bitter final memory

    Michael Owen will step out at the Millennium Stadium for the biggest game of his life aiming to wipe away the bitter memory of Liverpool's last FA Cup final experience. Owen, who is expecting to commit his future to Liverpool in the summer when new contract

  • Shop owner left with £450 bill after soccer fans' visit

    A SHOP owner has been left counting the cost of an unwelcome visit by a gang of football supporters. The fans stole hundreds of pounds-worth of clothing from his Darlington shop on Saturday. Now he is warning fellow traders in a neighbouring town to be

  • Henderson hoping to escape play-off hoodoo

    KEVIN Henderson is hoping his play-off jinx hasn't struck again. Twelve months after agonisingly missing out as Hartlepool United faced Darlington in the race to get out of the Third Division, Henderson is desperate to be involved as Pool face Blackpool

  • Lobbying for dale business

    A DELEGATION from Wensleydale handed in a bill for £7m to Downing Street on Wednesday. Mrs Kate Empsall, chairman of the Upper Wensleydale business and tourism association, delivered the demand to the Chancellor at 11 Downing Street. She and other delegates

  • Jobs hope as Swan Hunter prepares to buy shipyard

    SHIPBUILDER Swan Hunter is buying Kvaerner's Port Clarence offshore yard. Swans will use the yard, which closed 18 months ago with the loss of 3,000 jobs, for offshore fabrication and will initially create about 200 jobs for skilled engineers and welders

  • The devil's invention

    It used to be working mothers who had to juggle their lives. Now it's 16 and 17-year-olds. Just ask Smaller Son, ace juggler and guinea pig. Remember when you were 16? Chances are you were having a jolly good time. Maybe you were working, earning money

  • Orange plans mobile mast extension

    TEN equipment cabins are to be connected to a mobile phone mast in Thornaby, to eliminate the need for a new mast. Orange Personal Communications want to add the cabins to the mast at Anson House in Thornaby to increase the capacity of its equipment.

  • Four seek election

    Four candidates will contest a by-election for a vacant seat in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's Loftus ward on Thursday, June 7. They are: Dave Fitzpatrick (East Cleveland Independent); Susan McLeod (Labour); Val Miller (Liberal Democrat) and Marjorie

  • Selby disaster: Land Rover driver charged

    POLICE ended weeks of speculation last night by confirming that the Land Rover driver who triggered the Selby rail disaster would face criminal charges. Gary Hart, whose vehicle careered down an embankment off the M62 and was struck by a GNER train on

  • Seven held in raids

    POLICE arrested seven people in a series of dawn raids yesterday in connection with the murder of man shot twice in front of his wife. Father-of-two Freddie Knights, 38, was gunned down with a sawn-off shotgun after being lured to his mother's home in

  • Swale fellow well met

    FOR reasons that few understand, but which are thought to involve Admiral Lord Nelson and to be rude, superstitious cricketers regard the figure 111 as unlucky. Mr David Shepherd, the celebrated and somewhat portly test match umpire, is even in the habit

  • Patient in outburst 'covered in trifle'

    A PATIENT in a North-East nursing home ended up covered in trifle after an angry outburst with a male nurse, a disciplinary hearing heard. The nurse at the Village Nursing Home, Murton, County Durham, Michael Dennis Whitehead, appeared before the professional

  • Bridges too far from passing the safety test

    TO the casual observer wandering down the narrow and winding country road the scene is one of rural bliss. That is until the tearing sound of an express train thundering beneath the road bridge suddenly shatters the solitude. A closer examination reveals

  • The toughest men of the sea

    THE whale was a beauty, a shiny grey leviathan basking in the Arctic seas. The seven Whitby whalers had been stalking it for hours, protected from the bitter cold by grotesque uniforms of sealskin and cow-hair wigs. When the harpoon went in, the gentle

  • Midfield maestro Miller going nowhere - Turner

    CHRIS TURNER last night flashed a hand-offs warning to clubs interested in hot-shot midfielder Tommy Miller - and insisted Hartlepool United is no longer a selling club. As his side head for Blackpool for tomorrow's play-off showdown, Turner vowed his

  • Farmer's relief and anger over foot-and-mouth error

    A FARMING couple spoke yesterday of their misery and relief - after being told that their slaughtered flock of sheep had in fact been healthy. Yvonne and Richard Wilkinson had to sit by helplessly as 270 sheep were killed on the orders of the Ministry

  • Paradise, just down the road

    YOU'LL suddenly notice the scenery change as you drive away from the concrete and crowds of Newcastle to sheep and hills country. Beyond the shadow of Alnwick Castle and up past Bamburgh, the land will open out to huge rolling hills and sable-coloured

  • People award for college

    PRIOR Pursglove Sixth Form College, in Guisborough, has been presented with an award for its services to people. College principal Stephen Whitehead, and chairman of the governors Colin Vaux, were presented with the Investors In People award by Pam Eccles

  • A Hoggarth and Sons Eskvale and Cleveland League

    Loftus Athletic gained victory in the Eileen Hodgson Bowl final with a 3-2 victory over Lealholm on Monday morning at the traditional Boosbeck venue. Loftus took the lead when John Barnard's precise header found Matthew Griffin who calmly played the ball

  • Strategist favourite in running for Labour N-E seat

    A LEADING Labour strategist emerged last night as the favourite to win the party's nomination for a safe seat in the North-East which has suddenly become vacant. Dr David Clark, MP for South Shields, announced yesterday that he was standing down at the

  • Pony dates

    Bedale & West of Yore PC. - All mounted activities cancelled until further notice. Cleveland Hunt PC. - May 15: Senior dismounted rally. Telephone Mrs Hockney, 01642 723577. Darlington & District RC. - Some area events have been re-scheduled subject

  • Unclaimed flood cash will go into trust

    THOUSANDS of pounds of unclaimed flood relief cash could end up in a trust fund to help victims of future disasters. The York Flood Fund was set up in the aftermath of the flooding last November. However, only 25 claims have been made, resulting in about

  • Future of region placed in spotlight

    THE future of the North-East will be put in the spotlight at a public lecture later this month. Professor Fred Robinson is a visiting professor to the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Northumbria and a research lecturer in the Department

  • The Northern Echo Darlington Sunday Invitation League

    Bishop Auckland King's Head lost 2-1 against Shuttle and Loom in the Third Division Cup final at the RA ground. The goalless first-half was a fairly close affair but the game opened up in the second-half when Shuttle and Loom took the lead as a wind-assisted

  • Swimming News

    The NE Counties senior and junior long course championships which are staged at Sheffield this weekend, also include many of the top British internationals from outside the area. This is at the request of the GB ASA who wish to use the event as phase

  • The election: everything you didn't need to know

    FREE with this week's column, the first part of my super-duper 20-page election pull-out with all you need to know to help you through the four exciting weeks ahead. Including: Pages and pages of colour charts and extremely complicated-looking graphics

  • Two defect to Labour

    ON THE day Mr Tony Blair confirmed the General Election will be on June 7, two Cleveland councillors switched to Labour. In Loftus, Coun Barry Hunt, a town councillor representing Skinningrove, joined Labour from the East Cleveland Independents. Coun

  • North Yorkshire - Market town gets two cash windfalls

    THE people of Thirsk were given reason to celebrate this week as the recipients of two Government cash windfalls. The town is to receive up to £1m from the £100m market town regeneration programme over the next four years. Additionally, the town is to

  • Unexpected glory for trio

    Three junior squash players have astounded coaches, fellow players and themselves with a fantastic performance in the Durham and Cleveland Squash League. Teenagers Lee Skinner, 14, Graham Johnson, 13, and Joe McTague, 15, have played a major part in Aycliffe

  • Battle memorial ownership mystery stalls repair work

    LOCAL people must get together to plan repairs to a battlefield memorial disfigured by vandals near Northallerton, it was said this week. The 12ft high sandstone obelisk at the side of the A167 road to Darlington, three miles outside Northallerton, has

  • It's well crucial info on how to save your life

    TEACHING children how to cope in an emergency and what to do to save their own lives and ensure the safety of others in just ten minutes, is a daunting task. However, it is a challenge taken on by a variety of groups who get together to run Crucial Crew

  • Darren scores a double at Stainsby

    DARREN Smith from Thornaby was in tremendous form at the Stainsby Grange junior championships where he scored a double win. He partnered Flyaway Peter, a double winner the previous weekend, to take the national 138cm qualifier ahead of Paul Sims on Blonde

  • Farewell to Forster

    GUISBOROUGH player-manager Mark Forster bowed out after four years in charge of the Priorymen on Saturday with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Bedlington. The Terriers, top for the fourth consecutive season, were presented with the championship trophy at

  • Luxury limo plan defended

    A COUNCIL last night defended plans to buy a luxury limousine for its mayor. Only a BMW, Jaguar or Mercedes Benz will do for Middlesbrough's first citizen - Councillor Pat Walker, who was installed as mayor this week. Middlesbrough Borough Council has

  • Policing protest after vandal spree

    MOTORISTS have been left fuming after vandals sprayed 11 cars with paint in an overnight spree. Vehicles in four streets in the Hummersknott area of Darlington were attacked between 9.30pm on Wednesday and the early hours of yesterday. Angry residents

  • Durham - Disabled children missing benefits

    A SUPPORT network for disabled youngsters and their families is stepping up a gear. County Durham's Children's Network offers huge benefits to disabled children and their families but hundreds of people are unaware it exists. The Children's Network was

  • Countryman's Diary

    The period between today and May 14 is known as the Ice Saints' days or sometimes the Frost Saints' days. There are four saints whose feast days occur during this period - St Mamertus (May 11), St Pancras (May 12), St Serviatus (May 13) and St Boniface

  • Wear Valley - Police set up incident room after brawl

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a weekend brawl which left a teenager fighting for his life. An 18-year-old Willington man was due to appear before magistrates on Tuesday in connection with the incident. Gary Norman, of the Carville Estate, was

  • Break in return journey pays off

    DESIGNER Miss Lynne Glazzard has been making jewellery for only a year, but she is already exhibiting in an international gallery in Dublin. And, following a trip to New York with Made in Yorkshire, she hopes eventually to sell work in the USA. Miss Glazzard

  • Bid for another world record holder in town

    A town may soon boast its second resident world record holder. For Kevin Jefferson, 38, of Stanley, County Durham, is making his final preparations to take the world record for press-ups. But the father-of-three will not be directly challenging fellow

  • Airport flying high

    WHAT a turnaround for Teesside airport. Two years after being told by the regional development agency, One NorthEast, that its future was as a big air freight depot, with passenger services being concentrated at Newcastle, along comes the same body bearing

  • Anonymous £50,000 for fund

    AN anonymous gift of £50,000 has given a tremendous boost to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society's Farmers' Fund. The gift, from a Yorkshire charitable trust, brings the total to an impressive £137,041. The fund was established to direct much-needed cash

  • My miserable years, says retiring chairman of troubled council

    THE chairman of troubled Yarm Town Council made an emotional bowing-out speech this week. Coun Gwen Porter said the last two years had been the most miserable she had ever had on the council. As she handed the chain of office over to new chairman, Coun

  • Nesting birds save hedge from developers' chainsaw

    A THICK hedge of trees bordering a new building site at Aiskew has been spared from the chainsaw because of birds nesting in the branches. Persimmon Homes was preparing to fell the tall and untidy leylandii on the southern boundary of the former Northern

  • Tributes as 'drugs death' inquiry begins

    MORE tributes have been paid to a tragic teenager whose death started a drugs probe in a North-East town. Student Catherine Long-staff was 15 when she was found apparently lifeless in bed by her mother, Olwen, at the family home in Chatsworth Avenue,

  • Integrated play a success

    A SCHEME which gets disabled and able-bodied children playing together in a safe environment has been hailed a success. Darlington Association on Disability (DAD) launched the integrated play scheme last July, with a grant from the National Lottery's

  • Schools hit the mark in sport

    SCHOOLS throughout the North-East are celebrating being recognised as some of the best in the country for sports and PE. Nineteen schools in the region have been presented with a Sport England Sportsmark or Sportsmark Gold Award. The awards recognise

  • Concern over cancelled fair

    POLICE fear travelling folk may head for a horse fair that has been cancelled because of the foot-and-mouth crisis. About 100,000 people attend the Appleby Horse Fair, in Cumbria, each year - many of them from the Bishop Auckland area of County Durham

  • Battle of the Bands to reveal region's talent

    NEW bands will have a chance to showcase their talent at an event this summer. NSK Bearings of Peterlee is sponsoring a Battle of the Bands competition, which will run throughout the summer. The event promises to attract the very best local talent, who

  • Darlington - Traders may quit over farm stalls

    TRADERS are threatening to leave Darlington's covered market after the go-ahead was given to make a rival market a permanent fixture in the town. The Darlington Retail Market Stallholders' Association has been concerned about the effect farmers' markets

  • Plea for area aid made by dales district council chief

    MINISTERS have been urged to recognise that Richmondshire has been as hard hit by the foot-and-mouth outbreak as the headline counties of Cumbria and Devon. Mr Harry Tabiner, Richmondshire District Council chief executive, has written to Countryside Minister

  • Letters: Lessons must be learned

    Sir, - As a casualty of the present foot-and-mouth outbreak, I have had the bitter experience of standing by the telephone to be told: "Your herd/flock will have to be culled". Words cannot describe it. I feel therefore that I speak for many farmers in

  • Teachers are ready to set tanks rolling

    FOUR teachers from a Redcar primary school will be having the drive of their lives at a fundraising event. Tracey Calvert, Judith Bridgett, Jackie Parkes and Fiona Crowther, teachers at Ings Farm Primary School, Redcar, and are taking part in the Ladies

  • The magic of science

    YOUNGSTERS in Stockton have been finding out how science can be fun. Talented students from secondary schools across the town dropped in at Portrack Baptist church last Friday to get a taste of science in action. Internationally-renowned scientist Mr

  • The UniBond League

    Bishop Auckland are due a £30,000 windfall from Bolton Wanderers thanks to old boy Jeff Smith. The midfielder, who signed for the Nationwide First Division club in March, made his first team debut last Sunday. He played the 90 minutes for Sam Allardyce's

  • What a wonderful day

    Stanhope Town and Wearhead United had the footballing day of their lives on Monday when they played a Crook and District League match at the Stadium of Light. Both grounds have been closed by the foot-and-mouth epidemic and Stanhope chairman Clem O'Donovan

  • Alison jumps to help raise festival cash

    ALISON Hughes is planning a dramatic exit when she takes to the skies on her maiden flight. For while the novice flyer will be taking off in traditional style, her landing will be more out of the ordinary as Alison is planning to parachute from the aircraft

  • Barry could be feeling wonderful tomorrow

    MUSIC is Barry Sellers' life. By day he runs a shop selling instruments and accessories, and at night he gigs in a duo called Harlequin. But his life will take a new, if still musical, twist tomorrow, when he appears on television as guitarist/singer

  • Courts to act quickly in bid to deter speeding motorists

    POLICE issued a stern warning to dangerous drivers yesterday as more people were caught travelling at high speeds on the region's roads. Drivers and motorcyclists who are caught flouting the speed limits have been told that they could be ordered off the

  • Football boss does store honours

    FRESH from signing a new four-year contract, Sunderland manager Peter Reid opened the club's new store. The shop, in Gateshead's MetroCentre, will be packed with Sunderland AFC merchandise. The Black Cats' manager was joined at the official opening by

  • Durham - Sir Steven takes to the River Wear

    NEWLY-knighted rowing hero Sir Steven Redgrave made a real splash in Durham. Backed by one of his Olympic coxless four crew mates, Tim Foster, the five-times gold medallist, launched the Supersprints Rowing Challenge on the Wear. Although he is taking

  • Extra care for dying patients

    ROUND-the-clock nursing care is to be provided for terminally-ill patients on Teesside. An extra cash allocation of £693,000 phased over the next three years under Labour's New Opportunities funding, means district nurse overnight cover for cancer patients

  • New mayor takes office

    THE new Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland will be making her year in office a family affair after being elected as the borough's first citizen. Coun Vilma Collins, who has represented the Dormanstown ward for 16 years, has already spent a year as deputy mayor

  • Magic day for Elizabeth to take British Elite title

    RADWAY Might Magic, ridden by 12-year-old Elizabeth Papiez from Stokesley, won the open show hunter pony championship at the British Elite show at Barton equestrian centre near Preston, writes Malcolm Bewsher. The six-year-old, by Radway Madinka out of

  • Sacked workers to get damages

    A COUNCIL faces a compensation bill of £1m over the sacking of 150 workers. A panel has thrown out an appeal by Middlesbrough Borough Council against the finding of an industrial tribunal that it did not carry out proper consultation before dismissing

  • Stand-in 'sheep' to take centre stage

    THE famous Masham Sheep Fair is to go ahead this September despite the foot-and-mouth crisis. However, it will be different to usual, as none of the sheep will be real. Schools, churches, youth clubs, businesses and individuals are being challenged to

  • Husband charged with secret bride's murder

    A MAN has appeared in court charged with murdering his teenage wife of just four days. Stephen Michael Butters, 41, of High Row, Loftus, was remanded in custody by magistrates at Teesside Magistrates Court yesterday. The body of 19-year-old Claire Amy

  • Grant put to good use

    AN engineering firm has succeeded in winning a major Government grant, which has enabled staff to install a state-of-the-art piece of machinery. Allendale Components, based at the Longbeck Trading Estate in Marske, successfully applied for the DTI grant

  • Agency's final feather in cap

    A PR firm which claims to be Teesside's best kept secret is celebrating the announcement that it has become the second largest public relations agency in the North-East. It's the final feather in the cap of Guisborough based DTW, which has also seen a

  • Maps take a look into the past

    THE East Cleveland area as it was more than 100 years ago can now be revisited thanks to a series of specialist maps Alan Godfrey Maps has reproduced a one-inch to one-mile Ordnance Survey map for the district around Guisborough, Redcar, Saltburn and

  • Racing Week by Jo Scott

    ROYAL Ascot beckons for yet another from the Tim Easterby stable, now that Artie has landed a good maiden stakes at Chester. Kevin Darley, who has an agreement with the Great Habton handler to partner his runners when available, rode the colt, which is

  • The horrific scene when I found Jill

    A friend of Jill Dando broke down yesterday as she described her horror at finding the TV presenter slumped dead in the doorway of her home, shot through the head. Neighbour Helen Doble was expecting to meet Miss Dando as she walked along the road where