A BURGLAR who raided the home of an 85-year-old woman immediately confessed when police questioned him. David Young cut himself smashing a kitchen window at the home, in Dene Villas, Chester-le-Street, when the householder was out staying with a relative
A Hindu woman has won £4,000 in damages after a surgeon performed an operation on her nose using "sacred" cow cartilage without her knowledge. The woman, who has asked not to be named, said she would never have consented to the procedure had she known
THE flower garden is now coming towards its peak of colour and interest, so for most gardeners thoughts of bulb planting would be considered premature. However, if you are thinking of injecting a little late colour into beds and borders, then autumn flowering
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night flashed out a warning not to write off Republic of Ireland striker Niall Quinn. The 33-year-old Dubliner is still on Wearside resting and receiving further treatment to a troublesome back injury and is not involved
A POLICE authority is not to press ahead with plans for court orders to stop the Press reporting long-running corruption inquiries. Cleveland Police Authority dropped the suggestion, made in a report by its lead officer, at a meeting yesterday. Chairman
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner last night swooped for a trio of summer signings as hot-shot Tommy Miller edged closer to a Victoria Park exit. Miller spent yesterday locked in talks with Crewe boss Dario Gradi after the Gresty Road club had an offer
BOBBY ROBSON last night ordered his Newcastle United side to re-ignite Geordie pride by blazing their way back into big-time European competition via the much-maligned Intertoto Cup. The Magpies kick off their campaign in Belgium tonight against Sporting
NEWCASTLE Jesters chairman Paul Smith has revealed how he expects to stand down from the troubled post within three months. Smith's revelations come five months into a £150,000 pay dispute at the Newcastle Jesters, with the club's owners, Fablon Investments
IF it is true that the devil has all the best tunes, as popularly is supposed, then the Church of England comes a close second. Thus was it particularly disappointing that number two on the hymn sheet - the gloriously resounding O For a Thousand Tongues
POLICE have issued an e-fit of a burglar who punched a disabled woman and stole her handbag. The man confronted his victim while she was at her sister's flat in I'Anson Street, Darlington, on Wednesday morning. She was punched and fell to the ground,
Songwriters from the North-East are in the spotlight in a series of showcases this month. Organised by Generator, the region's music agency, Summer Rays is a series of gigs, workshops, seminars and other events in Newcastle, offering songwriters the chance
CROWDS gathered to pay tribute to a man who dedicated his life to helping those less fortunate than himself. Half Moon Lane, in Spennymoor, County Durham, was packed with mourners wanting to pay their last respects to popular minister Walter Wilkinson
UP-and-coming North-East boy band X-Poze will help launch The Northern Echo's new music website today. Revolution is going live to coincide with the first Sound Trak festival, at the Shildon Stadium, County Durham, today. It will offer news, reviews,
A FUN-PACKED weekend of activities is promised at the Staindrop Carnival. The two-day event, which has been held on the village green for more than 80 years, gets under way today. The pet show starts at 10.30am, but the carnival begins at noon. The procession
CAMPAIGNERS are asking for the last remaining public toilets in an east Cleveland seaside town to be reopened. The toilets, at the Marske end of the Stray, which connects Redcar and Marske, have been closed for about six years, but villagers say they
AN appeal has been launched to trace three young men and a woman who stole lager from an off-licence in Stanley. The incident happened at the Boozecellar, in Rodham Street, at 8.40pm, on March 26. Their actions were caught on CCTV camera and the footage
Formula One: Season 2001. Publisher: Sony. Format: PS2. Price: £39.99 AN estimated audience of 500 million people will tune in for the British Grand Prix, at Silverstone, tomorrow afternoon. Ten years ago all but a tiny fraction of those people would
ABOUT 130 budding tennis stars will relive the drama and excitement of Wimbledon when they take part in a mini-festival next week. Millions of sports fans were gripped by British No 1 player Tim Henman's bid to lift the elusive Wimbledon men's singles
RABY Castle, the ancestral home of Lord Barnard, would normally be packed with visitors at this time of year, the height of the tourist season. But the great halls and parkland have been empty all year, another victim of the foot-and-mouth epidemic. The
A COUNCIL is organising free Internet sessions for novice or experienced computer users. The sessions, arranged by Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, will be held at the civic centre, from Monday, July 23, to the end of August. As well as surfing
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has admitted he may be forced to fork out compensation to Inter Bratislava for £3m-rated striker Szilard Nemeth. The 23-year-old Slovakia international was a free agent when he joined Boro at the start of the month after
WHEN web designer John Atkinson was left frustrated at the poor choice of accessories to complete his kitchen makeover, he decided to go into the DIY business himself. He found the products he needed, then created an online store selling kitchen knobs
CHRISTIANS in County Durham are being asked to raise money for children in war zones around the world this summer, by remembering them in their prayers. Unicef wants people to take part in its Jar of Grace Appeal, which involves Christians setting aside
ASSURANCES were given last night that Durham Prison is unlikely to lose its role as the country's only high-risk centre for women inmates. Speculation arose that the female section of the city's jail, previously nicknamed "She Wing", may be facing closure
A SPECIAL information service is being launched on the airwaves for people affected by the cluster of foot-and-mouth cases in the Thirsk area. BBC Radio York is running a regular information/advice programme for 20 minutes each week day evening, at 5.30pm
THE RSPCA fears that thousands of hill sheep could die of starvation this autumn, if the foot-and-mouth epidemic continues to tighten its grip on the region. Restrictions imposed on the movement of animals during the outbreak have meant that food stocks
schoolchildren had a lesson in modern science by att-ending the opening of a "green electricity" generating facility. Youngsters from Pinder School, in Scarborough, were given a tour of the site at the Seamer Carr landfill before it was officially commissioned
URGENT repairs are to be made to headstones in a Ferryhill cemetery to prevent a repeat of a recent tragedy elsewhere, in which a boy died. Ferryhill Town Council has moved quickly to inspect headstones in Duncombe Cemetery, after a six-year-old boy was
A FORMER North-East businessman is believed to have killed himself hours before receiving an expected jail sentence for fraud. Father-of-two Colin Hutchinson threw himself off London Bridge shortly after midnight yesterday. The 41-year-old was a partner
BETTING in 24-runner races is arguably one of the fastest routes to the poor house, so while a small investment is recommended on A Touch Of Frost (3.00) in the Kronenbourg Handicap at York today, don't be tempted to go overboard. Sentiment shouldn't
HUNDREDS of revellers thronged the North-East's last remaining Victorian pleasure pier, which was officially re-opened after a £1.3m facelift. Former culture secretary Chris Smith cut the ribbon to open the refurbished Saltburn pier, as a brass band played
FOR more than 27 years, Pat Burdess has provided a friendly word and willing helping hand to thousands of patients attending a County Durham medical practice. Yesterday, it was her turn to be on the receiving end of some heartfelt kindness as she bade
CRISiS talks were continuing into the night last night to try and save one of the biggest dance festivals ever to be staged in the region. Controller of BBC Radio 1 Andy Parfitt gave Newcastle City Council until 6pm today to decide if a vital safety licence
A MAN who broke into a room at a Salvation Army hostel where he was a resident may have done it as a cry for help, a court heard yesterday. Colin Candler, 43, of Elswick, Newcastle, admitted a charge of burglary at Teesside Crown Court. On April 3 this
A MAN hid in a hedge and pounced on a woman returning from work in the early hours. The 23-year-old screamed as she was attacked in Delves Lane, near Consett, causing her attacker to run away. The victim, who was returning from work at a Consett food
Letters from The Northern Echo GOOD SAMARITAN JUST a few lines to thank The Northern Echo for your continued support in the Richard Neale saga. People never remember the name of a Good Samaritan, only the good deed that was done. Many people will remember
Q When my daughter reverted to her maiden name, the DSS said this was a reason for suspending benefit payments into her bank account. Because they did not tell her, she went into the red, incurring bank charges of £55. The DSS said it was "procedure"
FOOTBALL star Peter Beardsley launched a scheme designed to end the misery of bullying in County Durham schools yesterday. A helpline has been established by Durham County Council which has one of the country's few full-scale anti-bullying services. The
Newcastle United are often in need of divine inspiration, and, thanks to a Magpies-mad vicar, they might just get it. The Reverend Glyn Evans is hoping that God will turn out for the Toon Army after penning alternative hymn lyrics that sing the praises
THE City will be kept on its toes next week with updates from Alliance & Leicester, Northern Rock and Misys. It will also be a busy one on the economic news front, with inflation and high street sales figures to ponder. FTSE-100 software company Misys
HIGH street chain Boots has pulled the plug on its loss-making venture in Japan after admitting it had got the format wrong. Boots is closing its four stores in the country, which it has jointly run with the Mitsubishi Corporation for the past three years
A SHOPPING centre subway will close despite concerns over pedestrian safety. As part of a redevelopment of Hartlepool town centre, developers want to close the subway under Stockton Road, demolish units and extend the Middleton Grange shopping centre.
A SHOPPING centre subway will close despite concerns over pedestrian safety. As part of a redevelopment of Hartlepool town centre, developers want to close the subway under Stockton Road, demolish units and extend the Middleton Grange shopping centre.
MONTY, an 18-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier needs a new home. He has been living at the National Animal Sanctuaries Support League kennels, on a farm near Darlington, for the last four months. Pauline Wilson, who works for the charity, said that
A NORTH-EAST football hooligan who made obscene gestures and suggestions to a policewoman after violence flared during an away game has been barred from his home ground. Bishop Auckland FC imposed an immediate ban on roofer Anthony Kerr, 40, of Fore Bondgate
A SUMMER fete at Polam Hall School, Darlington, saw staff and pupils step back to Victorian times for the day. The fete opened with maypole dancing by girls in year two, and everyone wore Victorian dress and played games from the time. The event raised
IF it is true that the devil has all the best tunes, as popularly is supposed, then the Church of England comes a close second. Thus was it particularly disappointing that number two on the hymn sheet - the gloriously resounding O For a Thousand Tongues
DURHAM have a dual incentive in going for a hat-trick of one-day wins against Lancashire at Old Trafford tomorrow. Victory would keep them at the top of the Norwich Union League second division and give them a psychological advantage ahead of their C
THE case for an inquiry into the Richard Neale scandal is clear cut. Indeed, it is difficult to see why we have had to wait a year since the gynaecologist was struck off for the investigation to be ordered. We realise the process of public administration
THERE was a heroes' welcome waiting for a group of Royal Engineers when they returned to their North Yorkshire base from Kosovo yesterday. But the cheering crowds and the greeting from the Mayor of Ripon was not so much in recognition of their role in
DARLINGTON yesterday handed a striker his chance to impress - while manager Gary Bennett turned his attentions to securing a Feethams' return for Sunderland's Neil Wainwright. The right-winger impressed while on loan from the Stadium of Light during the
SHEILA Wright-Hogeland fervently wishes she had never heard of Richard Neale - but she is not about to give up on a campaign which has become a near-obsession. The former Cosmopolitan model has developed a steely determination to get to the truth after
PROTESTORS hit out last night after it was revealed that an inquiry into a disgraced surgeon dubbed "The Butcher" is to be held behind closed doors. Richard Neale was struck off the medical register a year ago after a series of horrific blunders on patients
A DARLINGTON man was invested as a member of the Order of St John at a ceremony in London yesterday. Major CBE DL William Kemp Trotter has been a St John Ambulance volunteer for five years and was admitted as an officer and presented with the insignia
TONY Blair has badly misjudged the result of the General Election, a senior North-East Labour MP said last night, in a stinging attack on the Government's plans to increase private sector involvement in public services. Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster
ONE of the Victorians' favourite leisure activities is to be resurrected as part of a celebration of Saltburn's heritage. Last year, the town hosted a competitive walking event as part of its Victorian Week and the event proved so popular that it will
PATIENTS will soon be able to see their GP or practice nurse on the same day as they ask for an appointment, thanks to a pilot scheme. North Tees Primary Care Trust has announced that seven of its GP practices are taking part in a national primary care
FOLK enthusiasts from across Britain will be in the North-East later this month for one of the biggest events in the region's folk calendar. The 12th Durham Folk Party will take place over the weekend of July 27, 28 and 29. The party is renowned for its
A SCHOOL has reason to celebrate after being singled out for its achievements in the arts. Thirsk School has been awarded the Artsmark Gold Standard by the Arts Council in recognition of its commitment to arts education. The Arts Council praised the school
Health Secretary Alan Milburn claimed yesterday that the Government was succeeding in bringing more trained nurses back into the health service. Mr Milburn, who is MP for Darlington, visited the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, after figures were released
A TOWN centre is to get a new look after councillors approved major changes to a main road. York Road in Hartlepool will undergo a major reconstruction after it was decided to agree plans including narrowing the carriageway and relocating bus stops. A
LIQUID run-off waste from a foot-and-mouth burial pit is being taken for processing to Teesside. The residue, which forms when rain falls, is being pumped off a burial site at Tow Law, County Durham, to ensure it does not get into the water table. It
BUDDING entrepreneurs from deprived areas of the region are to be given the opportunity to train at local university business schools to acquire the skills to start their own ventures. New Entrepreneurship Scholarships, part of a Government initiative
CAMPAIGNERS have to win over the ordinary man on the street if devolution is to come to the North-East, the leader of the Welsh Assembly said last night. Rhodri Morgan was speaking to supporters of regional government in Gateshead about how devolution
A COUNCIL refuses to be floored by the scale of redevelopment work in a town centre. Some 73,000 cobbles have been laid in Guisborough's Westgate since work began on St Valentine's Day last year. Work cleaning the cobbles began yesterday and will take
POLICE are calling time on under-age drinking. Patrols have targeted known drinking haunts in parks, shopping precincts and cemeteries at South Bank, Grangetown and Eston, on Teesside, recovering dozens of bottles of alcohol over the past six weeks. Similar
A SUMMER fete at Polam Hall School, Darlington, saw staff and pupils step back to Victorian times for the day. The fete opened with maypole dancing by girls in year two, and everyone wore Victorian dress and played games from the time. The event raised
ABOUT 40 fathers went back to the classroom at Grindon Infant School, Sunderland, yesterday, to help their children get better marks. Headteacher Marian Dent said the scheme was designed to give six and seven-year-old boys a positive role model in class
A POLICE officer who stopped a man from jumping off a bridge was among the recipients of bravery awards. Inspector Steve McWilliams was one of more than 40 officers honoured at a ceremony at Cleveland Police headquarters, in Middlesbrough. He joined a
THIS week the British Horseracing Board announced replacement venues for the lost fixtures due to foot-and-mouth at both Catterick and Carlisle. It annoyed me to hear that three of the four fixtures replacing Carlisle have gone south. July 20 moved to
A women's racing team proved they could take on the men when they took part in an endurance race, in France. Teesside Karting, from South Bank Road, Middlesbrough, was the only all-female team in the 24-hour race at Le Mans. With grit and determination
A DYSLEXIC student has harnessed the quirks of her condition to create an artistic masterpiece. Sarah Chrisp, 22, from Darlington, was labelled a "slow child" who did not try hard enough when she was at primary school. It was not until she was 11 that
A JUNIOR doctor has been found hanged at a hospital where he had been working for just five months, it was revealed yesterday. The body of Dr Robert James Harris, 24, was discovered by a fellow member of staff in his room at the Friarage Hospital, in
A MAJOR car employer has decided to look after its own by providing an office for a charity that looks after car industry employees. Nissan, at Washington Road, Sunderland, is handing over a fully equipped office to BEN, the occupational benevolent fund
A VIDEO promoting Masham-shire is now complete, and before it is officially launched a photography competition for the front cover is being organised by Mashamshire association of tourism and trade. The winner will get films, an album and discount on
NO FEWER than 17 school sports records were smashed by pupils at one of County Durham's best known schools sports day. The current crop of sporting youngsters at Tanfield Secondary School, near Stanley, a school which produced football star Barry Venison
A NEW political group has emerged within the council chamber in Richmond - and will attempt to make its mark at a meeting next week. To date, power has been in the hands of Richmondshire District Council's independents, who outnumber both the Conservatives
THE first piece of public art in Guisborough has been officially unveiled. Youngsters from the town's Park Lane Infants, Northgate Juniors and Laurence Jackson School have been involved in the regeneration project organised by Guisborough Town Council
A hydrotherapy pool designed to help physiotherapists ease suffering could soon be built for pets. Prince Bishop Veterinary Hospital, in Plantation Street, Leadgate, near Consett, has submitted plans to Derwentside District Council for the facility. Planning
This week the British Horseracing Board announced replacement venues for the lost fixtures due to foot-and-mouth at both Catterick and Carlisle. It annoyed me to hear that three of the four fixtures replacing Carlisle have gone south. July 20 moved to
FASHION chain Oasis is involved in a £54m management buy-out deal. Independent directors of the group have recommended the 103p-a-share deal, which is led by chief executive Derek Lovelock and backed by PPM Ventures, the venture capital arm of Prudential
REVIEWS Formula One: Season 2001. Publisher: Sony. Format: PS2. Price: £39.99 AN estimated audience of 500 million people will tune in for the British Grand Prix, at Silverstone, tomorrow afternoon. Ten years ago all but a tiny fraction of those people
A £250,000 Internet caf-style centre for under-privileged Chester-le-Street residents was opened yesterday. The Hermitage school's ICT (information communications technology) On-Line Centre is designed to give "harder to reach" members of the public access
THE experience of living in a world of glass is reflected in a new exhibition. The Apartment, at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, showcases work in glass by a group of international architects and designers. The centre has been transformed into
NEW figures suggest wide regional variations in the proportion of women who give birth through Caesarean section. A new guide to maternity services reveals that Caesarean rates in some North hospitals are nearly 50 per cent higher than in neighbouring
