Archive

  • Joy for fans after tickets mix-up

    DISAPPOINTED Stone Roses fans who thought they had missed a concert by the band's former frontman have been given another chance to get tickets. A limited number of tickets for the Ian Brown concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Monday are up for grabs

  • Empty shop to be converted to out-of-school club

    AN empty shop could soon be given a new lease of life as an out-of-school club despite objections from residents. The club, in Glenfield Road, Stockton, will open from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and will take registered children between the ages

  • Job Search 2002

    MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Customer service representative, Stockton. £5.96ph, 37.5hrs pw, temporary. Must have call centre experience and good computer skills. Ref: STC 31680

  • Motorbike yobs hunted

    POLICE are hunting three motorcyclists who attacked a young father while he was walking with his three-week old baby. The 24-year-old was set upon by the men - who had all been riding motorbikes and were wearing helmets - as he strolled down an alleyway

  • Gray to stay on Wearside

    SUNDERLAND angrily denied yesterday that their skipper and longest-serving player, Michael Gray, had slapped in a written transfer request. As the Sunderland players continued their preparations for Sunday's derby clash with arch-rivals Newcastle United

  • Boro could go back for Izzet in summer

    MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren is aiming to revive his move for Leicester's Muzzy Izzet at the end of the season. The Turkey midfielder turned down a "fantastic offer'' from Boro - believed to be £30,000-a-week - after talks over a proposed £6m transfer

  • Magpies answer call for Kingsway glamour game

    PREMIERSHIP title-chasers Newcastle United are bringing a multi-million pound line-up to play a lowly County Durham team this week, as a favour to a former player. While Shearer, Bellamy and co carry the hopes of Magpies fans to glamorous grounds such

  • Tinkler seeks revenge in last Feethams derby

    REVENGE is in the air tonight for Hartlepool United midfielder Mark Tinkler. Pool go to Feethams for the final time before Darlington move to their new stadium aiming to claw back some pride after losing at Victoria Park in the first encounter between

  • £3m award for boy handicapped 15 years ago

    A DISABLED boy who was starved of oxygen at birth was yesterday awarded nearly £3m in damages against a hospital. Luke Walker, now 15, has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair because of the error at the former Hartlepool General Hospital in

  • Tesco on course for £1bn profits

    Tesco is on course to keep full-year pre-tax profits above the £1bn barrier. The company told the City that it was confident of delivering results "broadly in line with the current consensus forecast". Analysts are expecting Tesco to post annual pre-tax

  • Business news in brief

    Corbett's nice Woolie earner FORMER Railtrack chairman Gerald Corbett is to pick up £125,000 a year for working up to three days a week as Woolworths chairman. Mr Corbett will take the part-time role after handing over day-to-day running of the business

  • Hear all sides

    HOLMFIELD SIX months ago, 18 residents were moved from Holmfield Nursing Home, Crook, into newly-built accommodation in South End Villas, Crook. Holmfield is a fine Victorian villa in lovely grounds. Durham County Council then sold Holmfield for £68,000

  • Liddle in line to give Quakers a derby boost

    DARLINGTON yesterday received some heart-warming news ahead of tonight's derby at home to Hartlepool when it emerged Craig Liddle's latest injury isn't as bad as first feared. He will have an afternoon fitness test on his right ankle with a view to playing

  • Moment adventure fun turned to terror

    AN inquest heard yesterday how friends on a Dales adventure holiday laughed as two girls were swept off their feet by a fast-flowing river. No one realised that Rochelle Cauvet and Hannah Black were moments from losing their lives after losing their footing

  • Sitting on local oak

    A COUNTY Durham designer has used locally-grown wood to create benches for a city centre. David Kuegler, who runs the design and manufacturing firm David Craig Limited, has created the benches for Durham's Millennium City public square, in Claypath. Made

  • Takeover talk sends Innogy shares soaring

    SHARES in Northern Electric owner Innogy surged yesterday after it emerged Britain's biggest electricity supplier was on the brink of being taken over. Swindon-based Innogy confirmed it had received takeover offers, but refused to disclose the identities

  • Brawling police brothers sacked

    Two police constables have been kicked out of the force after a street brawl with two taxi drivers. Police constables Andrew and Duncan Simpson were charged with affray after they fought with two taxi drivers in Newcastle. A judge branded their behaviour

  • Work creates space to browse

    WORK to treble the size of White Rose Books in Thirsk's Market Place is expected to be complete by the end of next month. Over the past months, workmen have been busy demolishing cottages behind the book shop and rebuilding the extensions for a children's

  • Preparations are under way for children's fun run

    YOUNGSTERS in east Cleveland are preparing for the first Redcar Junior Fun Run on Sunday, March 10. Runners will start at the Kirkleatham Showground and run through the woodlands at Kirkleatham. Marshals from New Marske Harriers will be in attendance

  • A grandiose monument to the region's railway past

    Thanks to a local historian, Stooperdale in Darlington, has received Grade II listed building status. Echo Mmeories highlights the splendours of Darlington's own 'Buckingham Palace' and its links with the town's railway heritage WHILE plans to demolish

  • Charitable work that was Peases' swansong

    WHEN Ruth and Ray Blundell moved into their new house in Cockerton in December, they felt as if they had come home. They had -to a "haven for homeless girls", a home for orphans. Their house is the one that sits sideways on to Woodland Road, just over

  • Eccentric recluse who suffered a terrible end

    ANN Allan died of horrific burns in the country villa on the outskirts of Darlington where she had alone lived in eccentric isolation. She was 86, and her closest relative was the world famous Sir Henry Havelock-Allan MP, a war hero during the Indian

  • Supertrains on track to cut journey times by 20 per cent

    A new generation of 125mph supertrains was launched on the East Coast Main Line yesterday. The £4m Virgin Tyne Voyager, one of 34 new Voyager trains now in service, was unveiled at Newcastle Central Station. Yesterday's ceremony, at which the train was

  • Spring Thing hopes to draw new talent

    ORGANISERS of a popular folk festival have launched a hunt for fresh talent. Last year, the Spring Thing's first event for young performers saw almost 50 take the stage in the garden bar at the Arts Centre, in Vane Terrace, Darlington, where the festival

  • In the market for training

    MARKET traders are been given lessons in running their business. The traders are attending a ten- week course organised by Darlington Business Venture, which aims to give the traders more of an edge in a competitive business. The Learning Skills Council

  • Tributes paid to search and rescue team veteran

    DURING more than a quarter of a century in County Durham's search and rescue team, Stan White turned out hundreds of times to look for missing people. His sudden death last week was a great loss to the service, both in Durham and around the country, former

  • Heads of care trusts named

    TWO of the region's most experienced social services bosses are to run new NHS primary care trusts. The move underlines the increasingly close working links between the NHS and social services as the Government seeks to modernise the overlapping systems

  • School to be used by whole community

    ONE of the first community buildings on a Sunderland estate will be at the local school. The new building, at Farringdon Community School, will provide education, child care, computers and meeting rooms. The building, which will cost £500,000, will give

  • Academy for gifted launched in Durham

    A North-East university has been chosen to take part in a national scheme for gifted youngsters. School Standards Minister Stephen Timms launched the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth today. Designed to benefit secondary schoolchildren between

  • Police in hunt for woman's attacker

    POLICE have released an e-fit picture of a man who exposed himself after a woman refused to kiss him. The man, thought to be about 20 years old, approached the woman in a lane at the rear of the Pizza Hut restaurant, in Darlington town centre. After making

  • Former quo drummer is rockin' all over the borough

    A FORMER rock star is taking part in a tour with a difference. Instead of playing to sell-out audiences around the world, Jeff Rich - who was a drummer with Status Quo - is on a tour of schools on Teesside. The first session in Stockton borough took place

  • Cleavage has new weapon

    FIRST CAME plastic surgery, then it was the Wonderbra - now the cleavage has a new weapon in the form of a chest expanding gel. Bust Booster has arrived from America with the claim that one drop can boost breasts a full bra size for an entire evening.

  • Job Search 2002

    MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Engineer trainee, Darlington. £13,269pa, 39hrs pw. Required for routine safety and performance-related faulting, maintenance of electronic and electra

  • Students' jobs training

    TRAVEL students will sample life as a GNER worker during a work experience rail trip. East Durham and Houghall Community College students Samantha Flatt, 17, and Tina Wilson, 16, will take on a range of roles during return journeys from Durham to Kings

  • Survey to gauge views over plan to hold more markets

    PLANS to create specialised markets around the borough of Stockton are to be the subject of a consultation exercise. A consumer survey will take place to gauge views about the state of the markets and to encourage ideas on how to develop them. It will

  • Clark out to avoid double

    Ian Clark is hoping to avoid an unenviable double when he welcomes his former Hartlepool teammates to Darlington tonight. Clark was part of the Pool side that lost 2-1 to Quakers at Victoria Park on August 25 and he explained: "I hope I don't manage to

  • Care centre survives

    PLANS to shut down a day care centre for elderly people have been abandoned. The Labour group on City of York Council says closing the Age Concern centre in Ascot Way, Acomb, will not form part of proposals to meet a budget shortfall of more than £4m.

  • Brave mum tells of thugs' bag snatch attempts

    A mother-of-three told yesterday how she fought off teenage muggers who dragged her along a busy road twice in an attempt to steal her handbag. Janet Lingard, 46, was attacked by the two youths on Saturday afternoon, as she walked along Cargo Fleet Lane

  • From beer to bookkeeping . . .

    A FORMER barmaid has proved she has got a head for figures by gaining a bookkeeping award. Elaine Mosey, 35, a student at Redcar and Cleveland College, has been awarded the International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) top manual bookkeeping award for

  • Are men just excess baggage?

    SO, sometime this century, women are going to be shot into space for hundreds of years without the benefit of male companions. Their spaceships will not be like the Starship Enterprise, but rather "light sails", hundreds of miles across and powered by

  • Eight goals, but no souvenir

    Whilst not even one over, Friday's column on Roy Allen's eight-goal feat for West Auckland inexplicably omitted that it had been equalled by our old friend George Brown, an England amateur international. Crook Town beat South Bank 9-0 on November 6, 1965

  • Grant boosts conservation of churchyard

    DETERIORATING churches and conservation areas could be spruced up, under a grant scheme. The latest group to benefit from the Ryedale Environmental Action (React) project says there could be major benefits across the district. St Helen's Churchyard conservation

  • Help for regionas defence industry

    A MAJOR research project has been launched to help the region's manufacturing businesses benefit from defence procurement contracts. Funded by regional development agency One North East, the research has been commissioned by Northern Defence Industries

  • Ziggi looks for loving household

    ANIMAL lovers are being encouraged to offer a home to tabby cat Ziggi, who was left at a rescue centre after his owners could no longer look after him. Staff at the Blue Cross Centre, in Topcliffe, near Thirsk, say an adult household would be ideal for

  • Tribute to footballer

    FOOTBALLERS from around the North-East will gather today to pay tribute to a popular player who died following a road crash. Edward Sharp lost his fight for life in Newcastle General Hospital a week after his car was involved in an accident near his home

  • Designer to discuss estate plan

    A LEADING fashion designer will outline his plans for a North-East housing development in a lecture tomorrow. The co-founder of fashion label Red or Dead, Wayne Hemingway, is working with his wife and business partner, Geraldine, to design the Wimpey

  • Brewery deal deadline extended

    THE deadline to secure a merger deal between the Camerons and Castle Eden breweries has been extended. Castle Eden has been in talks with Wolverhampton and Dudley (W&DB) to buy the Camerons operation in Hartlepool. It plans to merge the two businesses

  • Success story is boost for project

    A HOUSING support project aimed at helping women with drug dependency and mental health problems is celebrating a success story. The Hestia project, set up by the Endeavour Housing Association, in Thornaby, was established to provide "stable, long-term

  • Second blaze sweeps chip shop

    DETECTIVES are investigating after a village chip shop went up in flames twice in less than 24 hours. Police suspect the first blaze, at the Codfathers takeaway, in Front Street, Sacriston, near Chester-le-Street, on Sunday afternoon was started deliberately

  • Elderly urged to have say

    OLDER people in Darlington are being urged to find out how they can shape their own future in the community. Darlington councillor Marian Swift, Canon Bob Spence of St Augustine's Church, Darlington, and TV star John Grundy met yesterday to promote the

  • Sitting comfortably for masonic auction

    MASONIC memorabilia, including many items from grand lodges across the region, goes under the hammer later this year. Auctioneer Bonhams is collecting objects connected to Freemasonry, for a summer sale at its Leeds premises. Much of the masonic ephemera

  • Employees can count on training skills

    A scheme to help increase employees' numeracy and literacy levels has got off to a flying start in Stockton. The project, being offered free by Stockton Adult Education Service, identifies and delivers tailor-made literacy and numeracy courses within

  • 'Land earmarked for park-and-ride only'

    COUNCILLORS are being recommended to rule that they would accept no other development on the site of a planned park-and-ride complex. Durham County Council has given itself planning permission to build the first of three parks, designed to ease traffic

  • Refugees' agency chief in fraud quiz

    THE chief executive of a key agency which helps house North-East asylum seekers has been suspended following allegations of fraud. Daoud Zaaroura, who heads the North of England Refugee Service (NERS), is now at the centre of a police investigation. He

  • 'Encouraging' average price as markets resume

    THE strong winter sunlight reflected the mood as the region's farmers marked an important step back to normality with the first cattle auction in the region after the foot-and-mouth crisis. Hundreds of farmers from across the North-East and North Yorkshire

  • Honours even for last derby at Feethams

    The last derby to be played at Feethams was one supporters of both sides will never forget as each sides contributed to 90 minutes of frantic football. It was a fitting way to mark Pool's last visit to Darlington's home before they move into a new ground

  • Watchdog praises health trust over risk management

    AN independent watchdog has praised York Health Services NHS Trust for its work in managing risks to patients. In the first report on the York trust, the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) compliments the trust for "its good overall understanding

  • Heads of care trusts named

    TWO of the region's most experienced social services bosses are to run new NHS primary care trusts. The move underlines the increasingly close working links between the NHS and social services as the Government seeks to modernise the overlapping systems

  • Climbers and fallers in Top of the Shops rating

    A NEW national retail index of shopping centres has confirmed Newcastle's position as the top retail destination in the region. The city remains the 19th top retail destination in the country, with no change in its position from 2001. Sunderland has seen

  • Chance to raise profile at forum

    THE region's automotive firms can promote themselves at an international conference next month. The International Automotive Conference, to be held in Sunderland on March 25-27, will bring together senior representatives from the world's leading companies

  • Pupils get a safer route

    YOUNGSTERS in Durham can travel to school in safety following the launch of a road initiative. Newton Hall Infants and Blue Coat Junior School launched their Safer Routes to School scheme on Monday. Aimed at cutting vehicles' speeds on approach routes

  • Plea to inform on owners who let pets foul footpaths

    PEOPLE are being urged to inform on dog walkers who fail to clear up after their animals in public places. The call follows anger at the amount of dog dirt which is being left on paths in the Haughton area of Darlington, particularly on the banks of the

  • Comment from The Northern Echo; Not perfect, but acceptable

    THE Northern Echo seems almost endlessly to be calling for open, independent inquiries. How did Richard Neale, the gynaecologist disgraced in Canada, come to be botching operations in North Yorkshire? How did Operation Lancet drag on so bitterly and inconclusively

  • Cup winner was for my son, says Solano

    NEWCASTLE'S Nolberto Solano has dedicated his FA Cup fifth-round clincher to new-born son Matias. Proud father Solano marked his 59th-minute goal against Kevin Keegan's Manchester City with a baby-cradling celebration. It was kid's stuff for the Peruvian

  • RSPCA's 'time bomb' warning

    THE possibility of a foot-and-mouth epidemic reclaiming its grip on the country is very real, according to a report published today. The RSPCA slams the food industry for the way it transports livestock, warning that "the potential to spread disease within

  • Fight isn't over yet, say 'martyrs

    A NORTH-EAST greengrocer has appealed to the people of Britain to help him fight on for the right to sell bananas in pounds and ounces. Sunderland trader Steven Thoburn was one of five so-called "metric martyrs" from across Britain who lost their case

  • Police appeal over rape case

    POLICE investigating the rape of a 19-year-old woman are stepping up the hunt for a group of people who may hold vital information. The woman was attacked in a public garden near the seafront in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, early on Friday morning. Detective

  • Job Search 2002

    MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Maintenance engineer. £24,000pa plus overtime, 40hrs pw, 3 shifts, 10pm to 6am, 6am to 2pm and 2-10pm. Must be able to work on equipment both single

  • Vampire rapist in robbery at store

    A sex attacker staged a vicious robbery after fleeing a secure hospital. Malcolm Foster - dubbed the vampire rapist after he licked blood from a schoolgirl's wounds before raping her - was jailed for nine years, in 1995. He served most of the sentence

  • Now Blair enters cement firm row

    PRIME Minister Tony Blair is stepping into a cement factory closure row by meeting union leaders this week. Campaigners trying to save 147 jobs at Lafarge UK's Blue Circle works at Eastgate, County Durham, hope Mr Blair's intervention will open the door

  • Who's the sleaziest?

    For the first time, Labour is seen as sleazier than the Conservatives, according to an opinion pool. Nick Morrison looks at how the Government's reputation has been tarnished. WHEN Tony Blair came to power, he promised his Government would be "whiter

  • Car jobs secured as dispute is settled

    THOUSANDS of car jobs have been safeguarded after a tense stand-off between Land Rover and City accountants KPMG was resolved. The two have agreed to settle a dispute that Land Rover said threatened 1,400 jobs at its Solihull plant and 10,000 more at

  • Former body builder tells of undercover work

    A FORMER champion body builder from Darlington was secretly recorded by an undercover police officer as he spilled the beans on his drug dealing, his girlfriends and his wife. A jury at Teesside Crown Court yesterday listened through headphones to the

  • Ahmed pledges to fight for Moss Bros

    FASHION entrepreneur Shami Ahmed is to continue his fight for control of menswear retailer Moss Bros. The Joe Bloggs founder, who first signalled an interest in Moss Bros late last year, had aimed to table a cash offer of at least 40p-per-share. But the

  • Rural vicar calls it a day

    A VICAR who has served one of North Yorkshire's biggest parishes is retiring from his rural role. Canon Tony Keddie, Rector of Fountains, near Ripon, is in charge of eight churches scattered over 70 square miles. Canon Keddie, who has recently been fitted

  • Comfort for worshippers

    MORE than five million stitches will be completed in a year's time by a group of workers aiming to end cold comfort for worshippers in Ripon Cathedral. As part of the Ripon Millennium cushion project, 60 stitchers, a group of schoolchildren and two Tibetan

  • Steel barrier to be erected on old road

    A STEEL barrier is to be placed over a stretch of the old A66 at Bowes to deal with problems of parking and overnight camping. At the latest meeting of Teesdale District Council members heard that discussions had been ongoing for some time between Bowes

  • Conman flees with £2,7000 from the home of pensioner

    A FRAIL pensioner lost almost £3,000 of his savings when he became the latest victim of bogus officials in the county. The 81-year-old man, who has a heart condition, was tricked by a conman who called at his warden-controlled house, in Haswell, near

  • Bridge leads to a rich vein of history

    "Upon my left the bridge with arched pomp Joins the divided lands and proudly rears Its battlements above the streams of Wear, On whose rich banks deserted Newton Cap Mourns for the absent arts and sciences Which by her lord deceased were there retained

  • From a muddy swamp to prime property

    One hundred and fifty years ago, Darlington's Woodland Road was just a country lane with a stream running down the middle of it. There was Holy Trinity Church, built in 1836 high above the carriageway; opposite, down a shady, tree-lined lane, was West

  • Medals success for youngsters

    YOUNGSTERS from a Darlington school are celebrating tennis success. Tennis World organised the Mini Tennis Competition at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington. Gold medals went to the winners, with silvers for runner-up and bronzes for the semi-finalists. The

  • Destroyers boost yards

    shipyards have been given a huge boost by an order for three new Royal Navy warships, helping to secure thousands of jobs. BAe Systems said a further three Type 45 destroyers will be built, adding to three previously ordered, taking the total value of

  • Grant gives gym club lots to celebrate

    A GYMNASTICS club is celebrating a grant which will allow it to take on more youngsters. The £3,971 Awards For All grant to Darlington Gymnastics Club through Sport England, will go towards coaching, equipment, grassroots development, recreational activities

  • Burglar alarm firm to lose credit licence

    A BURGLAR alarm firm faces losing its credit licence after complaints to trading standards. Catch Monitored Security, in Middlesbrough and Thornaby, has been notified by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that it will lose its licence to offer credit to

  • North Yorkshire news in brief

    Artists with time on hands ASPIRING artists had time on their hands as they put together an impressive exhibition. Resident artists at the Henshaw's Arts and Crafts Centre, in Knaresborough, produced a series of displays inspired by the theme of time.

  • boundary error sparks tree felling row

    LANDOWNERS have complained to an electricity company after trees were felled without their permission. John and Maggie Downie claim NEDL felled four 30ft willows at Beechburn Farm, The Hollow, near Crook, on the authorisation of a neighbour and not themselves

  • Another fine mess for Stan and Ollie

    THEY adhere to a constitution that requires them to park their camels at meetings, order countless rounds of cocktails and book return taxis to 'the desert'. Appreciation societies for Laurel and Hardy fans were never going to be dull affairs. Sons of

  • Businesses warned of money scam

    BUSINESSES are being warned to stay on their guard following the appearance of a money-laundering scam. A trader in Harrogate has received an invitation, supposedly from the South African department for minerals and energy, saying a share of $14.5m is

  • Chaplains back bid to have killer pardoned

    CAMPAIGNERS fighting to clear the name of blind killer Yvonne Sleightholme are preparing to seek a royal pardon - and are being backed by her prison chaplains, it has emerged. The chaplains believe there is a chance that Sleightholme, who was convicted

  • Boksic inspires Boro to victory

    ALEN BOKSIC started his first game since Boxing Day and inspired Middlesbrough to a victory which further eases their relegation fears. The Croatian, pushing for a place in his country's World Cup squad, slotted his seventh goal of the season - and first

  • Jobs website a record breaker

    THE start of 2002 has been a record-breaking one for public sector jobs website, Sector1.net. The site saw a massive increase in user traffic amounting to 600,000 page views in January, the largest number recorded since it was launched in November, 2000

  • Warship is venue for maritime talks

    A TALK about maritime history is being held on the world's second oldest floating warship next month. The Friends of the HMS Trincomalee, whose money helps to fund the warship docked at Hartlepool, will be entertained by two speakers. Peter Hogg will

  • Demand for inquiry into Neale hospital

    A FORMER mayor is asking the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate a hospital's handling of the case of disgraced surgeon Richard Neale. John Bacon, who was mayor of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, in 1983, believes that if he is successful

  • North Durham anf Tyneside news in brief

    DLI association seeks members THE Horden and Peterlee branch of the Durham Light Infantry Association is looking for new members. The branch is seeking people with a service background or those who are interested in the military. The branch meets on the

  • Event focuses on wildlife crime

    WILDLIFE crime specialists are holding a seminar in Durham this week. The event, at Durham police headquarters at Aykley Heads, on Thursday, has been organised by the police and Durham Wildlife Trust. More than 30 delegates are expected to attend. The

  • Job Search 2002

    MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Customer service/telesales advisor, Leyburn. £5ph, 9am to 5pm, Mon-Fri. Must have minimum two years' customer service or telesales experience. Good

  • Teesside news in brief

    Inquest opened and adjourned AN inquest was opened at Teesside Coroner's Court yesterday into the death of a retired steel worker, at Middlesbrough General Hospital. Jozsef Horvath, 65, of Crosthwaite Avenue, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, died on February

  • Appeal to bishop over loss of vicar

    VILLAGERS who fear they may be losing out in their fight for a new vicar have written to the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull, asking him to intervene. A move to combine the nine churches in Weardale, following the departure of Canon

  • Bus firm driving to recovery

    COACH, bus and car body manufacturer Mayflower Corporation is poised for recovery after enduring its toughest ever year. The company, which boasts former Prime Minister John Major as a non-executive director, said it had won a host of new business. Order

  • Arson attackers strike eight times

    Police are hunting arsonists after a series of fires in a North-East town over the weekend. They struck on Saturday night and Sunday morning in the Barmston area of Washington, Wearside. There were eight incidents, the first at 10.20pm on Saturday and

  • Mandleson rules out return

    FORMER Northern Ireland secretary Peter Mandelson has ruled out a return to the Government. But the MP for Hartlepool insisted his political career was not yet over. Mr Mandelson told BBC Radio Cleveland that he would not make a comeback to the ministerial

  • Fire destroys Middlesbrough home

    Neighbours reported hearing screams from a blazing home in Middlesbrough. Crews went into the inferno in Talbot Street, Middlesbrough, which was so intense the plaster on the walls of the terraced house had melted in the heat, a ceiling had collapsed

  • Support service may be extended

    A SUCCESSFUL support service touring two Durham dales in the aftermath of foot-and-mouth could be extended to other rural areas. Since the beginning of this month, up to ten people a day have been visiting a mobile police caravan parked in Teesdale and

  • Go for Zealous

    SEDGEFIELD specialist Over Zealous (2.20) has a great chance of notching a third course and distance success in the Alan Merrigan Memorial Chase this afternoon. Forecast rain has forced officials to hold an inspection at 7.30am, but if it does pass muster

  • First class fare for commoners

    SO many miles have been traversed these past ten days that this is travellers' fare, really - the column, as a spin doctor might prescribe, for people on the move. There is not even an account of a romantic Valentine's Day dinner, since the Northern League

  • Grant enables volunteers to spruce up children's home gardens

    THE gardens of a children's residential home have been given a spring clean. A few years ago, Keith Matthews came across an old orchard at Hartburn Lodge, in Stockton, and decided to apply for a Government grant to tidy it up. The money has enabled him

  • Little help for crime victims, says volunteer group

    THOUSANDS of crime victims are missing out on vital support, says a body set up to help them. County Durham's volunteer-run Victim Support says many organisations are turning a blind eye to the plight of victims. The claim echoes a report by Victim Support's

  • Job Search 2002

    MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Engineer trainee, Darlington. £13,269pa, 39hrs pw. Required for routine safety and performance-related faulting, maintenance of electronic and electra

  • Firm fined in severed hand case

    A FACTORY worker described how a shift ended in agony when his hand was sliced off. Michael Naugher, of Seaburn, Sunderland, had been trying to fix a machine when it was switched on and a blade came down on his hand. Mr Naugher said: "One minute I was

  • £68,000 ex-nursing home on market for £245,000

    A FORMER nursing home which was bought from a council for £68,000, then put up for sale by its new owner for more than £150,000 is back on the market - for £245,000. Critics attacked hard-up Durham County Council last month, claiming Holmfield House,

  • Dales park authority takes services online

    MORE services than ever before are to be made electronically available to the public after national park chiefs secured a major cash injection. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has been awarded a £200,000 Government grant to make a wealth of

  • Girls urged to get in touch

    AN appeal has been renewed for two teenage girls missing from their Darlington homes to get in touch with their families. Claire Louise Smith, 13, has been missing since Saturday, February 9, and Charlene Stanley, 15, has not been seen since the following

  • Pensioner attacked

    Thugs who terrorised a 78-year-old woman in her North-East home are being hunted by detectives. Three men, wearing balaclavas burst into Irene Rzepozynski's home, in Wallsend, Newcastle, threw her into a chair, slapped her across the face and made off

  • Top tips for brass players

    YOUNG brass players hit a high note when they took part in a weekend workshop with a leading conductor. About 70 musicians, aged from 11 to 25, attended the event, with conductor Nicholas Childs, at County Hall, Durham, on Saturday. The session with Mr

  • North-East paws for TV favourite Bagpuss

    THE UK'S favourite children's programme, featuring a saggy old cloth cat called Bagpuss, is on a national tour, thanks to his strong North-East links. Sandra Kerr, who created the music for the 1974 series, now lectures in folk and professional music

  • Homes boost for Advertiser

    THE latest stage in the development of a community newspaper in east Cleveland takes place this week. The East Cleveland Advertiser - formerly The Clarion - is to be boosted by a 16-page guide for home-seekers. The Advertiser, which covers Redcar, Guisborough

  • Flight paths upset villagers

    VILLAGERS' protests over the noise that would come from an RAF training base changing its flight paths look set to fall on deaf ears. Top brass at RAF Linton-on-Ouse are finding it impossible to keep all residents happy, as they attempt to minimise the

  • Op to save man's sight after attack

    A MAN is having surgery to save his sight after a thug smashed a bottle in his face. Police are appealing for witnesses after the serious assault on the 41-year-old man as he walked home at 10.30pm on Sunday. He was attacked as he walked near the Sun

  • Fresh strike looms for embattled rail passengers

    EMBATTLED North-East train company Arriva faced another headache tonight. Members of the moderateTransport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) will strike for two days next month in a row over pay for the first time in 30 years. The union said it will

  • Volunteers clear woodland for new growth

    VOLUNTEERS conservationists are helping to restore woodland at Howsham Park, in Ryedale. They are clearing the woods of elder trees to allow new species to flourish in an area within the Howardian Hills. A spokesman for the British Trust for Conservation

  • Fears for loss of life on road at school

    PARENTS are to petition authorities over fears that lives are being put at risk by having to park their cars on a busy road while they take their children into nursery. More than 100 parents who send their pre-school children to Durham County Council's