Married men using the services of prostitutes can expect a visit from police officers searching for clues to the disappearance of a teenage vice girl. Missing Rachel Wilson kept in daily touch with her mother and her grandparents but vanished four
THE draw could play a crucial part in the outcome of today's £20,000 Carlisle Bell and there is none better placed to take advantage of the favoured far rail than the southern raider, George Stubbs (3.30). Darryll Holland is a past master in the art of
STRONG opposition is being voiced by people in Chilton over plans to move a school for children with educational and behavioural difficulties to the outskirts of their village. Durham County Council is planning to move Windlestone Hall School from Rushyford
THE grieving father of murder victim Julie Paterson has spoken of his hope that his daughter can finally rest in peace after the derelict house where her body was found is demolished. Her torso was discovered dumped in a black bin bag in the garden of
YOUNGSTERS at Eldon Lane Primary School have been presented with a Healthy Schools Award. Staff at the school have been working closely with Wear Valley District Council's Healthy Schools' co-ordinator Lynn Wilson to achieve the award which was recently
DURHAM resume hostilities with Worcestershire today hoping for a chance to complete unfinished business. In the last two championship meetings, both at the Riverside, they have had Graeme Hick's men on the rack in their second innings, only to run out
Echo Memories wanders around some stately Pease estates, takes a look at Darlington's first mortuary and pays a visit to Fishy Ned and his family before solving the mystery of how Etherley Dene's Wiffing Waffing Wuffing Band got is name. MORE than 150
THE Government found itself under pressure to deliver yesterday after promising a £263m improvement package for the A1 through North Yorkshire. The project is among those announced by the Department of Transport in an attempt to cut congestion and improve
THE battle to block an attempt to trim a vital Wensleydale bus service begins at a meeting in Northallerton today . North Yorkshire County Council needs to cut its costs to give it more leeway to prop up services which operators are finding less lucrative
A DEVELOPER has been criticised after reneging on a deal which would have allowed a sports and social club to reopen. There was a public outcry earlier this year when Middlesbrough Co-operative Club shut after being bought by George Wimpey UK. Hundreds
NEWCASTLE boss Bobby Robson is pondering another cross-channel raid for French wing-back Jeremie Brechet. Robson is refusing to be deterred by the Magpies' galling experiences with Gallic stars like Didier Domi, Franck Dumas, Alain Goma and, most recently
A YOUTH club that recently re-opened after being damaged during serious flooding has had to be shut down again - after a second disastrous deluge. Northallerton Youth Centre - formerly known as the T-Zone - had to be closed down after the great floods
A WOMAN accused of administering a fatal dose of heroin to a man found collapsed in a street near her home yesterday denied ever supplying drugs. Melanie Storey told Durham Crown Court that she was a heroin and crack cocaine user herself, but she said
A NEW chairman has been appointed to the Darlington branch of the North-East Chamber of Trade. Jeff Fitzpatrick, 46, is managing director of Walker Hall Associates, a consultancy, training and business start-up company which has premises in Durham, Stockton
MOTHERS in the Darlington area who want to return to work are being offered the chance to kick-start their careers. Freshstart is a flexible training programme, which fits around school hours and school holidays, and aims to ease parents or anyone returning
STRONG winds grounded one of the main attractions at the Great Aycliffe Show at the weekend, but didn't deter thousands of visitors. Royal Artillery soldiers kept their 80ft hot air balloon safely on the ground because the strong gusts would have made
TWO events which fell victim to the foot-and-mouth crisis a year ago returned at the weekend, attracting thousands of people. There were no sheep or cattle at the North Yorkshire County Show, near Northallerton, on Saturday - a move which seemed particularly
THE unexpected closure of a town's main post office has left residents without a much needed facility. People living in New Shildon were greeted with closed shutters and a notice to say the post office had been closed temporarily due to unforeseen circumstances
WENDY is confident her marriage will survive. "We're going through a bad spot at the moment, but it won't last," she says. How nice, you might think, to find someone willing to work at making a relationship endure - until learning the "bad spot" is that
A HEADTEACHER from Thirsk has been awarded a prize for his inspirational leadership. Christopher Lewis, who has been head of Thirsk Secondary School for 16 years, won The Leadership Trust Award for School Leadership in a Secondary School in the regional
Concerns are growing for the welfare of a teenager who disappeared after leaving a nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning. Christopher Shaw was last seen in Stockton High Street at 2am apparently waiting for a taxi shortly after coming out of
PILLS which are helping North-East pupils dramatically improve their school work could also cut crime, it was revealed last night. Feeding young prisoners dietary supplements containing vitamins, minerals and fish oil appears to have "remarkably" reduced
THE Queen has given the Royal seal of approval to a group of primary school youngsters who sent her a collection of their work. The children, from Timothy Hackworth Primary School, in Shildon, spent weeks researching the history of the Royal Family and
A FOOTBALL club is having crisis talks about its future after officials announced it could fold. Willington Association Football Club is once again facing closure less than a year after a community rallied round to save its clubhouse at its Hall Lane
A DRUGS crackdown has been stepped up in a North-East town. Middlesbrough Police's Dealer a Day campaign has seen a raid a day for the past week. Heroin, cannabis plants and cannabis resin were seized in the latest operation, and five people arrested
YOUNG writers have received prizes after penning poems with an environmental theme for an event this weekend. Twelve young poets were presented with their awards for the Poem for the Planet competition, organised by Darlington Borough Council's environmental
SCHOOLS in Darlington are to be involved in a new paper recycling scheme. The initiative will be launched by Darlington Borough Council after a survey of the area's schools at the end of last year. Twenty eight schools - 60 per cent of those questioned
A COUNTY Durham credit union has been given a cash grant to help school pupils to start saving money. Teesdale Credit Union has been awarded £280 from the North-Eastern Co-ops Community Dividend fund. The money will enable the union to fund promotional
THE funeral takes place today of a man who hanged himself from a tree after he was accused of rape. Michael Bruce, a 33-year-old taxi driver from Hartlepool, was found hanging in Castle Eden Walkway, Thorpe Thewles, by a man walking his dog last week.
There is better news for West Auckland FC, which famously won the first World Cup at the beginning of the last century, as it looks forward to renovating its stadium. A £21,930 grant from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), a supporter of the
GIANLUCA FESTA has admitted he wants to end his five-year association with Middlesbrough - and believes he may have left Inter Milan too soon when Bryan Robson brought him to the Premiership. The Sardinian centre-back, whose own goal against Arsenal in
ALMOST 200 performers will take part in a fusion of football and dance on one of the region's biggest stages at the weekend. The Joanne Banks Dancers, from Middlestone Moor, Spennymoor, are starring in Kick It! at the Newcastle Playhouse. The dancers,
TIMETABLED twice-daily steam trains are to return to one of the country's main lines for the first time in nearly 34 years. Carnforth-based West Coast Railway Company is to run trips from York to the North Yorkshire resort of Scarborough, and back, under
A FARMER missing from home since last month has turned up safe and well, 300 miles from his North-East home. Police closed their six-week hunt for Frank Johnson, of West Shipley Farm, near Hamsterley, County Durham, after he contacted his family by telephone
A MOTHER-OF-TWO has been named Holistic Therapist of the Year. Janet Hardy, a Bishop Auckland College student, beat rivals from 22 colleges at the final at South Downs College, in Lewes, Sussex. She enrolled on a holistic therapy course in September and
A TEENAGER was attacked by thugs as he walked to school in broad daylight. The 16-year-old was on his way to his final GCSE exam when he was approached by four youths, about his own age, near to the shops in Guisborough Road, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough,
Police hunting the gangs who tore a city apart in last summer's race riots believe travelling thugs from the North-East may have been behind the violence. Detectives in riot-torn Bradford have widened their investigations to Middlesbrough, Darlington
A RETIRED schoolteacher was given a sharp lesson by magistrates yesterday for drink-driving. James Hamilton, 65, of High Street, Moorsholm, Saltburn, was stopped by police and found to be more than two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit. He pleaded
THERE is a chance to learn more about Hartlepool's £54m New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme from next week. A display highlighting the progress of current schemes and outlining future proposals will be on show at the town's Central Library, in York
A SENSORY garden was one of the attractions at an information event for blind and partially-sighted people. The garden is made up of flowers and plants that provide interest and appeal to visually-impaired people through their smell, sound and texture
A public meeting has been called to discuss the future of Stanley. Kevan Jones, MP for the area, has been instrumental in organising the meeting, which follows the publication of an action plan by Derwentside District Council. A panel of experts and community
Wouldn't you just know it? Less than ten months after being given the mother of all beatings in the Fatherland, Germany are one step away from being crowned the best team in the world. It would be a misnomer, of course, to use that term to describe the
A MOTHER has criticised the way a school has been forced to stage a fundraising drive for money to refurbish its dilapidated toilets. Sharon Scott, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, said it was "appalling" that her seven-year-old son, Callum, had to
A police detective was today charged with an assault which left a man seriously ill in hospital. Detective Constable John Beresford, 43, was with two fellow officers socialising off-duty in a popular bar in Newcastle upon Tyne when the incident happened
A SKATEBOARDING marathon is being held in Northallerton next month to help raise cash towards a proposed skateboard park. The Popcorn store has joined with the Sketchy Wheelers group, the town council, youth workers, other young people and Connecting
EDUCATION, training and employment issues are top priorities for businesses in the North-East, according to research carried out by the CBI. More than 90 per cent of firms who responded to a recent survey of business priorities conducted by the regional
BLUE chip software business and software firm Sage Group is about to lay the foundations for new headquarters in the North-East. The £50m, 925,000sq ft complex will be built in two phases at Newcastle Great Park, near Gosforth, and should be completed
TWO pupils from overseas are spending a month in Darlington as part of an international scholarship. Manisha Bomjan, from Kathmandu, in Nepal, and Annie Sophocleous, from Cyprus, are staying at Polam Hall School, in Grange Road, for a month. The girls
RIPON'S Freemasons will hand over cheques to local causes today to help mark a national awareness week which aims to kill off some of the myths which surround the organisation. Lodges across the UK have arranged events to celebrate Freemasonry in the
DEDICATED carers of loved ones were given a well-earned break from their demanding roles thanks to volunteers and relatives stepping in to give them time off. As part of National Carers' Week Harrogate and district Carers' Resource arranged relaxation
A Northallerton doctor has retired after more than 30 years with the same practice. Dr John Cruickshank left the Mowbray House Surgery for the last time last week. While there, he developed a specialist knowledge and interest in obstetrics and gynaecology
GARDENING enthusiasts are being invited to take part in a seaside town's annual horticultural competition. Residents in the Seaham area are being encouraged to take part in the free contest. The Seaham in Bloom competition is seen not only as a means
Final Honours: Last week, Durham Students' Union (DSU) awarded the accolade of honorary life memberships to those who have served the promotion of life in Durham with most distinction throughout their time at college. The ceremony is an annual procedure
A NEW directory aimed at improving environmental education in schools and the local community in Stockton was launched yesterday. Entitled The Big Green One, the comprehensive directory in CD-ROM format lists the best curriculum-based educational schemes
CONTRARY to the view of A Jackson of Darlington (HAS, Jun 15), the introduction of the euro in the UK need not mean price rises at all. The smallest coin is one cent - worth just over the new halfpenny mentioned in the letter. The range of coins is about
THREE designers' imaginative take on everyday objects has formed an eye-catching craft exhibition. With furniture made from concrete and handbags made from jeans, the contemporary display on show in Durham is a break from traditional craft exhibitions
UNIVERSITY researchers have spent £120,000 and three years tracing the cinematic history of legendary Spanish gipsy Carmen. Academics scoured the globe for interpretations of the tale to compile the first comprehensive list of Carmen films. The newly-released
A 70-year-old great-grandmother has proved that technology is not just for the young by reaching the national finals of a contest celebrating the achievements of people over 50. Elizabeth Gatiss, an IT student at Bishop Auckland College's computer learning
RESIDENTS in Teesside are invited to see the fire service's plans for a safer future. The Fire Service Community Plan for 2002-2003 is available to anyone who wishes to see how the fire authority provides information, demonstrates performance and consults
TWO businessmen have been ordered to pay out substantial damages to a thief who was injured while stealing from their premises. Brian Grotz sued brothers Duane and Marc Usher for damages after he claimed they shattered his wrist with an iron bar after
TELEVISION historian Simon Sharma may be more accurate but a history of Britain being presented by an amateur cast seems certain to be more fun. The Richmond Amateur Operatic Society performs 1066 And All That in the town's Friary Gardens on Friday and
LOCAL authorities, getting to grips with a fridge mountain caused by European recycling directives, are now facing the prospect of dealing with stockpiles of unwanted televisions, toasters and vacuum cleaners. A new European directive will mean that 75
DEREK Mosey knows how to get weaving - he is an expert at it. He called in at Preston Park, near Stockton, yesterday, to demonstrate the art of willow-weaving, promoting a craft programme which has been organised by the Tees Forest project team. Willow
A YOUNGSTER has had a reply from Buckingham Palace after she sent a message of condolence over the death of the Queen Mother. Kennedy Waugh, aged six, from York, decided to write to the Queen to say how sorry she was. She wrote: "I am so sorry you have
A family fun day is being staged at Brandon Sports Club, in Brandon Lane, Brandon, near Durham, on Saturday, from 1pm onwards. Organised by the Friends of Browney School, it features a fun football match between the pupils and parents, plus a bouncy castle
Police presence: Councillor Sally Anderson proposed that the police be invited to send a representative to council meetings. The council agreed to write to Inspector John Proud, who receives the council minutes, to see if an officer can attend. Flower
A FOOTBALL Club's members are meeting for crisis talks tonight after officials announced it could fold. Willington Association Football Club is facing closure less than a year after the community rallied around to save the clubhouse at the Hall Lane ground
CRIME on a Darlington council estate has been reduced by almost 40 per cent since closed-circuit security cameras were installed. Firthmoor became the first estate in the town to have CCTV camera surveillance, when they were switched on last June. Thirteen
RESIDENTS who have fought for years to see a piece of railway history restored to its former glory are celebrating its complete transformation. Daniel Adamson's Coach House, in Shildon, was once earmarked for demolition by Sedgefield Borough Council before
THOUGH the column very nearly became betrothed to the daughter of the High Sheriff of Derbyshire - it was long ago, a salutary story involving tinned tuna, the demi-aristocracy and a red netty door without a sneck - that east Midlands county has remained
A GROUP of pupils are just one step away from the trip of a lifetime after reaching the final of a regional competition. The Year 8 youngsters from Eastbourne School in Darlington have taken part in the Northumbrian Water Square Mile Project. The regional
Sedgefield Borough Council plans to build a Sure Start family centre on the site of the former Praxis textiles factory in Dean Bank, Ferryhill. A planning application has been submitted. The proposed building would have both single-storey and two-storey
Anthony McGrath will be given extra responsibilities against Sussex at Arundel today as County Champions Yorkshire search for their first win of the season. In a bid to end the depressing sequence of results which has brought five defeats and a draw from
AS much as £1.5m could be in the pipeline to help regenerate one of North Yorkshire's market towns and its surrounding villages. A series of community projects could find funding through a huge cash injection into Thirsk and its hinterland. It follows
A SUMMER holiday playscheme for children and teenagers with learning disabilities could be cancelled because of a shortage of cash and volunteers. Organisers of the Playdays project in Bishop Auckland say they are facing the biggest crisis in its 28-year
Oscar-winning composer John Barry returned to the city where he was born yesterday to receive its highest honour. The man responsible for the distinctive James Bond sound and a host of other big-screen themes was confirmed as an Honorary Freeman of York
CRIPPLED ex-soldier Peter McCabe has won £150,000 damages for a low blow suffered when he was forced to take part in a boxing bout with a fellow squaddie. The father-of-two suffered pain to his right testicle and a botched operation by an Army surgeon
WITH Wimbledon well under way, junior tennis players yesterday took to the courts to fight for their own title. Teams of four boys and four girls from primary schools from throughout the district battled it out in the local tournament at Seaham Leisure
Nissan employees are demonstrating the demand for workplace learning by taking advantage of the support and facilities that are now available at the Assa learning centre at the car giant's Sunderland plant. Having enrolled on more than 2,800 learndirect
A CONSTRUCTION company, which offered £10,000 of school building work in a competition, has unveiled the result. Longfield School, in Darlington, was chosen as the winner of the Shepherd Schools Challenge, and for the past three weeks work has been going
REGENERATION experts from home and abroad are looking at ways of increasing use of the region's waterways. Stockton Borough Council and a group of authorities in Holland, Germany and Sweden have won European money from a new fund for a project called
A TEARFUL boy caught up in a siege for nearly 11 hours was last night due to be reunited with his injured mother who had been stabbed earlier in the stand-off. The 14-year-old left the house unharmed yesterday afternoon as a man gave himself up to armed
THOUGH the column very nearly became betrothed to the daughter of the High Sheriff of Derbyshire - it was long ago, a salutary story involving tinned tuna, the demi-aristocracy and a red netty door without a sneck - that east Midlands county has remained
SCIENCE is a strange fish. What is believed to be the world's first study into the scientific causes of criminal behaviour and lower educational achievement has come to a conclusion that is as old as the hills. Our parents, like their parents before them
POLICE are appealing for a Good Samaritan taxi driver to step forward after helping a young woman who was knifed by muggers. The Asian cabbie took the 19-year-old to hospital after she was attacked by two men in Marton Burn Road, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough
KIND-HEARTED readers of The Northern Echo wasted no time in offering their services to a single mother whose car was stolen. As reported in yesterday's paper, Deborah Hadley, whose four-year-old son, Kieran, has cystic fibrosis, had her Vauxhall Cavalier
AFTER two thwarted attempts - and possibly a bit of praying - a giant cross was yesterday erected in memory of the late Cardinal Basil Hume. The largest cross in Britain, at 50ft high and four-and-a-half tonnes in weight, it was laboriously placed in
A DESIGN student has won a top prize for his website which allows users to create their own Japanese room. Tom Hartshorn, who will graduate from Northumbria University's Multimedia Design course next month, won the prize for demonstrating excellence in
A TOTAL of 94 competitors took part in the seventh annual Great Aycliffe Show golf competition at the weekend. The competition consisted of four categories, with three prizes in each. The winner received the Great Aycliffe Town Council Trophy, and each
As South Korea's controversial World Cup odyssey came to an end yesterday, reporter Adrian Worsley visited the region's largest enclave of Korean nationals to see how they took the defeat. IT WAS the polite applause at the end of a devastating defeat
While lawyers thrash out compensation deals for those affected by the September 11 atrocities, Emily Flanagan discovers the creation of a memorial patchwork quilt has provided comfort for a couple mourning the loss of their son. A LAWYER for the United
A cheque for £367.86 has boosted the Rebecca Delap Fund, which aims to provide a motorised wheelchair for a local handicapped child. Rebecca, six, has a condition which means her muscles do not develop, but continues to attend Greenland Community Infant
A GROUP of young sports fans are hoping to net a win in a regional tennis competition. The pupils from Rise Carr Primary School, in Darlington, won the town heat of the Springs Health Tennis Challenge and are now heading for the second round. The four
COUNCIL officials and their European counterparts are to look at ways of increasing use of the River Tees for recreation and tourism. Stockton Borough Council and a group of authorities in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden have won European Community
AN action group is trying to build a picture of a typical victim to help reduce the number of distraction burglaries in Sedgefield. The Sedgefield Burglary Action Group has made targeting bogus callers a priority. The group, formed under the Sedgefield
WITH Wimbledon well under way, junior tennis players yesterday took to the courts to fight for their own title. Teams of four boys and four girls from primary schools from throughout the district battled it out in the local tournament at Seaham Leisure
ASSOCIATED British Ports is steering a course for growth after forecasting a spark in half-year profits. AB, which numbers Whitby among ports it operates across the UK and US, said yesterday it expected group turnover for the six months to June to increase
THE JUNIOR Great North Run is being given "a leg up" to ensure it enjoys the same nationwide appeal as the senior event. Children's BBC (CBBC) is getting on board to screen the Bupa-sponsored junior run live for the first time this year. Four yet-to-be
GREEN Howards cadet Samantha Boyes is training for a very special run next month. She has been chosen from the Saltburn Detachment of the Cleveland Army Cadet Force to carry the Queen's Baton as it passes through the area on Sunday, July 7, on its way
A MAN admitted setting his car on fire and false accounting at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. Mark Bignell admitted setting fire to the Mercedes Benz inside his garage premises on December 21, 2000. He pleaded not guilty to arson being reckless as to
An 18-year-old was attacked by two men in St Oswald's Street, Hartlepool at 3.30pm on Monday. Prior to the attack, the men accompanied the teenager along Tanker-ville Street, Sandringham Road, Hart Lane, Raby Road and St Oswald's Street. Anyone with information
A MUSEUM'S campaign to keep an historic piece of furniture on public view has finally succeeded. The Bowes Museum launched a fundraising appeal in April last year to buy a miniature botanical cabinet, once owned by the last surviving heiress of the famous
AN enhanced summer bus timetable between Teesside and Whitby and Scarborough began at the weekend. From Monday to Saturday, there are five morning departures from Middlesbrough between 8.55am and 11.20am, with five return journeys from Scarborough between
STUDENTS on an award-winning course have won high praise from a venture capital firm. The 13 students from Durham University's school of biological and biomedical sciences piloted the enterprise module, devised by the university's Foundation for SME Development
THE Gateshead Millennium Bridge has picked up yet another major award. The region's newest landmark, which connects the Tees and the Tyne, picked up a sixth award at the Structural Steel Design Awards. Dubbed the blinking eye, it won the overall award
A FUNDRAISING event this weekend should be a very colourful affair. As part of St Teresa's Hospice's Go Yellow month, a tombola will be held in the Queen Street Shopping Centre, in Darlington, and every prize will have a yellow theme. The tombola is being
AN out-of-school club has been launched by William Hague, MP for Richmond. The club at Croft Church of England Primary School, near Darlington, was built with grants from the Community Fund and National Opportunities Fund. It will be used by pupils after
A WOMAN from the North-East has fulfilled a lifetime ambition to set up her own fashion business and has become one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the region. At 23, Jeannette Davies, from Sunderland, is one of the youngest business owners in the region
Two police officers who saved a suicidal youth have won national recognition. North Yorkshire constables Paul Duffield and Paul Long have been nominated as among the bravest in Britain. Next week, they will be among those honoured at the national Police
OLDER people in Darlington are taking full advantage of a series of events in the town. Darlington Active Independent and Staying Young (Daisy) is a month-long campaign organised by Darlington Borough Council to encourage people over 50 to get more involved
PEOPLE living in Hartlepool's New Deal for Communities (NDC) area are being offered a chance to make a real difference to their neighbourhoods. They are being urged to become volunteer appraisers, working alongside New Deal support staff to evaluate project
A MAN with four convictions for violence has been warned that he could go to prison after he admitted an attack which left his victim with a broken hand. Harrogate magistrates heard how 37-year-old Paul Thew launched an unprovoked attack on Philip Smith
A MURDERED archbishop, a crusader king, Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII are all to be found among the flowers and shrubs in two North Yorkshire villages celebrating the current monarch's Golden Jubilee this weekend. Residents of Kirklington and Sutton
Bridge damage: Councillor Les Julian said that within days of Blakey bridge being repaired, a large vehicle had damaged it again. He said there were gouges half an inch deep running down one side of the stonework. Councillor Don Cartridge, who lives in
A COMMUNITY newspaper is helping people keep in touch with events from their previous villages after winning a computer. The Nub is produced by a group of volunteers for people in the former pit villages of New Brancepeth, Ushaw Moor and Bearpark. The
YOUNGSTERS who took part in a quest to find Stockton's junior and young librarian of the year will be presented with their awards next week. Children's Laureate Anne Fine will announce the winners and present the prizes to youngsters who have proved their
Echo Memories wanders around some stately Pease estates, takes a look at Darlington's first mortuary and pays a visit to Fishy Ned and his family before solving the mystery of how Etherley Dene's Wiffing Waffing Wuffing Band got is name. MORE than 150
POLICE yesterday released film footage of two suspected arsonists behind an £18m trail of destruction. Grainy footage from a security TV camera has provided a major breakthrough in the hunt for those responsible for torching truck depots across Tyneside
BABY Megan Allan is the beautiful daughter her father Ian will never see. At 7lb 15oz, Megan Lianne was born at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, to Caroline Allan. But Mrs Allan's delight is shadowed by tragedy. The birth came just a week after Karl
A SECRET smoker may have caused a fire which spread panic through a packed plane and caused an emergency landing in the North-East yesterday. Investigators believe a cigarette was the likely cause of smoke coming from a waste bin which caused fear among
EASINGTON district councillors Alan Napier and Alice Naylor will hold ward surgeries in the community centre at Murton, next Wednesday, between 7pm and 8pm. County councillor John Maddison and representatives of the parish councill will also be in attendance
HOUSES on a council estate are set to get a new look thanks to an unexpected local authority windfall. The residents in Jedburgh Drive, Branksome, Darlington will benefit from an investment of more than £300,000 to their properties. The borough council
ALARMING sickness levels among council staff, amounting to twice the national target, has prompted bosses to review procedures. During the last financial year, absence levels at Chester-le-Street District Council amounted to 17 days per employee, more
Farmers, archaeologists and cyclists have vowed to keep a close eye on the Government's plans for new stretches of motorway through the region. The Highways Agency has already emphasised there is a long road ahead before construction work begins on the
IT'S time to join the real world - even when we're on holiday. British diplomats have met officials on the Greek island of Rhodes to discuss the safety of British tourists after a series of rapes in decent weeks. Twenty nine British women were raped in
SECONDARY and special school pupils throughout County Durham will have regular access to anti-bullying workers thanks to a £500,000 grant. The cash has been allocated by the European Social Fund to boost Durham County Council's innovative Anti-Bullying
IT'S time to join the real world - even when we're on holiday. British diplomats have met officials on the Greek island of Rhodes to discuss the safety of British tourists after a series of rapes in decent weeks. Twenty nine British women were raped in
TAXI drivers in Darlington have objected to suggestions they could face an extra driving test before being granted a licence. The borough council is considering introducing an extended test for taxi drivers and they and the public have been asked for
ANGRY parents are demanding to know why a school is to be closed on an estate at the centre of a £52m regeneration plan. Closure plans have been announced for St Francis's Primary School, on Middlesbrough's Whinney Banks estate, at the hub of a New Deal
