As the number of soap episodes increases, so does the pressure on the stars. Now some are feeling the strain and are finding that soapland can be an unhealthy place to be. BEING a soap star, like cigarettes, can damage your health. As TV executives increasingly
THE former wife of racehorse owner David Cecil watched in horror as her dog was shot dead at her doorstep by a farmer who claimed it had attacked his sheep, a court heard. Vanessa Cecil said she was left numb with shock when Raymond Flintoft blasted her
HUNDREDS of scarecrows will be among the crowds heading to Croft on Tees, near Darlington this weekend for St Peter's Festival. The third annual scarecrow exhibition is the highlight of the two-day event, at St Peter's Church. Scarecrows of all shapes
It's the closest relationship in nature - the love between a mother and child. So what could cause a mother to poison and risk the very life of her new-born baby? Chris Webber reports. A MOTHER hears her baby cry, cry with a desperate pain and gnawing
A NORTH-East factory will be boosted by a £90m order to provide engines for Spanish planes, it was revealed yesterday. Rolls Royce has announced that it has won the order for three planes flown by the national airline Iberia. It will supply Trent 500
A PENSIONER has had his jaw broken by a bogus policeman. The victim was given a severe beating when he tried to stop the conman and an accomplice entering his home in Normanby, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of yesterday, said Cleveland Police
THE first of a new wave of Spanish GPs arrive in the region on Monday as part of an NHS recruitment drive. The influx of foreign GPs follows agreement between the British and Spanish governments to increase the NHS medical workforce. It follows a recruitment
YEARS of tramping tourists, pilgrims and the occasional vampire dog have taken their toll on one of the most recognisable landmarks in the region. Restoration is now required on the 199 Church Stairs at Whitby, leading from the harbourside to St Mary's
Darren Gough will end his four-month injury nightmare by making a dramatic return for England at his home ground of Headingley on Tuesday. Gough is in line to face Sri Lanka in Leeds in England's third NatWest Series one-day international after proving
TWO men who fled half way across the world to avoid prison were finally both jailed for two years yesterday. Anthony Breslin, 24, and Paul Brady, 23, returned from Australia after their 12 months' working trip and surrendered to Cleveland Police. A judge
A DISQUALIFIED driver who police caught driving three times avoided jail yesterday for the sake of his young family. The fiancee and nine-month-old baby of scaffolder Tony Carter, of Middlesbrough, would lose their home if he was sent to prison, said
JOBLESS Geordie Adam Brown has just received a Government grant to make it in his chosen profession - as a wrestler. In perhaps the most unusual career change ever organised by the local JobCentre, the 23-year-old has now quit his native North-East to
IT is clear to everyone that the company operating the Gala Theatre failed to deliver on its contract. The city council will take all available steps to pursue money owed to it. The council is examining every aspect of the business it has inherited, from
THE region's new spinal injuries unit is finally open to patients. Built at a cost of £6m, the North Of England Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, has unrivalled facilities. Asked where the most modern
OUTWARDLY they look nothing special. You could easily walk straight past without a clue as to what lies beyond the mirrored glass shop window. The restrictions on sex shops are many and stringently enforced. A store selling pornographic material must
A sparkling double century from Darren Lehmann against Sussex at Arundel yesterday led Yorkshire out of a crisis and into a potentially match-winning situation. Yorkshire knew that they needed a big innings from their captain if they were to turn the
THE official rail passengers' watchdog for the North-East has condemned the quality of local rail services in the region. It told MPs that a lack of staff, trains and other facilities has made services unreliable and punctuality poor. The regional Rail
EARLIER this season Newcastle-bound Armagnac had more noughts against his name than a David Beckman pay cheque, but now the four-year-old is beginning to find the target, a decent prize beckons in the £30,000 the Tote Scoop6 Northern Sprint. Since trainer
PROVIDED the rain stays away, long-distance raider Zibeline (3.20) is worth an each-way punt in this afternoon's Foster's Lager Northumberland Plate. "He's a good horse as long as the ground is reasonably fast," said trainer Rod Millman from his Devon
A MOTHER was jailed yesterday for poisoning her baby with potentially lethal amounts of salt. Rebecca Graham, 20, who admitted cruelty to a child, made her newborn girl ill for at least three months while doctors struggled to discover what was wrong.
Their paths to the top have been unconventional - even downright bizarre. One was vilified by his people simply for not picking a 36-year-old striker. The other replaced a man who was tainted by accusations of taking cocaine, then had to survive his country's
NEWCASTLE United last night offered an olive branch to Olivier Bernard and issued a "hands off'' warning to rival clubs after a Premier League tribunal blocked the Frenchman's move to West Ham. Bernard had signed a pre-contract with the Hammers and vowed
THE disgraced farmer at the centre of last year's £8bn foot-and-mouth crisis will be allowed to keep £50,000 Government compensation, it was confirmed last night. Bobby Waugh was banned from keeping farm animals for 15 years by a court yesterday and was
NORTH-EAST Big Brother contestant Jonny Regan survived the latest eviction from the Channel 4 house last night. Viewers had to choose between the 29-year-old firefighter from Trimdon, County Durham, and Sophie Pritchard, a 25-year-old recruitment consultant
A BODY recovered from the River Tees yesterday afternoon has been confirmed as that of 18-year-old Christopher Shaw. His body was seen by a passer-by near the Millennium Bridge, in Stockton - only several hundred yards from where he was last seen alive
IT is a schmaltzy story worthy of 1940s Hollywood, but unlike those silver-screen feel-good tales, this one is completely true. It originally looked like a tear-jerker when Odo the gibbon was abandoned by his mother just moments after his birth earlier
DURHAM University chancellor Sir Peter Ustinov was presented with a prize-winning photograph of himself yesterday. Sir Peter, who was at Durham Cathedral for the university's final summer graduation ceremonies, received the gift from Mike Urwin, photographer
Esh Winning face a critical test of their The Readers Durham County League championship credentials when they host table-topping Evenwood this afternoon. Victory for Esh is essential if they are to close in on their rivals and a repeat of the form they
It's a bit of a milestone for our benefits expert John Gordon this week. His 250th advice column is below. Mr Gordon worked for the Department of Social Security in the North-East for 35 years. For the past five years he has advised readers of The Northern
That nothing is certain in cricket was vividly illustrated on Thursday night when leaders Guisborough and second-top Saltburn crashed out of the prestigious Kerridge Cup. Today, the pair lick their wounds while victors Normanby Hall and Marske are jubilant
BUDDING fashion designers have been given a chance to show off their designs on the catwalk at the region's top agricultural event, the Great Yorkshire Show. Models from the Louise Morton Model Agency will be stepping out in garments created by students
THE Northern Echo's Job Fair 2002 was a huge success yesterday, providing hundreds of people with career opportunities and advice. The exhibition, which has been running for eight years, was held for the first time at Blackwell Grange Hotel, Grange Road
BRESCIA are attempting to lure Paul Ince back to Italy as the former England midfielder prepares to quit Middlesbrough. The Serie A side want the Boro skipper to take over the mantle of Spanish star Josep Guardiola, who is bound for rivals Roma. Ince
IT would be easy to make Bobby Waugh the scapegoat for last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic. His Northumberland farm was one of the first sites to be infected, and the pigs were reared in appalling conditions. There would not be an outcry had the judge
Burnmoor apporoach the halfway stage in the season as the only unbeaten side. They entertain Boldon today without the services of yet another main strike bowler. Several weeks ago Des Beach was sidelined and still remains unfit. Today the Moors are minus
WHAT could be the final death knell for railway manufacturing in York was sounded yesterday with the announcement that Thrall Europa is to close down. At its height, the industry was the biggest employer in the city, with thousands working at the old
A STRUGGLING co-operative society has agreed a merger with one of the most successful independent groups in the country. Stanhope and Weardale Co-operative Society, in County Durham, which was founded in 1865, has agreed to merge with the Penrith Co-op
A YOUNG people's charity has helped two women set up businesses in the same street. Dianne Pearson, 29, and Sarah Emery, 19, have found their niches thanks to the business start-up programme of The Prince's Trust, which helps more than 400 young North-East
THE brother of a man killed as part of a sick "game" is to make a radio appeal for the killer's sentence to be lengthened. Father-of-two Paul Simpson died last year after being punched in the face which caused him to fall backwards and hit his head on
SKIPPER Jon Lewis yesterday insisted that his young players must heed the lessons of the biggest defeat in Durham's first-class history. All out for 215 in their second innings at Worcester, they lost by an innings and 308 runs to erase from the record
I WOKE in the middle of the night. I was panicking. It was Sunday tomorrow and I hadn't cut the front lawn. I hadn't weeded the dandelions from between the cobbles in the path. I hadn't cut down the dead daffodil stems yet. There was couch grass creeping
St Joseph's Roman Catholic church in Stanley, ministered to by only three priests in 100 years, has celebrated its centenary with an overflowing service. STANLEY is much changed since the days of men and mines and municipal middens. For one thing, the
A DRUNKEN care worker who went berserk on a packed holiday jet forcing the pilot to make an unscheduled landing was jailed for four months yesterday. Charlotte Davies, 31, who downed rum and Ribena to combat her dread of flying, lashed out at her boyfriend
Brazil have won a record fifth World Cup after beating Germany 2-0 in Yokohama. Ronaldo grabbed both goals, erasing the memories of four years ago when the South American's were beaten 3-0 by France. His first came in the 67th minute when he pounced on
Philadelphia suffered a double whammy this week when they were refused permission to register Simon Brown as a Durham contracted player and wicketkeeper Phil Empson sustained a fractured thumb. Brown made it known a couple of weeks ago that he would like
