THE Prime Minister's North-East constituents clearly do not think that now is the right time to bomb or attack Iraq. The Northern Echo's poll shows that only 17.6 per cent of people in Tony Blair's Sedgefield, County Durham, constituency feel he would
STARLINGS have chosen a lofty location to store the remains of their stolen harvest. Staff at one of Bishop Auckland's most famous landmarks, the Four Clocks project, a converted Methodist Church in Newgate Street, were amazed by an inch-thick carpet
PEOPLE living close to the site of a proposed waste recyling plant last night vowed to form an action group to oppose the scheme. They also called for a meeting with councillors to discuss the plan. Dozens of people living at Stainton Grove, near Barnard
Darlington's Tommy Taylor has called on his team to hit the ground running as the season starts at Cambridge this afternoon. Quakers have enjoyed a successful pre-season, completing a satisfactory sequence of results with a 6-0 win over Northern League
CHRIS Turner insists there's no pressure on his shoulders going into the new season. Hartlepool United kick-off the new campaign at Carlisle this afternoon, aiming to carry on the good work of last season which saw them race into the play-offs only to
SO, the future of English football is bleak, right? George Reynolds reckons clubs will go to the wall this season. More clubs than ever have been in administration in the last 12 months. Bradford City, a Premiership team as recently as 15 months ago,
A ROW has broken out over a major piece of art described as being "like a particularly bad taste, LSD-inspired, Seventies album cover" planned for Redcar High Street. Councillors queued up to denounce a six-metre high sheet metal sculpture depicting seven
EVEN in a normal year, the First Division is the most unpredictable, fluctuating league with the capacity to shock at every turn. So, what are we to make of the forthcoming season's contest in this, the most abnormal of years? There is no Fulham who can
A stunning 20-yard effort from debutant Ashley Nicholls gave Darlington all three points as the Quakers overcame Cambridge 2-1 at the Abbey Stadium. Cambridge had taken a sixth-minute lead through beanpole striker Dave Kitson, who flicked in at the back
THE history of a watch presented to a collieryman more than 80 years ago is proving a puzzle for council officials. The watch was donated to Ferryhill Town Council after being bought for £150 from a sale at the Durham Mining Museum. The watch is inscribed
The "metric martyrs" convicted of selling food in imperial measures will next week take their case to the European Court of Human Rights. The five traders are due to lodge papers at Strasbourg on Monday in a case backed by the civil rights group, Liberty
TWO teenage boys were attacked by thugs and had their bikes stolen after a visit to a beauty spot. One of the boys was punched while his friend was pushed to the ground, near Broken Scar, Darlington. The pair, aged 13 and 14, had just left the picnic
BUSINESSES are being asked to move into Saltburn's new but entirely empty £600,000 foreshore building. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, in association with the Saltburn Improvement Company, plans to advertise for businesses to come forward. The development
FORTY youngsters will learn about life as an entrepreneur at a summer school next week. The 15 to 19-year-olds from County Durham schools will spend five days at Durham University's Foundation for Small and Medium Enterprise Development. They will take
A COUNCIL is warning that it will crack down on dog owners who flout poop scoop laws. Newcastle City Council issued the warning after a man was fined £100 and ordered to pay £250 costs for not clearing up his dog's mess. David Harrison Jnr, of Brig-ham
MOTOR-MAD Nicholas Attwell loved driving cars. Hatchbacks, saloons, coupes and sports cars - he just could not get enough. There was one problem. None of the cars he drove actually belonged to him. Attwell was a serial vehicle thief. One day, after more
A NORTH-EAST public relations and marketing consultancy, Karol Marketing, yesterday announced details of a new £500,000 quayside development to house its growing business. Work has started on transforming the former Fighting Cocks pub, on a site over
ECHOES of Willington's industrial heritage are being captured in a town centre sculpture. Willington Community Partnership and youth group members have worked with Hunwick artist Graeme Hopper on designs for the four- metre feature which will stand on
A VINTAGE bus used in TV's Heartbeat series celebrated its 60th birthday yesterday ahead of a heritage festival. The 1942 ex-United double-decker will be one of the attractions at this year's Darlington Heritage Open Days Festival next month. Having been
Stockton fixture secretary Mike Syson is under no illusion as to the importance of today's match at Tynemouth with just three points separating the pair at the bottom of the table. "It goes without saying that the result is crucial for both of us. In
Now that they have their noses in front - albeit by a slender two-point margin - Saltburn are sure they can go all the way and win the championship. They were frustrated at being unable to gain the last Darlington RA wicket last Saturday, but overjoyed
HOUSEHOLDERS in the Durham City area are being asked to help actors find places to stay in the area. Veteran producer Charles Vance is bringing a company of actors to the city's Gala Theatre for three weeks in October. He is hoping to establish an accommodation
DFDS Seaways is offering its corporate clients a chance to get away with murder. The company's meetings, incentives, conference and events division has teamed up for Murder on the Menu, a murder mystery event company offering clients a team-building or
A GROUP of archery fans have moved to a new home - but want to move again. Plans to construct several buildings on land at Oxmoor Lane, Sowerby, for Thirsk Bowmen were recently thwarted. The club, which has a growing membership, submitted a plan to Hambleton
MODEST bobby Dave White was named as North Yorkshire's Community Police Officer of the Year - and promptly went back to work. The officer, based in Acomb, York, beat others from across the county to take the title at an awards ceremony in York's Merchant
A TOTAL of 56 groups and individuals from across Teesside are celebrating a share in a £74,000 hand-out. The latest group of awards from Cleveland Community Foundation includes £4,566 to Skelton Youth Forum, which arranges group activities for youngsters
TEENAGERS Charlotte Nichols and Matthew Brown are being helped on the road to success in their respective sporting fields. Both have received awards under Richmondshire District Council's young sports people scheme. Charlotte, 18, and from Barton, is
A STOCKTON shopping centre has been declared a boredom-free zone next week. Shoppers young and old will be entertained by a host of family entertainers who are visiting Wellington Square shopping centre from Wednesday to Saturday. The fun begins with
THE family of a woman who died in hospital after taking an overdose is to pursue a claim for clinical negligence. It follows an inquest verdict of, "misadventure, contributed to by neglect", recorded by North Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle into the death
SCUBA divers will be taking a dip in a Darlington pond today as part of a summer fair. The Darlington Dolphins Scuba Diving Club is taking part in the event at Brinkburn Pond, now called Brinkburn Nature Reserve, to promote improvements at the site. The
PEOPLE living close to the site of a proposed waste recyling plant last night vowed to form an action group to oppose the scheme. They also called for a meeting with councillors to discuss the plan. Dozens of people living at Stainton Grove, near Barnard
DURHAM fire station in Framwellgate Moor is holding an open day on Sunday, August 18, between 10am and 4pm. Fire engines will be on show and there will also be fire safety demonstrations and displays, as well as win a fighter for a day and be a firefighter
POLICE are seeking three thieves who stole a woman's handbag after calling at her home. The man and two women started talking to their victim on the doorstep of her home in Aldbrough Walk, Darlington, at 11.50am on Thursday. The woman went to the kitchen
A KEEN cyclist is taking to the coast to raise money for two charities close to his heart. Alistair Campbell, of Halnaby Avenue, Darlington, is hoping to complete a bike ride between Whitehaven and Tynemouth to raise money for the Parkinson's Disease
TEENAGERS Charlotte Nichols and Matthew Brown are being helped on the road to success in their respective sporting fields. Both have received awards under Richmondshire District Council's young sports people scheme. Charlotte, 18, and from Barton, is
DEVOTED volunteers have been rewarded for the time and dedication they have given to their communities. Mary Armstrong, from Crook, and John Niven, from West Auckland, were recently presented with a Local Hero award for all their hard work. The award
A VILLAGE church is hoping to build a new entrance and office costing about £100,000. The church council of All Saints Church, in Hurworth, near Darlington, has announced its intentions to build the entrance to make the church more accessible. It is hoped
A MAN charged with sending obscene material through the post has been remanded in custody by Newton Aycliffe magistrates. Richard Whitfield, 45, of Forster Avenue, Sherburn Village, near Durham City, was arrested last month. He was charged on Thursday
POLICE are seeking three thieves who stole a woman's handbag after calling at her home. The man and two women started talking to their victim on the doorstep of her home in Aldbrough Walk, Darlington, at 11.50am on Thursday. The woman went to the kitchen
NEARLY 400 people have joined new projects which encourage them to stay fit by adopting a healthier way of life. The National Lottery funds the Passport to Health programme, which is half way through its first year in the Sedgefield borough. Kick the
POLICE have released security camera pictures in their hunt for a man who allegedly committed an indecent act in a sports centre's female changing rooms. A woman was left traumatised when she found out that she had undressed in Darlington's Dolphin Centre
PHOTOGRAPHERS have been capturing the landscape of Teeside in a competition. The public were invited to use cameras and film supplied by The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust to photograph scenes from Coatham Marsh, at Coatham, near Redcar. Steve Ashton, education
THE former spiritual guru to the Beatles is behind ambitious plans to eradicate crime and poverty in the North-East. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who famously introduced the Fab Four to Eastern mysticism in 1967, broke his self-imposed 25-year silence with
POLICE are appealing for a missing man to get in touch. Concern is growing for Thomas Brett Wilkinson, 41, known as Brett, of Evenwood, County Durham. He was last seen in his home village on August 1, and is thought to be driving his silver Ford Fiesta
DETERMINED workmates have raised £3,000 for charity by completing a gruelling physical challenge. Thirteen men from Reed Boardall Cold Storage, in Boroughbridge, handed the cash to the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) after tackling the Yorkshire
ABOUT 2,500 new jobs could be created over the next ten years through plans to expand Scarborough's business park at Eastfield. The regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, has already provisionally allocated £1.2m towards the expansion, but a
A ROAD run that has sparked international interest is expected to have the highest number of entrants in its history. The Darlington 10k run has been swamped with hundreds of entries from runners eager to sign up for the event. Race organisers believe
POLICE are hunting for a burglar who conned his way into a pensioner's home by pretending that he had lost a pet cockateel. On Tuesday at 3.30pm, the conman called at the 81-year-old woman's home and said that his children's pet cockateel had escaped
SHE was born a year after Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee - and great-great-grandmother Annie Owen was still going strong yesterday as she celebrated her 104th birthday. The former servicewoman, who was born in Hetton-le-Hole, near Sunderland, in 1898
From early beginnings rebelling against the 17th Century govenment, the Baptist Church in the North-East spread southwards. A Baptist church in the area had just celebrated its 350th anniversary, and the congregation seems far more content than its religious
THE building of a new abattoir in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales is set to play a key role in taking locally produced meat to a wider market. The creation of the site at McIntyre Meat, in Bainbridge, was aided by a £260,000 Government grant - the largest
STEVE HARPER will head out to Bosnia with his Newcastle United teammates on Monday just hours after putting pen to paper on a new five-year deal at St James' Park. The 27-year-old understudy to Shay Given has agreed the new contract which will signal
THE eerie silence which fell over an isolated corner of the region yesterday spoke volumes for the mood of the men and women who had just lost the jobs they loved. For the first time in nearly four decades of round-the-clock working, the giant dusty grey
GEORGE Boateng is desperate to prove his worth to the Middlesbrough faithful as soon as possible. The battling midfielder could not have made a bigger first impression on his new employers following his £5m switch from Aston Villa. Boateng's encouraging
THERE is a mesmeric fascination with water rooted deeply within us all. Maybe it has something to do with the bucket-loads that fall down from the heavens every summer, usually just after the barbecue has been lit. Maybe it is because we are island dwellers
PULL up the regulator and there's a massive whoosh as a sauna of warm steam envelopes your legs and a shower of rubbish flies out of the chimney and lands on your head. But Sans Pareil is alive. She's moving. Ever so slowly, with great rushes of smoke
A DISUSED ship repair yard could be reopened by the end of next month, it was announced yesterday. The former Cammell Laird yard at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, used to employ more than 100 people. But it has not been operating since April last year
SUNDERLAND are hoping to tie up a deal to bring Spanish striker Raul Tamudo to the club. Tamudo has been on manager Peter Reid's wanted list all summer and now the front-man is understood to be stepping closer to a move to the Stadium of Light. Reid hopes
OUR sister newspaper, The East Cleveland Advertiser, sponsor a fascinating six-runner handicap on Northern Echo Family Fun Day at Redcar tomorrow. In such a relatively small field the task of finding the winner ought not to be that difficult, but nothing
RESIDENTS of a Teesside estate are celebrating after securing £70,000 to improve safety at a row of crime-hit shops. Each weekend, underage drinkers gather at night at Broughton Avenue shops, in Easterside, Middlesbrough, vandalising buildings and intimidating
Nostalgia series are hugely popular and become even more so when they're about a programme as genuinely loved as The Brothers. Steve Pratt reports. Tyne Tees Television producer-director Jason Beresford watched eagerly as old hit programmes to be recalled
THE directly-elected mayor of a remote town in Texas has been castrated in a drunken fight by an irate resident. A court heard this week that one of the mayor's testicles was found in the accused's fridge. This case will undoubtedly cause great consternation
DURHAM have added South African paceman Dewald Pretorius to their list of possibilities for their second overseas player next season. They took the chance to have a look at the South Northumberland professional in Thursday's friendly against Scotland
FARMERS in the region may still go ahead with Monday's planned protest, despite a Government pledge to relax the 20-day ban on livestock movements. North-East farmers will decide this weekend whether to stage a day of action, in spite of a nationwide
THE Dambusters raid is one of the most famous and was arguably one of the most dangerous raids of the Second World War. The outrageous operation required ultra-low flying and nerves of steel in the face of a lethal barrage of anti-aircraft fire. Nineteen
BUDDING folk musicians spent a week in Durham learning from the masters. And they put their skills to good use at public performances with the tutors. More than 300 players of all ages took part in annual workshops run by the region's Folkworks development
PLANS for the region's first national museum have been unanimously welcomed by councillors. It was agreed that the £8m railway museum to be built in Shildon, County Durham will breathe new life into the town, which was once at the heart of the industry
A RIVERSIDE stroll taking place in Middlesbrough next week marks the start of a series of fortnightly healthy walks in the town. The Healthy Stepping project, organised by Tees and North-East Yorkshire NHS Trust and other agencies, is aimed at encouraging
THE grieving family of a taxi driver who died after driving his car into a dock claimed yesterday that "fundamental safety failures" were to blame for the accident. A jury at Teesside's Coroner's Court recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing
AN 11-hour blaze on a farm destroyed more than 400 hay bales and agricultural equipment yesterday. Firefighters from Peterlee and Wheatley Hill were called to the fire in a barn off Park Road, Trimdon Colliery, just after 3am. Crews took more than five
CONCERNED residents are being invited to examine plans for a house building programme in Hartlepool. The town's Grand Hotel, in Victoria Road, will host a presentation showing the sites under consideration for executive housing over the next ten years
COUPLES planning to marry at a popular North-East hotel face wedding day misery after it announced plans to close. The Newbus Arms, at Neasham, near Darlington, which is a premier venue in the region for weddings, is to close next month. Scores of couples
SHE was born a year after Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee - and great-great-grandmother Annie Owen was still going strong yesterday as she celebrated her 104th birthday. The former servicewoman, who was born in Hetton-le-Hole, near Sunderland, in 1898
A NAKED car driver is being hunted by police after being seen near a park. The driver drove away after being spotted by a woman pedestrian. The incident happened in Cornwall Road, alongside Harrogate's Valley Gardens, at about 3.30am on Thursday. The
EUROPEAN grants aimed at boosting business and jobs in the North-East have exceeded £40m and the money is expected to help 12,000 businesses and create 9,500 jobs. This progress was highlighted as representatives from the education, public, voluntary
It is a really big weekend for Murton and Hylton, who after meeting in today's top-of-the-table clash, are in opposition again at Ryhope tomorrow to decide the result of the Frank Lees Trophy. First, though, the pair will concentrate all their thoughts
HEALTH bosses have apologised for the "insensitive appointment" of disgraced gynaecologist Richard Neale to the role of checking standards of doctors at a hospital. Greater Manchester Health Authority admitted his appointment - to an administrative role
BRITAIN'S trade gap widened in June as exports slumped, figures showed yesterday. Economists said the figures highlighted the fragility of global demand, but also revealed that the UK "shut down" during the month as attention was focussed on the World
Hetton Lyons, the only club to have applied for entry into the Foster's ECB North East Regional Premier League, have a lot of ground to make up if they are to win the championship and achieve their ambition. "We are 42 points behind Burnmoor which is
MANY professional naturalists have no doubt that certain predators do indeed need to be controlled (Echo, Aug 5). The RSPB, for example, shoots foxes and traps crows, mink and rats on some nature reserves to protect ground nesting birds. Many wildlife
NEARLY 1,000 runners are expected to compete in tomorrow's annual Darlington 10K on a new, safer two-lap course. Police had expressed concerns for the safety of athletes on the old route and have worked closely with Darlington Council officials to find
As the nation celebrates Paula Radcliffe's medal-winning success, and athletes experienced and novice prepare for the Darlington 10k tomorrow, Glen Reynolds muses on the benefits of putting on those running shoes. THERE is no doubt that wanting to run
POP Idol finalist Aaron Bayley will be performing at a festival in the region. The 27-year-old, from Newcastle, will take to the stage at this year's Orange Darlington Festival. Since ITV's Pop Idol series ended, he has been busy recording and performing
DURHAM fire station in Framwellgate Moor is holding an open day on Sunday, August 18, between 10am and 4pm. Fire engines will be on show and there will also be fire safety demonstrations and displays, as well as win a fighter for a day and be a firefighter
A KEEN cyclist is taking to the coast to raise money for two charities close to his heart. Alistair Campbell, of Halnaby Avenue, Darlington, is hoping to complete a bike ride between Whitehaven and Tynemouth to raise money for the Parkinson's Disease
RESIDENTS in an east Durham village are planning a new showground right down to the last shrub. The Planning for Real project is taking place at Shotton Colliery where those living in the community have been invited to help transform the village's Victoria
A LIFE-SIZE model of one of the North-East's early medieval saints yesterday took pride of place in a school named in his honour. The Venerable Bede Church of England School took delivery of the specially-commissioned sculpture of the Northumbrian monk
A RIVERSIDE stroll taking place in Middlesbrough next week marks the start of a series of fortnightly healthy walks in the town. The Healthy Stepping project, organised by Tees and North-East Yorkshire NHS Trust and other agencies, is aimed at encouraging
A woman had an astonishing escape yesterday when the minibus she was driving plunged into a ravine at a beauty spot. The vehicle hurtled 200ft down the Hole of Horcum, on the North York Moors. The driver, who was the only person in the minibus, was airlifted
SCHOOLFRIENDS of missing ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman yesterday made an emotional appeal for their return, as police said the youngsters could now be anywhere in the country - or even abroad. Jennie White, Natalie Parr, Sean Flack and
A VILLAGE church is hoping to build a new entrance and office costing about £100,000. The church council of All Saints Church, in Hurworth, near Darlington, has announced its intentions to build the entrance to make the church more accessible. It is hoped
ECHOES of Willington's industrial heritage are being captured in a town centre sculpture. Willington Community Partnership and youth group members have worked with Hunwick artist Graeme Hopper on designs for the four- metre feature which will stand on
COUPLES planning to marry at a popular North-East hotel face wedding day misery after it announced plans to close. The Newbus Arms, at Neasham, near Darlington, which is a premier venue in the region for weddings, is to close next month. Scores of couples
NEARLY 400 people have joined new projects which encourage them to stay fit by adopting a healthier way of life. The National Lottery funds the Passport to Health programme, which is half way through its first year in the Sedgefield borough. Kick the
A MAN charged with sending obscene material through the post has been remanded in custody by Newton Aycliffe magistrates. Richard Whitfield, 45, of Forster Avenue, Sherburn Village, near Durham City, was arrested last month. He was charged on Thursday
HEALING practitioners and reiki masters will be attending an open day at a North-East complementary health centre next weekend. The Remedies centre, in Darlington, is holding the event next Saturday. The centre's manager, Clive Hall, said: "Reiki is excellent
A KIDS club has received £1,324 to take youngsters on trips during the school holidays. The East Cleveland Holiday and Out of School Club (Echo Web) has received the cash from the Local Network Fund for Children and Young People. Echo Web takes children
NOT many newly-weds can claim to have had a horse race named after them, but for one North-East couple it was all part of their big day. When trainer Brian Ellison married Claire Bell, of Durham, yesterday he had an unusual surprise for her - an afternoon
Promotion chasing Hartlepool United got their season off to a winning start with a 3-1 win at Carlisle. Carlisle were hoping to celebrate the arrival of the clubs new owners but party-poopers Pools had other things on their mind and it was a comfortable
VOLUNTEERS are being sought to work with parents with young children. HomeStart Teesside helps families with children under the age of five, who are finding it difficult to cope with the problems of everyday life. HomeStart volunteers work alongside families
A HOSPITAL cleaner will have to undergo tests for hepatitis B after she was pricked with a used hypodermic needle while cleaning the men's public toilets. Claire Hopper, from Middlehope Grove, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, will also have to undergo
A TEACHER has returned to his roots to hold an art exhibition. Born in Shotton Colliery, Ken Charlton is displaying his work at the Discovery Centre, Seaton Holme, Easington Village, until Sunday, September 8. Mr Charlton trained as a teacher at Bede
A PET show with a difference is heading for the region later this month. There will not be any live animals at the event, at the World of James Herriot museum, in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The museum is playing host to Poppet's Peculiar Petshop Show -
IT is clear there is little support in this country for military action against Iraq. If the Prime Minister has failed to get that message from the British public, he will be well advised to study The Northern Echo's poll of his constituents in Sedgefield
A MILK monitor has been rewarded for her hard work. South Kilvington CE Primary School milk monitor Samantha Metcalfe was delighted to be named the best milk monitor in her school. Samantha was chosen for the award because of her diligence and responsibility
A VILLAGE pub threatened with closure is to remain open after pleas from regulars and residents. The Anvil Inn, at Sawdon, near Scarborough, was in line to be converted into a house by its owner, Kevin Smith. Scarborough Borough Council's planning committee
A MAN who saved two girls from drowning in a fast-flowing river has been praised for his life-saving action. But the hero of the rescue in the River Nidd, at Knaresborough, was too modest to speak publicly about his actions. Maintenance worker Tony Broadbelt
COMBAT FITNESS: Washington Millennium Centre holds GKR karate sessions for fitness. More details are available from Jayne Anderson on 0191-219 3881. SAVE LIVES: Blood can be donated from 2.30pm to 7pm, on Thursday, at Springwell Village Hall. EDUCATION
Q I am a man aged 69 who worked until I was 66. I have never applied for a state pension. Could I apply now and, if so, from when would it be payable? A You could have claimed at any time from the age of 65, whether you were working or not. Your pension
GREAT BRITAIN and Ireland are in a strong position to avenge last year's heavy defeat inflicted by the Rest of the World in the Shergar Cup at Ascot today. The six jockeys picked to represent the home team are being "managed" by the former world snooker
DARREN Gough was last night ordered to miss England's Ashes tour and the World Cup - or risk retirement. Gough is still keen to play in this winter's series in Australia and the World Cup, despite facing a third knee operation in six months. He will celebrate
THREE parks could be created in Durham for skateboard and BMX enthusiasts. The Durham Skate and Bike Partnership hopes to win planning permission and funding for facilities at the Meadowfield and Abbey leisure centres, and possibly a further park in the
Kimblesworth, denied the opportunity to stay out in front when their game at Ushaw Moor was the only one to be cancelled last week, aim to keep the pressure on new leaders Evenwood by defeating Tudhoe today. "Obviously we were all disappointed that last
TONY Blair was urged last night to step back from war with Iraq - by voters in his own North-East constituency. An exclusive poll conducted in Sedgefield by The Northern Echo revealed that 64.6 per cent believe the Prime Minister should not support a
Nostalgia series are hugely popular and become even more so when they're about a programme as genuinely loved as The Brothers. Steve Pratt reports. Tyne Tees Television producer-director Jason Beresford watched eagerly as old hit programmes to be recalled
THERE is a mesmeric fascination with water rooted deeply within us all. Maybe it has something to do with the bucket-loads that fall down from the heavens every summer, usually just after the barbecue has been lit. Maybe it is because we are island dwellers
