A NEW karate class is proving popular among pupils at a girls' school. Pupils as young as seven at Polam Hall School, Darlington, are taking part in extra-curricular self-defence classes with Bryan Crossley. The girls can work towards internationally-recognised
THE owner of a former nursing home has lost his appeal to convert the Victorian building into residential flats. St Peter's House, in Gainford, between Darlington and Barnard Castle, was a nursing home for several decades before its private owner decided
CHILDREN are recycling their families' Christmas cards to help to expand the Tees Forest. Pupils in Darlington, Stockton, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and the Redcar and Cleveland borough are collecting cards which will be recycled into paper and cardboard
A father jailed for killing his baby daughter in an alleged episode of "shaken baby syndrome" has won the right to challenge his conviction after a ruling in London's Appeal Court. Mark Cordice, 29, received a three-month sentence at York Crown Court
A couple who took part in a social club brawl as dozens of pensioners looked on failed in an appeal court bid to have their sentences cut yesterday. Jason McIlwaine, of Nidd Vale Terrace, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and Marie Joyce of York Avenue, Jarrow
A TEACHER accused of sexually abusing a teenage pupil walked free from court yesterday after an 18-month nightmare. The girl, now 17, claimed that Philip Deprez brushed her breasts and touched her legs in class, and quizzed her about her sex life. But
AN MP is seeking urgent assurances over Arriva train services as the threat of strike action draws closer. Anne McIntosh, MP for the Vale of York, is meeting chief executive Bob Davies to discuss the company's problems. Arriva train conductors are planning
A PROTECTED breed of hawk was found in the back yard of a house during a raid by police and officers from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a court heard. They also found a trap for the taking of wild birds and two maps showing goshawk
Farmers have questioned the Government's announcement that the country is officially free of foot-and-mouth disease. A number of farms nationally are still shackled by legal notices prohibiting them from restocking until thorough cleansing procedures
A flying dentist is hoping to realise a dream - the opening of an airport. Dentist and entrepreneur Les Smith already has his own air strip outside his restaurant and trout farm, at Knitsley Mill, near Consett, County Durham. Now he has applied to Derwentside
GNER will today announce details of a two-year extension to its East Coast Mainline franchise. The company has been negotiating with the Strategic Rail Authority the terms of the new contract, which will run until April 2005. It has promised "significant
Scientists in the region are celebrating after it was announced that one of five new "knowledge parks" are to be established in the region. The Northern Genetics Knowledge Park in Newcastle will create a world-class research centre to help provide a new
A KOREAN woman whose semi-naked body was found dumped in a suitcase had been strangled, police confirmed today. The remains of Hyo Jung Jin, 21, who was a student of French at the University of Lyon, were found in the case in a hedgerow just outside Askham
THE country has been declared free of foot-and-mouth disease, but a fund set up to ease the suffering of the farming community is still in operation. The Yorkshire Agricultural Society Farmers' Fund is still receiving donations and has raised almost £300,000
BEFORE entering upon the erudite correspondence between the column and Mr Chris Greenwell on the meaning of the term "tappy-lappy", a note from Mr Alan Archbold in Sunderland. What's the difference between God and Tony Blair, he asks? God is everywhere
THE building company planning to redevelop a former factory site has moved to quash residents' fears about public health risks. The Cockerton Area Action Group had voiced concerns about asbestos levels at the former Darchem chemical site, in Darlington
TROUBLED telecoms group Marconi is seeking to axe a further 1,000 jobs in the UK. Marconi is aiming to lose 4,000 jobs from its global workforce to claw back costs of £200m. Of the cuts, 25 per cent will be in the UK with 25 per cent in the US. The group
RETAILERS gave a mixed picture of Christmas trading, with New Look and Debenhams reporting fizzing festive sales but Woolworths' high street stores suffering a slump. Debenhams reported an 8.5 per cent rise in underlying sales during the 12 weeks to January
THE mighty mole is on the march. Tens of thousands of the little creatures have taken over fields and gardens in the North in one of the biggest population explosions ever recorded. Mole, immortalised in Kenneth Grahame's book, The Wind in the Willows
BATTLING supermarket chain Somerfield showed its recovery programme was firmly on track after reporting a return to profitability. The move into the black comes after a tough period for the retailer, which has been hit by falling sales and profits following
OFFICIALDOM remained tight lipped last night over reports that disgraced footballer Jonathan Woodgate is making reparation on Teesside. The Leeds United player, from Middlesbrough, was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service for his part in chasing
VISITORS and residents of South Tyneside are being asked to give their views about the borough and to take an active role in shaping its future as a tourist resort. South Tyneside Council is setting up a service user group and wants to involve people
CLEVER placing by Mick Easterby has steered Lago (2.50) towards a winning opportunity at Newcastle this afternoon. After three runs over hurdles Lago has been allotted a fairly low rating of 78 for the Racecourse Video Services Handicap. Perhaps the Official
WHILE Paul Evans' school friends kicked a football around the streets, the exciting life of his other pals in the travelling funfair meant his childhood was spent in a very different world. From an early age, his love of entertainment grew and Mr Evans
A TAXI driver sexually assaulted a female passenger in the back of his cab, a court heard yesterday. Denis Failes, 53, of March House Avenue, Billingham, denies a charge of indecent assault at Teesside Crown Court. Tony Calloway, prosecuting, told the
A MAN who took a bite out of a motorist's hand in a road rage attack was traced through DNA evidence left on the victim's flesh. Tempers flared when Keith Mitchell found his way blocked in Palgrove Road, Sunderland. Durham Crown Court was told the other
STAFF at a threatened North-East forensic training centre have been told that their jobs are safe -- for the immediate future. The fate of Harperley Hall, dubbed "the murder capital of the North", looked uncertain five months ago following talks between
THE parents of three young women killed by a drink driver travelled to London yesterday to press for a new "driver homicide" charge. The women were killed when drink-driver Allan Jackson ploughed into them while fleeing police in Huddersfield in August
SENIOR officers from South Shields police station will be attending a public meeting in Boldon next week to discuss crime problems in the area. South Tyneside's senior police officer Superintendent David Crosthwaite will be meeting residents at Boldon
MANAGEMENT at a factory hit by a second day-long strike agreed yesterday to take part in talks with engineering union leaders. More than 500 shop floor workers went ahead with the planned 24-hour stoppage at Peterlee dump truck plant Caterpillar, following
THE notion of bringing in private companies to run failing hospitals bears a striking similarity to the previous Conservative Government's notion, much criticised by Labour, of bringing in private firms to run failing schools. If Labour thinks private
THE boss of a furniture firm which folded has been disqualified as a company director. Edward Gibbons, 54, has been barred by a court order from acting as a company director for six years because of his "unfit conduct" at a Teesside firm. Mr Gibbons was
A PENSIONER was arrested yesterday after chaining himself to railings in protest over a road re-opening. Jim Hall, 66, tried to stop Northumbrian Water from gaining access to the lane, in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, to carry out improvements to a
VIKINGS will invade a seaside town on Saturday - as part of an exhibition looking at life more than 1,000 years ago. The exhibition, at Kirklea-tham Hall Museum, Redcar, runs until March 17 and will feature a magnificent wooden model of a Viking ship,
LESLEY Graham has come up whiter than white in her determination to gain a certificate in management. Lesley was one of four candidates to be awarded the certificates by Derwentside Industrial Development Agency, based in Consett. Lesley chose to complete
UNRULY youngsters have been given a "short, sharp shock" by police to bring relief to residents in some outlying areas of the North-East. Police set up a rural taskforce to boost cover in villages and smaller communities in the Durham and Chester-le-Street
Two road workers died after receiving an electric shock of 20,000 volts, police said today. The men, one in his 40s the other in his 20s, were working for sub-contractors resurfacing a stretch of the westbound carriageway of the A66 between Greta Bridge
A DOOR-TO-DOOR fish salesman who stole cash from a pensioner is being hunted by police. The 92-year-old victim opened her door to the salesman - thought to be about 30 years old and clean shaven - and bought fish from the back of his white van at about
A MOTHER-of-two is appealing for her father to get in touch so he can meet his grandchildren for the first time. Pauline Yorke, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has not seen her father, Derek John Cook, for 25 years, since her parents divorced. Mr
WHEN she opened a stage school, Trudie Hindmarsh had no idea it would be the springboard for Jamie Bell's and Zoe Birkett's careers. Four years later, she says the ethos of the Stagecoach Theatre School is not about creating stars such as the BAFTA-winning
STUDENTS and staff at Prior Pursglove College, in Guisborough, will be hoping to rock the boat tonight when they perform Guys and Dolls. More than 30 pupils aged between 16 and 18 and three members of staff will perform the classic musical each evening
A BEHIND-the-scenes look at a council is becoming a growing visitor attraction in a North-East town. Following public furore over the money spent on redecorating, carpeting and furnishing the mayor's parlour at Middlesbrough Town Hall, the council organised
FAMILIES who have campaigned for two years for a children's play area on their estate will have to make do with an open space. People living at High Grange, in the Faverdale area of Darlington, say that when the houses were built by Bellway Homes, a children's
AN author is asking people in Teesdale for pictures of the dale to be included in a book. Tom Hutchinson is hoping to include a series of black and white pictures and postcards of local people in the book, called People's History. It will cover Barnard
AN award-winning student is seeking sponsorship to enable her to take part in a conservation project in Indonesia. Suzanne McDermott, 19, needs to raise at least £2,000 to take part in Operation Wallacea later this year. The Cambridge University student
ONE of the smallest primary schools in the region is celebrating a glowing report from Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) inspectors. Forest-in-Teesdale Primary School, which has 15 pupils and three full-time staff, was described as having "very
A NEW residents' association has announced the name of its news sheet. People in the Sunnydale area of Shildon were asked to vote for a name for the booklet. Eleven suggestions were nominated and votes were counted at a meeting of the Shildon Sunnydale
CHILDREN in Bishop Auckland have been using Christmas cards to help hospice patients. As part of a campaign organised by the WasteWise project and the Butterwick Hospice, children from more than 20 primary schools have been recycling Christmas cards.
AN award-winning butcher is on the glory trail again after reaching the final of a national competition. The family firm run by Harry Coates is in with a chance of the title of Britain's best butcher in the competition run by the Meat Trades Journal.
SOCKS, an 18-month-old labrador-collie cross is in need of a new home after being abandoned by her owners at Christmas. She is the latest unwanted pet to feature in The Northern Echo's Petwatch column, which seeks to raise awareness of the plight of abandoned
CLAIMS that a town's £45,000 Christmas market and ice rink attracted 25,000 visitors has been challenged by an opposition councillor. Although traders in Spennymoor hailed the Sedgefield Borough Council project a success, Liberal Democrat councillor Ben
POLICE have reported a 40 per cent increase in domestic violence cases in Darlington over the past two years. During the recent Christmas period, every bed at the women's refuge in the town was occupied. The latest statistics, compiled by the police,
PEOPLE in Redcar who are trying to bring their communities closer together have been invited to take part in a new course. Since Single Regeneration Budget cash came to west Redcar, people have been trying to boost their communities so that their neighbourhoods
THE lucrative trade in human smuggling is facing a crackdown, with stiffer jail sentences planned for the traffickers. Home Secretary David Blunkett yesterday announced tougher punishments for criminals who often work in organised gangs and charge asylum
A PSYCHOLOGIST banned from practising after falsely claiming she had suffered satanic abuse is working in the region as a university lecturer. Dr Simone Bull fled her New Zealand homeland in disgrace when she was convicted of fraud after concocting the
THE level of unpaid court fines owed by criminals in the North-East has rocketed towards the £10m mark, it emerged last night. Senior court officials admitted they were struggling to cope with a change in the law which means that police are no longer
THE 50-year wait for the return of a purpose-built theatre in Durham City ended last night with the opening of the £14m Gala Theatre. Right up to the last moment, the foyer seemed to be filled by workmen, but confidence remained high that all the drama
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren can now look forward to an FA Cup fourth round clash with his old employers after his team overcame First Division Wimbledon in last night's replay. After another below par performance in front of goal, McClaren will
Claudio Reyna looks set to resume his Sunderland career in Saturday's home game against Fulham boosted by the knowledge that his newly-fledged Premiership career will not be interrupted by international duties as skipper of the United States. The £4.5m
FIREFIGHTERS throughout North Yorkshire will be getting audiences a little hot under the collar when they perform a Full Monty-style routine to raise funds for a sick youngster. Four-year-old Rosie Henry suffers from a rare neurological disorder which
TWO cricket courses start in the region soon as part of Active Sport, a national programme funded by the Sport England Lottery Fund. Wear Valley District Council is hosting 12 weeks of classes from January 24, from 6pm to 8pm, at the Spectrum Leisure
STUDENTS have been working together hand-in-glove on a pioneering project which could be of invaluable help to surgeons. Their idea was intriguing enough to win through to the national finals of a biotechnology contest. The five students at York University
MOLES have been having a field day - but that is not good news for water supplies. Foot-and-mouth restrictions have kept farmers and catchers off the land, and allowed the mammals to breed like, well, rabbits. As well as possibly spreading disease in
Four experts still believed two former nursery workers had abused children in their care, a High Court judge was told yesterday. Gordon Bishop, for the experts and Newcastle City Council, said the four stood by their conclusions made in a 1998 report
A DRIVE to attract more youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds into higher education was launched in the North-East yesterday. By 2010, the Government wants to attract 50 per cent of people into higher education by the time they are 30, with its Aimhigher
A HIT-AND-RUN driver sneered "that's a waste of an expensive bike" after causing the death of a young motorcyclist, a court heard. Yesterday, the family of tragic Christopher McCourt were awarded £250,000 at David Towler's expense. Mr McCourt, 35, died
HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn has defended plans to allow private companies to run failing hospitals, after they came under attack from unions and some members of his own party. Darlington MP Mr Milburn's announcement that England's poorest hospitals
'BRING on the Geordies'. It may have seemed a touch optimistic - and in the end it proved so - but after 67 minutes the home fans sang it, and believed the Magpies were already on their way. Newcastle United manager Bobby Robson was in the crowd and,
A GANG of teenage thugs is being hunted after a young woman was knocked unconscious on the landing outside her boyfriend's flat. Claire Lewis lay bleeding from head injuries for several hours after she was set upon by youths who may have been sniffing
A FORMER vet has raised thousands of pounds to help farmers hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Neville Turner, who worked for 30 years as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines area, has raised more than £5,000 through sales of his book, Hill
Farmers have questioned the Government's announcement that the country is officially free of foot-and-mouth disease. A number of farms nationally are still shackled by legal notices prohibiting them from restocking until thorough cleansing procedures
Yesterday's speech by Health Secretary Alan Milburn has re-ignited the debate about the future of our most cherished national asset. Health Correspondant Barry Nelson reports. BACK in the bad old days, it was the Tories who were accused of trying to privatise
BEFORE entering upon the erudite correspondence between the column and Mr Chris Greenwell on the meaning of the term "tappy-lappy", a note from Mr Alan Archbold in Sunderland. What's the difference between God and Tony Blair, he asks? God is everywhere
Letters from The Northern Echo RAILWAY BRIDGES THE Government has yet again tried to cover up its own shortcomings, this time by blaming Gary Hart for the consequences of his accident when he ran off a road onto a railway line. The Government has known
One of the world's leading opera singers is to headline an open-air music concert in a coup for community leaders in a North-East village. Tenor Ian Storey, who hails from Chilton in County Durham and has earned rave reviews all over the world, will star
LEADERS of groups in the North-East were urged yesterday to back the region's bid to become a European youth capital. Action North-East Generating European Links - the Angel Project - was launched at a meeting in Durham Town Hall attended by people from
THE North-East could play a leading role in the future of genetic medicine with a multi-million pound announcement expected today. News that the region is likely to be chosen by the Government to host one of four £2.4m bio-tech business parks follows
'Railtrack is no more." Beleaguered transport secretary Stephen Byers confirmed the demise of Britain's most catastrophic company on Channel 4 News on January 10. But just the previous day in this column I noted that a sacked Railtrack boss was still
'Railtrack is no more." Beleaguered transport secretary Stephen Byers confirmed the demise of Britain's most catastrophic company on Channel 4 News on January 10. But just the previous day in this column I noted that a sacked Railtrack boss was still
THE 50-year wait for the return of a purpose-built theatre in Durham City ended last night with the opening of the £14m Gala Theatre. Right up to the last moment, the foyer seemed to be filled by workmen, but confidence remained high that all the drama
GENEROUS passengers at a North-East airport have been digging deep in their pockets for charity. Travellers at Teesside International Airport have helped to raise £6,000 for the "home from home" scheme run by the national Sick Children's Trust. Passengers
An abandoned cat left to fend for itself on an industrial estate is in need of a home. The black and white cat was found roaming at Middridge, near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, desperately underweight and infested with parasites. The cat, named Wednesday
Investigations are being carried out after a youngster was attacked by a pupil with a stun gun. Following the incident last week, the 15-year-old boy has been suspended from his school in Hartlepool and police are investigating the attack. Stun guns use
THE distraught North-East mother of another teenage drugs victim claimed last night that her tragic daughter had been murdered. Hundreds of mourners listened in stunned silence as heartbroken Helgi Brown alleged that her daughter Lilli had not intended
A TEAM from North Yorkshire has flown out to Afghanistan to help keep the peace in the wake of the war. A flight of RAF Leeming's 34 Squadron RAF Regiment has been detached to Kabul as part of the International Security Assistance Force. More than 30
Patients waiting to see a hospital consultant may be referred back to their own GP, as part of moves to cut long waiting lists. Bosses at the University Hospital of North Durham have asked local GPs to review referrals as part of a crash programme to
THE Oxo family is back. There they were on Monday night, eating stir-fried something and teasing Dad about Baby Spice. Mum didn't look very mumsy. Dad was a bit of a smoothy and the four children were the nice side of cheeky. But there they all were -
THE Oxo family is back. There they were on Monday night, eating stir-fried something and teasing Dad about Baby Spice. Mum didn't look very mumsy. Dad was a bit of a smoothy and the four children were the nice side of cheeky. But there they all were -
POLICE have issued an artist's drawing of a man whose body was found in a North-East river last week. The body was recovered from the River Skerne, near Russell Street, Darlington, at about 3.30pm last Thursday. The death is not being treated as suspicious
Police are appealing for witnesses in the wake of two fatal road accidents in North Yorkshire. The first smash happened on the A59 Harrogate to York road near the Goldsborough roundabout at about 11.35pm on Tuesday. A blue VW Passat left the road and
CHRIS Turner won't sacrifice his football principles, despite the arrival of big front man Jon Parkin. The 6ft4in, 13st 7lb striker is in his second month on loan at Hartlepool United from Barnsley. This afternoon he will get the chance to impress in
A meeting is being held on Saturday to decide if plans to create more than 300 jobs can be given the go-ahead - despite concerns from neighbours. Avecia has applied for planing permission to build new production facilities for the manufacture of bio-pharmaceutical
OIL services company Lintec is opening new laboratories in Darlington. The company, which provides technical and management services for international oil and chemical compan- ies, is opening the £250,000 laboratories in Eastmount Road. It is part of
ILLEGAL eavesdroppers hoping to listen to police messages are to be thwarted by a digital radio system. The new Airwave system for Cleveland Police, which is due to go on air in August, will mean people with scanners will no longer be able to intercept
THE Peterborough party-poopers struck again last night, just when Darlington v Newcastle in the FA Cup was beginning to look a certainty. Eighteen months ago Peterborough spoiled Darlington's anticipated promotion party when they beat the Quakers in the
TRADING standards officers have warned people not to be duped into taking part in an e-mail scam. The e-mail is being sent to people in the Darlington area by someone called Dr Miriam Abacha, who says she is the wife of the late General Sani Abacha, former
GIRL band Atomic Kitten have taken to Redcar's streets with a clean-living message. Their faces are to be seen everywhere around the seaside resort as part of an anti-litter campaign. The trio's pictures adorn 15 big litter bins across Redcar town centre
A MOTHER - terrified her children were going to be adopted - threatened to slit the throat of a social worker. Claire Johnson, 26, of The Meadows, Redcar, east Cleveland, admitted a charge of using threatening words and behaviour at Teesside Crown Court
