BUCKINGHAM Palace last night angrily denied suggestions that the Queen had interfered with justice after royal butler Paul Burrell was sensationally cleared of stealing hundreds of belongings from Diana, Princess of Wales. In an unprecedented development
DARLINGTON couple Fred and Josie Kirby are calling time at their off-licence and retiring after 24 years in the business. Fred, 55, and Josie, 49, have been running the Raft Off-Licence, in Yarm Road, Darlington, since 1978. But they have now decided
A NORTH-EAST ship is to become the first floating casino in the country after officials decided it was a safe bet. The £2m plan will create 100 jobs for croupiers, cashiers, dealers and bar staff, who will be trained to operate black jack tables and roulette
ANTI-WAR campaigners gathered outside an armed forces careers office to show their opposition to war with Iraq. Around 30 students and Teesside Against The War members met on Borough Road, Middlesbrough, yesterday, to denounce any planned action by the
A HOST of handy work will be on display this weekend at a two-day autumn craft fair. Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland, will host the annual event today and tomorrow, featuring 13 stalls. Among the exhibitors will be designers and craftspeople showing
PLANS to create a 30ft high chalk carving on the outskirts of Darlington have been welcomed by the borough council. The land carving is one of a number of pieces of art being commissioned by developers Bussey and Armstrong for the new West Park development
Families are invited to attend a space adventure called Moon Magic, by the Magic Carpet Theatre Company, at Bowburn Community Centre from 6pm today. They can also see Booster Cushion Theatre's production of Big Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the same
POLICE are starting an amnesty aimed at cutting the number of air weapons and ball bearing guns on the streets. The campaign in Newcastle East follows successful initiatives in other parts of the Northumbria Police. Weapons can be surrendered anonymously
MURDER suspect John Collings yesterday denied causing the fire that claimed his girlfriend's life. Victoria Barker, 30, was found dead in the burnt out remains of her living room in Coquet Gardens, South Stanley, in August. Newcastle Crown Court heard
A DRUNKEN motorist sparked a police chase after driving at 70mph while almost three times over the drink-drive limit. Anthony Craggs, 24, turned without indicating and sped down 30mph limit streets that had cars on both sides to get away from police who
A RETIRED vicar and father of three teenage children has been found dead at his home. The Reverend Terrence King, 69, was found hanging in his home, in Abbey Street, Clifton, York. Mr King retired to York three years ago after serving as a vicar in Wakefield
FED-UP North-East rail passengers face further disruption today due to a 24-hour strike by conductors on busy routes in northern England. Conductors are striking on Arriva Trains Northern routes in a continuing pay dispute. Their union, the RMT, has also
A CARERS group is Spennymoor has been relaunched from new premises. The Princess Royal Trust Sedgefield Locality Carers Centre moved its Spennymoor branch on Friday. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 carers in Sedgefield borough, which represents
DRYSTONE wallers and hedge layers will compete in a countryside contest today. The event, aimed at showcasing traditional countryside skills, is being held at Ragpathside Farm, Lanchester, from 10am to 3.15pm. As well as attracting more than 30 entrants
ONE of the region's most respected clerics has announced he is to retire next year. The Bishop of Knaresborough, the Right Reverend Frank Weston, will step down next May. He has served as assistant to the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Reverend
THREE Chester-le-Street schools are at the forefront of an experiment to open up schools to the community. Bullion Lane and Newker primary schools and The Hermitage comprehensive took part in a pilot scheme to develop the idea of "schools for the community
HALLOWEEN shoppers were evacuated from an indoor market after a blaze started, less than two hours before a planned fire drill. It is believed the fire was caused by a pumpkin lantern used to decorate Darlington Indoor Market, in the town centre. Council
COOKERY book writers of yesteryear turned their noses up at the more traditional North-East dishes, sniffily excluding them from their collections. "They felt it was beneath them to record what they regarded as nothing more than working class food," said
TWO pensioners have proved to be a blessing to their community. Earlier this year, George and Alice Hewitson launched an appeal to raise funds to build a new centre next to the Teesside church were they were married. On Thursday, as they celebrated 60
HEALTH staff are appealing to former patients to return crutches and walking sticks that are no longer needed. More than £2,000 worth of walking sticks, crutches and frames goes missing each year from the Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust
He's the man who reversed the decline in history students, prompting waves of copycat programming and now inspiring new TV channel UK History. Simon Schama tells Graham Keal how the BBC was surprised to discover he was "a big fat success". Fresh from
A TOWN centre anti-crime initiative, launched by zero tolerance champion George Kelling, has begun to reap rewards. Professor Kelling, who pioneered the Safe and Clean initiative in New York, launched the Middlesbrough Safer Shopping Scheme (MSSS) in
A BOXER dog belonging to a former magistrate escaped a death sentence when its owner appeared in court yesterday after a sheep had been killed on farmland. Harrogate magistrates heard how the four-year-old dog owned by Maureen Bingham, a former JP in
A MEDICAL centre due for Leyburn will have to wait until planners are satisfied the right site has been chosen for the building. An application has already been submitted to Richmondshire District Council and will be discussed at the authority's environment
POLICE are studying security camera footage after 15 cars were destroyed in a blaze. The fire broke out in the early hours yesterday at the West Line Industrial Estate, near Birtley. The cars had been kept in an outside compound owned by West Line Direct
HEART AND SOUL: Wilton Male Voice Choir, under the direction of Maureen Tanner and accompanied by Eileen Moores, appeared in concert at the Great Ayton Working Men's Club in aid of the Take Heart Support Group, introduced by compere Tommy Diamond. MUSICAL
A CELEBRATION of Music in Hartlepool will take place from 7pm at the Town Hall Theatre, in Raby Road, on Saturday, November 16. Planned as an annual event, it is to be presented by Hartlepool Music and Arts Festival and will feature performances by Hartlepool
THE Northallerton branch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists has paid tribute to chief motorcycle observer Simon Brockbank, who died in a road accident in the Yorkshire Dales in September. Mr Brockbank was an accomplished all-round rider with a passion
THE North-East's Muslim community will be able to listen to this month's Ramadan festival over the airwaves. The Radio Authority yesterday announced that two radio stations in the region have been given short-term licences to broadcast Ramadan celebrations
A COMPANY executive who massaged business income figures, committed the offences while "drowning in an ocean of pressure and stress" Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday. Chartered surveyor Jeffrey Bell, 44, of Lynes Drive, Langley Moor, near Durham,
PLANS are under way to build a medical centre to serve people in Butterknowle. Trinity Medical Properties wants to build a health centre on the outskirts of the village, to serve residents and the surrounding community. The proposed centre will be a single-storey
RESIDENTS of a new housing estate are kicking up a stink after developers failed to connect them to the mains sewage system. Several times a day, a sewage wagon drives through the upmarket Oakland Lodge estate, Darlington, to pump out waste from the drains
A NEWTON Aycliffe headteacher is celebrating after winning a magnum of champagne. Mike Thornton, headteacher at Greenfield School Community and Arts College, won the champagne in a prize draw. The event was organised by The Castle Players drama group,
WEAR Valley may be beautiful but the people who live there have one of the highest death rates from heart disease in England. Andrew Kenworthy, chief executive of the Durham Dales Primary Care Trust, outlined the daunting task facing the partners in the
A SOLDIER from County Durham appeared in court yesterday accused of shooting a schoolgirl in the face with an airgun. John Alan Wood is charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding a 14-year-old girl in Middlestone Moor, near Spennymoor, last Saturday
BUSINESS leaders have welcomed plans to win European Capital of Culture 2008 status for Newcastle and Gateshead. The bid put together by the area, and shortlisted earlier this week, details plans to bring four million more tourists to the region, inject
I READ with great interest the feature on Weardale Steel, written by John Hobbs (Echo, Oct 17). Violet Mason, whose poem, written for Wolsingham Steel Works' centenary and which was printed as part of this feature, was my mother. My father worked there
IT'S as if someone has pushed a large button in the unknown cosmos somewhere, and the result is an invisible transmission straight into our subconscious. Something in our brains will fizzle and crackle, and we will be drawn up out of our kitchens and
IN the space of a fortnight the team that many believed could not lose has now become the side that can't stop losing. Excuses for Arsenal's worst run for 19 years have been as thick on the Highbury ground as autumn leaves, with David Seaman seen as the
Darlington were forced to settle for a point after they were held to a goalless draw at home to Lincoln on Saturday. Quakers looked the better side throughout and caretaker boss Mick Tait will be disappointed his side didn't take all three points against
Q My husband is not old enough to claim his state pension and mine is only £1.84 a month. He has a company pension of £570.16 a month and our daughter, who earns £566 a month net, still lives at home. Can we get help with the council tax? A You should
Families are invited to attend a space adventure called Moon Magic, by the Magic Carpet Theatre Company, at Bowburn Community Centre from 6pm today. They can also see Booster Cushion Theatre's production of Big Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the same
Mick Tait has unearthed a cunning midfield combination in Ashley Nicholls and Clark Keltie. The pair have been influential in revitalising a Darlington side which has taken four points in their two games under caretaker boss Tait following the departure
TYNESIDER Claire Smallwood, who began the defence of her Durham Pine North Eastern Harrier League senior women's title with a victory in the opening meeting at Chester-le-Street last weekend, misses the second fixture at Farringdon this afternoon following
A POINT against York last night means Hartlepool United are six points clear in Division Three. But forget talk of advantages, promotion or success, the only question on everyone's lips last night was that of Chris Turner's future. Among the favourites
Bishop Auckland manager Brian Honour is facing an important month as he prepares for this afternoon's away game at Rossendale. Bishops have climbed out of immediate danger in recent weeks with some good performances, but Honour knows that his team must
A PIONEERING healthy living partnership launched yesterday is a model that could be put in place throughout the UK, Health Secretary Alan Milburn told a conference yesterday. The Northern Echo has teamed up with Wear Valley District Council, Durham Dales
Bedlington joint manager Tony Lowery has denied that he is in the running for the Blyth vacancy. Lowery, one of the reasons why Bedlington have won the league for the last five seasons, has been linked with the job since John Charlton departed in midweek
A GENEROUS benefactor has anonymously given £50,000 to help fund the restoration of Darlington's South Park. The money means work on the Victorian park can start next month. The surprise donation was sent to the County Durham Foundation with instructions
WHILE England coach Clive Woodward will be secretly hoping that Jonny Wilkinson has an easy ride tomorrow, the Newcastle Falcons captain insists he isn't even thinking about the autumn internationals. Despite being named one of two England vice-captains
JURGEN Macho, branded Sunderland's 'calamity keeper' after several high-profile errors last season, has vowed to capitalise on his brave decision not to walk out on the club in the summer by establishing himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.
A POLICE officer who regularly patrols a street notorious for drunken disorder outlined why another pub should not be allowed to open there yesterday. PC Kelly Martin, of Durham City police, described her experiences policing North Road, at an appeal
SHE may be only days short of her telegram from the Queen, but with an elegance and poise that puts Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss to shame, Dorothy Tanfield is anything but last year's model. At an age when many would think of nothing more adventurous
A HOST of handy work will be on display this weekend at a two-day autumn craft fair. Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland, will host the annual event today and tomorrow, featuring 13 stalls. Among the exhibitors will be designers and craftspeople showing
A PART-TIME soldier has showed his readiness for peace-keeping duties during nationwide exercises. For the past month, Warrant Officer John Dixon, of Darlington, has been involved in exercises involving more than 1,000 British and American troops in the
A VICAR is cutting back on his parish duties to pursue his creative side. The Reverend Robert Cooper, vicar of St Andrew's Church, Sadberge, near Darlington, will halve his hours as full-time parish priest in January to devote more time to photography
A SURVEY carried out by the Liberal Democrats shows residents living near Darlington College of Technology want to see it replaced with another community facility. A questionnaire was sent to more than 1,000 homes in the West End of Darlington, near to
THIS afternoon's Peterhouse Group Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby looks like turning out to be a real thriller having attracted a top-class line-up of three-mile staying chasers. The vintage field includes previous Cheltenham Festival scorers Marlborough
PLANS for one of Darlington's old buildings to be transformed into luxury homes have been revealed. Leftbank Developments has released artists' drawings on the future appearance of Faverdale Hall. The Newcastle-based company was granted planning permission
Ant McPartlin is one half of an outstanding North-East success story. Television double act Ant and Dec have the Midas touch. From Byker Grove, they became household names through SM:tv and Pop Idol, and their popularity - and personal fortunes - have
A sex attacker has been jailed after a teenager plucked up the courage go to the police about her childhood ordeal. The 19-year-old, who cannot be named, reported her attacker after a decade of silence. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the County Durham
THE most famous tramp in the North will be released from prison early after having his drink-drive sentence halved at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. Well-educated Mel Bird, who regularly held court in Leyburn Market Place, North Yorkshire, was jailed
A PROTECTIVE father who tackled a teenager as he was whistling beneath his daughter's window, had part of his ear bitten off, a court was told yesterday. When Gary Mandry found 19-year-old Ryan Lancaster beneath his daughter's window at midnight, and
A RETIRED teacher and former market trader were two of the contenders who put on their biggest bellow as they vyed for the role of town crier. The five finalists for the role of town crier for Chester-le-Street, faced the acid test yesterday, when they
A COUPLE have a 999 operator to thank for saving their lives after they were trapped in the bedroom of their home when a fire broke out downstairs. The 38-year-old man and his partner from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, were woken by the sound of a mirror breaking
THE owner of an animal rescue centre is worried that unwanted pets will suffer because she is being forced to take down signs leading to her shelter. Kate Wilson feels that Ramshaw Rescue is so secluded that without the signs people who want to give an
MO MOWLAM returned to her old North-East stomping ground yesterday to see for herself the town centre she helped to create. The former Redcar MP and Northern Ireland minister said the £26m Regent Walk shopping centre would help bring back the town's glory
A pensioners' group has changed its name to emphasise its involvement in the community. Growing Older and Living in Darlington, which was formerly named Growing Older in Darlington, has changed its name to reflect the role played by older people in making
HEROIN with a street value of £60,000 was siezed during a raid on a house in Billingham. Stockton Drug Unit carried out the search at an address in the town's Mendip Road area on Thursday night. A 40-year-old man has been charged with posession of heroin
NEWCASTLE United football star Carl Cort has been to court to get a restraining order issued against his estranged wife after he claimed she attacked him. The couple clashed in front of their three-year-old son Christian, in a struggle that left the Newcastle
Families are invited to attend a space adventure called Moon Magic, by the Magic Carpet Theatre Company, at Bowburn Community Centre from 6pm today. They can also see Booster Cushion Theatre's production of Big Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the same
A pensioners' group has changed its name to emphasise its involvement in the community. Growing Older and Living in Darlington, which was formerly named Growing Older in Darlington, has changed its name to reflect the role played by older people in making
A DANCING starlet from the region has become a national champion. Nine-year-old Bethany Rushby beat off 60 other girls to become national ballroom and Latin dance champion. Bethany, who lives in Foxglove Close, Newton Aycliffe, battled through several
A MUSIC festival will reach its finale this weekend by bringing international sounds to east Durham. Residents have been tapping their toes to a wide range of live acts since Easington District Council's music festival began early last month. It will
A 67-YEAR-OLD woman chased off a robber when she put up a spirited defence and managed to activate her personal attack alarm. A police spokesman said the woman was grabbed from behind by a man who put his hand over her mouth, outside shops in the Nook
A FAMILY has been left distraught after a tool box which once belonged to their dead son was stolen. The thief is thought to have struck shortly after midday on Tuesday in Burnopfield, near Stanley, County Durham. The 73-year-old householder raised the
A MAJOR revamp is to take place at a maternity ward which deals with 3,000 expectant mothers each year. It will mean more than 1,500 women could give birth in a temporary delivery suite as work takes place at York District Hospital's maternity ward. However
EVERYTHING was cushty for a Stanley woman who won a Del Boy-style three-wheeler yellow van. Nicola McCluskey, 26, from south Stanley, won the lovely jubbly motor in a free prize draw to celebrate the opening of a indoor market in Stanley. She cannot drive
A LEADING car parts supplier opens its new £4m plant in the North-East on Monday, bringing 80 jobs to the region. The Magna Kansei assembly site opens in Washington and the firm is promising it will be one of the most advanced assembly sites of its kind
A RARE glimpse of men relaxing on the Home Front during the Great War is causing local historian Bill Lees a headache. Mr Lees is trying to trace the men in the photograph so he can use it in his forthcoming history of the village of No Place, near Stanley
MEG the dog has found a new home just days after an appeal in The Northern Echo. Four-year-old Meg, who has recovered from a cataract operation to restore her sight, is moving from a National Animal Sanctuary Support League (NASSL) foster home in Darlington
Police have been given a £10,000 boost to improve the security of sheds and outbuildings. The Northumbria force is working with North Tyneside Council, the fire service, Asda, B&Q and electrical retailer Maplins to provide alarms and security advice
Celebrities have given their culinary tips to help raise funds for the Red Cross. Included in the recipe book, complied by the County Durham and Teesside branch of the charity, are dishes created by Peter Barron, the editor of The Northern Echo, Gary
FUNDRAISERS have been rallying round to help a five-year-old affected by a neuro-degenerative condition. Last year a fund was set up to help Rosie Henry - helping to pay for alterations to her Northallerton home. Now, more than £3,000 has been added by
A BEAT officer has been arrested in a prostitution inquiry. Northumbria Police have suspended PC Graham Brown, 31, over claims he procured women for the sex trade. PC Brown, based at Clifford Street police station in Byker, Newcastle, was arrested after
ENGINEERING company Cleveland Bridge has won national awards for its work on a project in the South-West. The Darlington firm has gained recognition for improving the Tamar Bridge - the main link between Devon and Cornwall - which was the first suspension
A coffee morning is being held at St Mary's Church Hall, Green Lane, Acklam on Saturday November 9 from 10am to 12pm. Admission costs 50p and includes tea or coffee and a biscuit. There will also be numerous stalls. All proceeds go towards the Muscular
AN embittered businessman who launched a terrifying vendetta on a rival who bought a fish farm he wanted for himself has been ordered to keep away from his victims indefinitely. Robert Walker, 50, of Esh Winning, County Durham, threw leaflets from a moving
SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night offered an olive branch to Spanish misfit Marcelino, surprisingly labelling his £6m defensive flop as an 'honest professional'. With injuries and suspensions threatening to deprive the Newcastle manager of three centre-halves
DARLINGTON'S Dolphin Centre celebrates a landmark anniversary today With a party for young and old customers. The leisure centre marks its 20th anniversary with bosses promising a bright future. Magicians, stilt-walkers and face-painters will be entertaining
ROAD safety campaigners last night criticised North-East TV star Ant McPartlin, after it emerged he had been caught speeding through County Durham at 127mph. The 27-year-old, one half of cheeky Geordie duo Ant and Dec, was pulled over in his Audi TT by
RECYCLING in Teesdale could increase by more than four times in the next two years. An ambitious scheme will see households provided with boxes for recycleable waste which will be collected every fortnight. Teesdale recycles four per cent of all refuse
THERE were no queues to view the display boards at the Scotch Corner Hotel yesterday. Officials ready to help with inquiries outnumbered the public when the exhibition opened at 10am. It may be that the £13m to be invested in an upgraded A66 between the
STUDENTS Anna Kirby and Scott Childs helped Northallerton College score a hat-trick of victories in a gruelling cross-country competition. They were the first girl and boy home, at the head of more than 40 runners, at the Hambleton and Richmondshire championships
The latest in a long line of reality/talent shows, Fame Academy, quickly dubbed Lame Academy, has failed to impress the viewers. So have the shows started by Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks reached the end of the line? THE mix of Big Brother reality
TENANTS who refuse to pay their rent in Hartlepool have been given a warning by council officials. The council has already reduced arrears from £745,000 to £718,000 since April, but has pledged to keep up the pressure on deliberate non-payers, warning
The latest in a long line of reality/talent shows, Fame Academy, quickly dubbed Lame Academy, has failed to impress the viewers. So have the shows started by Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks reached the end of the line? THE mix of Big Brother reality
ICI yesterday completed the sale of its Synetix division on Teesside to Johnson Matthey's global chemicals business. Speculation about the future of the business ended in September when it was announced that UK-based Johnson Matthey had agreed to buy
Families are invited to attend a space adventure called Moon Magic, by the Magic Carpet Theatre Company, at Bowburn Community Centre from 6pm today. They can also see Booster Cushion Theatre's production of Big Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the same
DRIVERS are being urged to stop parking illegally on a street that leads to bungalows housing elderly and disabled people. Residents of the Spennymoor cul-de-sac say they are prisoners in their own home because the road is regularly congested with cars
Wolviston have an excellent chance of victory at bottom-of-the-table Jarrow - but manager Graham Howard will be quick to remind his players of the last time they encountered a basement side. "We were favourites to win but Cleadon turned the form book
WELSH international Craig Bellamy has been pencilled in for Newcastle's crucial Champions League trip to Feyenoord, after the speedy frontman was given the all-clear to resume training. Bellamy will be back at the Chester-le-Street training ground this
A WAYWARD wallaby has been spotted crossing the road on the outskirts of a town centre. The wallaby was seen on Monday night by a couple who had been out for a meal in Darlington. They had been driving along Staindrop Road and were just turning to head
STEVE McClaren put his young family in front of his football when he decided to step down as Sven-Goran Eriksson's lieutenant. As Eriksson vowed to continue as England coach after losing two close allies in as many days following Thursday's departure
THE last time we'd worked on Westbury Street, Thornaby, was on the awful night of May 27 1975, in the wake of Britain's worst coach crash. Thirty two women, friends and neighbours from the area of honest working terraces known as The Five Lamps, died
HOWARD Wilkinson last night began planning for life without Claudio Reyna by telling Paul Thirlwell to make the American's first-team place his own. With Reyna due to undergo surgery on his damaged cruciate knee ligaments later this month before beginning
IT'S as if someone has pushed a large button in the unknown cosmos somewhere, and the result is an invisible transmission straight into our subconscious. Something in our brains will fizzle and crackle, and we will be drawn up out of our kitchens and
