UGO EHIOGU last night revealed how he has turned to yoga in an attempt to force his way back into the England set-up. The Middlesbrough defender, who plays in a Premiership clash at Totteham today, was left out of Sven-Goran Eriksson's 23-man World Cup
Police were this evening urging calm in a North-East town after the father of a 12-year-old girl was stabbed to death in a busy street. John Paul Robertson, 37, of Brinkburn Road, Darlington, believed to be a bouncer in a town centre pub, was found bleeding
THE sudden departure of a highly-regarded chief executive could seriously hinder hospital merger plans, it was claimed last night. Steven Mason departed just days before the North Durham and South Durham NHS hospital trusts were due to become one. Mr
A County Durham man who lured police on a high-speed car chase in which he smashed through traffic cones and drove at up to 100 mph has won a cut in sentence at London's Appeal Court. Gary Jones, 24, of Matthews Road, Seaham, broke into a car soon after
A MAN deemed an anti-social nuisance is due for release after spending almost four months in prison for drinking a can of lager. John Newman, 37, was arrested for being under the influence of alcohol when caught on security cameras drinking from the can
A MAN was behind bars last night more than ten years after molesting a young girl who finally reported him after watching a TV drama involving child abuse. After the episode last year, the girl, now 19, broke down and confided in her boyfriend before
A DISGRACED solicitor has been accused of selling out thousands of ailing miners. Russel Young is being sued by the ex-pitmen who claim he was negligent in advising them to accept paltry pay-outs for the crippling condition vibration white finger. Young
UNIVERSITY students are being urged to be aware of the dangers of meningitis. Both faculty staff and the Students' Union are concerned that young people starting their courses at the University of Teesside may incorrectly consider they are protected against
MAJOR upsets are par for the course in the £300,000 Queen Elizabeth 11 Stakes and in this afternoon's Ascot showpiece Tillerman (4.20) might have the edge over assured market leader Hawk Wing. Twelve months ago 33-1 shot Summoner stunned punters by lowering
DARLINGTON Mowden Park try yet another centre combination today when last week's two-try hero Matt Howland is partnered by Durham University's Jonno Wilson. Among several centres they tried without great success last season was Mark Wilkinson and eyebrows
NEARLY £300,000 in compensation claims have been lodged against four North-East firms who were declared in default. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme has declared DMC Insurance Brokers Limited in Darlington, Allied Financial Ltd in Guisborough
INTRODUCING a minimum wage was one of the greatest achievements of Tony Blair's first governnent. At least it was in principle. The idea that people should not have to work for poverty wages goes back to the age of Dickens. So it look a very long time
ONE of Britain's finest singers performed an intimate concert last night in the North-East town that taught him how to sing. It was the inspiration he received from the late Dennis Weatherley that led a young Thomas Allen, now Sir Thomas, to a prolific
A MEMORIAL has been unveiled to about 2,400 stillborn babies buried in unmarked mass graves in a North-East cemetery. Up to 60 infants lie in average sized graves dotted in common plots across Linthorpe Cemetery, Middlesbrough. It was a common practice
A NEW glass corridor linking a junior and senior school has been opened by conservationist David Bellamy. Mr Bellamy visited Polam Hall School, in Darlington, to open the link. The schools were originally linked more than a 100 years ago and the replacement
CAMERONS Brewery has added four new articulated lorries to their vehicle fleet. The artics are used to distribute their products around the country from their Lion Brewery in Hartlepool. Charlie O'Rourke, distribution manager at Camerons, said: "It is
A private number plate prov-ider is saving thousands of pounds a year, thanks to the University of Sunderland. National Numbers, of Billingham, Teesside, was losing time and money by having to spend days sifting through the 7,500,000 registrations that
THE real interest of the Ryder Cup is not the skill of the men and their balls but the appearance of their wives. An analysis of the line-ups of the golf wives yesterday suggested that 12 out of the 13 US wives are blonde (92 per cent), and nine out of
THAT the Bible talks in the same breath of publicans and sinners should not be taken to mean that those licensed to sell are any more or less wretched than the rest of us. A "publican" was a tax collector, a sort of first century Revenue man but without
A 250-MILE trip to the capital does not normally give cause for a high degree of optimism, but today's visit to east London has come as a welcome relief to Tommy Taylor's Darlington. A run of four defeats in five has caused many Quakers' critics to find
A man is in hospital under armed police guard for his own protection, after being shot by professional hit men at a Thornaby home. Even the location of the hospital is being kept a secret by police for fear that the masked gunmen who blasted the 21-year-old
The policeman who officiated at one of football's most passionate encounters while on sick leave from his post, returned to the line on Saturday. Peter Tennick reports. In theory, it was not the ideal occasion for a man who has been off work suffering
It's a far cry from the rarefied atmosphere of Durham City, but computer consultant Michael Pears will spend the nex few months travelling on the Trans-Siberian Express and camping with Mongolian tribesmen as he journeys from Moscow, through Russia, Mongolia
One of the oldest and narrowest city streets in Britain will be the focus of international attention tomorrow. Saddler Street winds its narrow way to the world famous Durham Cathedral and the city's spectacular Norman castle as it has around 1,000 years
North-East rail passengers will reap the benefits of a £1bn revamp of cross-country services from today. Virgin Trains has created a new regional Inter City rail network for the UK, which means two trains per hour will leave Newcastle, Darlington and
Tests on the body of an 18-year-old man who died after he fell ill at a weekend rave have proved inconclusive, police said last night. The unnamed clubber had been at the Godskitchen all-night party at Newcastle's Telewest Arena which attracted a sell-out
A FINANCIAL crisis in the RSPCA may have sunk plans for an animal welfare centre in the North-East, it is claimed. The region is renowned as the country's animal cruelty capital and the charity planned to build a major sanctuary at Chester-le-Street,
A man was beaten almost unconscious and dragged to a cashpoint to draw money for his attackers, a court was told yesterday. Neil Devanny was walking a girl home from a nightclub when two men shouted abuse and then ran after him. He was punched, kicked
A KILLER virus threatens to wipe out a northern seal colony. Hartlepool Borough Council "strongly suspects'' that a sick seal found on a beach at nearby Seaton Carew,was a victim of phocine distemper virus (PDV). The animal had to be put down. Results
A ROYAL visit to Britain's favourite open air museum at Beamish turned into the tale of the princess and the pit pony yesterday. An accomplished horsewoman in her own right, it was no surprise that the Princess Royal spent more than her allotted time
MOVIE bosses in the North-East are predicting that tickets for the new Harry Potter film will fly out of cinemas after being released a month early. Tickets for the hotly-anticipated next instalment of the Harry Potter saga went on sale yesterday - more
Troubled china maker Royal Doulton is to shut a factory producing collectables and giftware with the loss of 200 jobs. The planned closure of the plant at Beswick, near Stoke-on-Trent, is part of a wider company review which has already seen work transferred
THE Strategic Rail Authority last night effectively ruled out riding to the rescue of troubled Arriva Trains Northern. And it cast doubt over whether the company will be able to hang on to its Trans-Pennine franchise - the region's second biggest. The
Investors weighing up whether to return to the stock market will be able to study updates from a host of companies this week, ranging from mobile phone operator mmO2 to Manchester United. Analysts will be looking for an upbeat trading statement from tour
MORE than 200 jobs will be created when a new County Durham supermarket opens in six weeks time. Asda yesterday announced the creation of 230 additional posts in its 40,000sq ft Bishop Auckland store, set to open on Monday, November 11. The store, in
NORTHUMBRIAN Water has appointed two strategic partners to help manage its £1bn improvement programme. The company, and its Southern operating division Essex and Suffolk Water, has chosen Atkins, Faithful and Gould and EC Harris, to provide cost management
Shop 'til you drop: YOU hit the West End in London in style for a serious Christmas Shopping Break with The Westbury Hotel, which is perfectly located for getting all your gifts in one weekend. The package costs £177 for two sharing, including VAT, and
JIM Montgomery will make a rare pilgrimage to the Stadium of Light today. He will meet friends old and new, swap anecdotes and enjoy the convivial atmosphere in one of the ground's smart suites. Then Montgomery will settle in his seat and go through 90
HUNDREDS of people from the North-East are joining an anti-war rally against action in Iraq. The rally, being held today in central London, is expected to draw as many as 100,000 protestors. Organisers the Stop The War Coalition and the Muslim Association
Artist-in-residence at Middlesbrough Football Club, Richard Piers Rayner, is watching another dream come true with the Oscar-tipped movie Road To Perdition based on his graphic novel. Film Writer Steve Pratt meets him. ARTIST Richard Piers Rayner says
A RETIRED headteacher will face one of the biggest challenges yet in his running battle with cancer. On Sunday, October 6 David Snell will take part in the Great North Run to raise money for the charity that has supported him and his family. Last year
THE interim findings of the Tomlinson Report shed little light on the fiasco surrounding this summer's AS and A2 examinations. We do not need an expensive independent inquiry to tell us that the examination structure is flawed and was introduced with
The family of a British journalist believed to have been killed while reporting on the conflict between Chechen rebels and Russian forces paid tribute to him last night. Roddy Scott, 31, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is understood to have died during
The High Court is to hear a bid to lift the order that put Railtrack into administration. If the application on Tuesday by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is successful, it will pave the way for Railtrack's takeover by the non-profit distributing
ENGINEERING company Cleveland Bridge last night promised a "significant" jobs boost after winning a £60m contract to help shape the new Wembley Stadium. The Darlington-based bridge builder will supply and erect the steelwork for the prestigious £757m
It's off with the armour and off with the clothes for Paris Jefferson's latest role, she tells STEVE PRATT WHEN I tell Paris Jefferson that she's more Michelle Pfeiffer than Kathy Bates, she takes the remark as it was meant - as a compliment. Usually,
JODY Craddock will make an emotional return to the Sunderland team Tuesday with Peter Reid's glowing praise ringing in his ears. Craddock has not made a first-team appearance this season and was devastated last month when his baby son Jake died. But after
The parents of schoolgirl Sarah Payne joined the relatives of murdered North-East children to call for greater Government help for victims of crime. Sara and Michael Payne were among 100 delegates at a conference organised by the North of England Victims
A POLICEMAN has been injured following a car chase across a North-East town. The 41-year-old constable sustained whip lash injuries after Cleveland Police say his patrol car was rammed. Police Inspector Peter Jones said: "The officer had been following
NEWCASTLE United boss Sir Bobby Robson has told Laurent Robert he will be "hauled before the board'' if he talks out of turn again. The £10m winger has effectively been put on a final warning after furious United chairman Freddy Shepherd rang Robson to
THE integrity of the British exam system was at stake last night as evidence emerged of suspected grade manipulation with AS-levels - putting thousands more results in doubt. As the head of the inquiry into the grades fiasco, Mike Tomlinson, delivered
The parents of a soldier who died in a shooting at an Army base have spoken of their anguish over the decision to exhume his body. Jim and Yvonne Collinson, from Perth, Scotland, asked police to exhume the body of 17-year-old James, who died at Deepcut
Banish thoughts of cold, concrete-block showers with cracked tiles and cramped caravans - camping is no longer the sole domain of the kagoule brigade, as Lindsay Jennings discovers. WE arrive on a pretty grey day and have the distinct feeling we're being
GORDON Watson's rehabilitation took a big step forward yesterday. Ruled out for up to two months with a broken leg after suffering the injury a fortnight ago, the five-goal Hartlepool United striker has had the pot removed and replaced with a lighter
NEWCASTLE United midfielder Gary Speed last night insisted: "There's no crisis here.'' Speed's declaration came in the wake of comments attributed to teammate Laurent Robert, claiming United are a club in crisis. But Welsh international Speed maintained
