Archive

  • Pensioner fights for right to stay in home

    A pensioner who could be forced out of his home after 50 years under plans to redevelop an estate took his fight to a public inquiry today. Retired miner Tom Bamburgh, 75, moved onto Seaham's Parkside Estate in 1939, and has lived in his current house

  • Council chief job decision

    THE appointment of the chief executive of Hartlepool Borough Council is expected to be approved today. The council's appointments panel is recommending Paul Walker, the chief executive for Dacorum Borough Council, in Hertfordshire, be appointed to the

  • Schools football

    There were further good performances from the North-East sides attending the annual English Schools FA Under-14 Festival on the Isle of Wight. On Wednesday Sunderland defeated Derby 4-0 when their physically stronger side dominated the game from kick-off

  • Boy with brain damage awarded £1.5m

    A 12-year-old boy who suffered brain damage at birth has been awarded £1.5 million agreed damages. Harry Newton, who has cerebral palsy, is dependent on a wheelchair for mobility and needs help with all daily activities. He was born in Dryburn Hospital

  • Jonathan begins the big, big slim

    THE battle of the bulge begins in earnest today for a 16-year-old told to lose weight or die. Hartlepool schoolboy Jonathan Wallace was told by his GP to lose nearly half his own body weight after he tipped the scales at 31 stones. After the big-hearted

  • Wearside League

    David Little celebrated his 200th appearance for North Shields by lifting the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup at Brinkburn Road on Easter Monday. It was an appropriate reward for his commitment to the Robins, but he is only one of six players who have each

  • Ice Hockey: Commanches bombed out

    Junior round-up Sunderland Commanches lost to eventual winners Slough Bombers at the semi-final stage of the 2003 Hockey UK Under-14 tournament. Bombers scored the only goal of the game after six minutes and held on for the narrow victory. Commanches

  • Partnership generates more work

    AN expanding Teesside energy company is developing a partnership with a Newcastle software company to generate new business at power stations in the East Midlands. Teesside Power Station operator px limited has been working with Tyneside firm Engica to

  • Eating Owt: A meal well worth coughing up for

    What better place to go after two weeks on bread and water than one of the best food pubs you could find in the area? The Boss has had bronchitis, quite laid her low for two weeks. "Like being kicked in the chest by a horse," she gasped, though that would

  • Funding help on offer to voluntary groups

    VOLUNTARY projects are being urged to take a share of millions of pounds worth of grants. The Community Fund has more than £10m to award in the North-East this year, and it wants to make sure that projects in Stockton, Middlesbrough, and Redcar and east

  • Campus songs

    Left-wing singer-songwriter Billy Bragg will be performing at the theatre at East Durham and Houghall Community College, in Peterlee, next Monday, at 8pm, one of only three British appearances this year. For details, call 0191-518 8224

  • Risk of fire on moors stays high

    RECENT rain have failed to reduce the risk of fire on the North York Moors. The National Park Authority is concerned about the risk of fire damage to the moors. Fire warning notices remain in place and people are being asked to be particularly vigilant

  • Player's call for boycott of BNP

    A FORMER Newcastle United football player has called on people in the region to boycott the British National Party (BNP). Former goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who plays for Portsmouth FC and Trinidad, is supporting the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. He

  • Communication skills put to the test on stage

    THE seemingly simple tasks of talking and listening were the centre of a drama in Guisborough yesterday. Four actors visited pupils and the town's Northgate Junior School and performed a play about the Muddle Family, who do not listen or talk to each

  • Minister in deep discussions as new science lab opens

    THE deepest mysteries of the universe may be about to be discovered 1,100 metres below the North-East coast. A new £3.1m laboratory buried at the furthest reaches of Europe's deepest mine, off Boulby, on the east Cleveland coast, was opened yesterday.

  • Paul honoured for brave swimming pool rescue

    EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Paul Basey has been feted as a hero after saving a girl from drowning in a swimming pool. Paul dived into the deep end to rescue Stacey Younger, eight, when he saw her floundering at Consett swimming pool, in County Durham. Yesterday Colin

  • Blue star under threat

    THE image of the blue star could be about to disappear from the region's pubs. Scottish and Newcastle Breweries is to sell its pubs and restaurants, signalling the end of an era. The familiar blue star has appeared outside the company's North-East pubs

  • Youth elections win admirers

    A PIONEERING scheme in north-west Durham to boost young people's involvement in local government could be reproduced in Germany. Visitors from Werdohl, in the Saar region of Germany, have learned about Derwentside District Council's Spice project during

  • Complaints addressed

    COMPLAINTS about a rise in anti-social behaviour were raised when a police inspector attended Egglescliffe Parish Council's annual meeting. Inspector Colin White attended the meeting to discuss the recently launched police community support service. But

  • Hunters Estate Agent York and District Senior League

    The programme starts on April 26 and 26 players have been registered by clubs in the League. This is an increase of one on last year's figure of 25 and consists of 15 Australians, five from Pakistan and one each from Sri Lanka, India, Zimbabwe, United

  • Action call over rubbish of travellers

    RESIDENTS are calling for action to stop travellers making camp on school playing fields. Up to 50 caravans have been parked on fields next to Belmont School, near Durham City, for almost two weeks. Durham County Council is taking legal steps to evict

  • Care home set for approval

    A 57-BED care home for the elderly in Darlington looks likely to be approved by planning officials tomorrow. St Martin's Care has applied for permission from Darlington Borough Council to redevelop the site in Burnside Road into a two-storey home with

  • Players gain drama success

    SEDGEFIELD Players, with their entry My Mother Said I Never Should, won best costume award and came third for best production award at the Isle of Man Easter Drama Festival, gaining praise for their presentation. Norma Neal, in the role of Margaret, took

  • Flats scheme meets with opposition

    PLANS to convert a shop in Darlington to two residential flats has met with objections from neighbours. The shop unit opposite the Highland Laddie pub, in Haughton Green, was last used as a hat and dress hire shop. Planning permission is now being sought

  • Woman died after falling down stairs

    A WOMAN with a long history of alcohol abuse died after falling down a flight of stairs, an inquest heard yesterday. Barbara Louise Houston, 50, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in her house in Lightfoot Terrace, Ferryhill, on April 16. She

  • Inquest rules bar manager killed himself

    A BAR manager took his life after discharging himself from hospital where he was being treated for alcoholism, an inquest heard yesterday. David John Howard Webb killed himself on Monday, April 21, after moving out of the house he shared with partner

  • School wins funding to shoot documentary-style film

    A SCHOOL has secured funding to produce a film. Greenfield Community Arts College in Newton Aycliffe has received money from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme for a film involving a group of year ten performing arts students and older volunteers. The

  • Tourism guide is already in demand

    THE best places to stay, eat, shop and enjoy a day out in Wear Valley are on show in a guide launched by the district council. Visit Wear Valley has been produced in conjunction with the Wear Valley Forum for Business, with the help of the first part

  • Spotlight on issues for the disabled

    DARLINGTON Association on Disability is holding awareness days to promote disability issues and equality. The organisation, based in Horsemarket, is staging the Breaking Through Barriers event as part of the European Year of Disabled People. Tomorrow,

  • Spotlight on issues for the disabled

    DARLINGTON Association on Disability is holding awareness days to promote disability issues and equality. The organisation, based in Horsemarket, is staging the Breaking Through Barriers event as part of the European Year of Disabled People. Tomorrow,

  • Grassroots: Crook

    HOLIDAY EXTRAS: A jumble sale at the Elite Hall, Crook, on Saturday raised £650 which will go towards providing better holidays for people with learning disabilities who attend the Wear Valley Centre in Crook. The winning numbers in the raffle were: yellow

  • Volunteers dig in at nature reserve

    AN army of volunteers took to the fields in Middleton St George, near Darlington, to tidy up a nature reserve. Members of the Middleton St George Wildlife Group and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers were clearing invasive vegetation and silt

  • Children face to face with nature

    YOUNG Jason Ferry and Chris Robson came face to face with Daisy the cow on a trip to a working farm. The friendly friesian gave the County Durham youngsters a nuzzle as they toured Cockle Park Farm, in Northumberland. The visit was part of a "bring your

  • Monster Push in aid of cot death charity

    HARTLEPOOL's Sure Start (North) initiative is staging a sponsored fancy dress event next Tuesday in aid of the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death. The Monster Push will involve Sure Start staff, parents and children walking with pushchairs along

  • News in brief: Views sought on local plan

    THE public will soon have chance to comment on the latest version of a document that sets planning guidelines for the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Publication of the second deposit local plan was approved by park authority members last week and will

  • Dog search continues

    ANIMAL welfare officers are appealing for help in tracing a stray greyhound that has so far evaded attempts to capture it. The dog, which is tan with a white blaze on it chest, has been loose in the Elm Tree and Hardwick areas of Stockton since before

  • News in brief: Third safety gold for school

    Teesside Preparatory and High School, in Eaglescliffe, has been awarded gold in The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents awards 2003. Every year schools and companies receive occupational awards from the charity after proving their excellence

  • Inquiries continue into deaths blaze

    INVESTIGATIONS are continuing into the cause of a house fire which claimed the lives of a mother and two of her sons. Shamoon Nabeel, four, his three-year-old brother Aysan and their 25-year-old mother, Sadia, died in the fire, despite attempts by their

  • Passenger in hospital after car overturns

    A FRONT-SEAT passenger is in hospital with serious facial injuries after the car he was travelling in overturned. The accident happened at about 11.45pm on Sunday, when the Vauxhall Astra was travelling north east on the A690 at West Rainton, near Durham

  • Lingdale prove too Great for Ayton in Final

    A Hoggarth and Sons Eskvale and Cleveland League League Cup semi-finals: Gt Ayton v Lingdale Tavern Ayton had the better of the play in the early stages of the game but it was Lingdale who took the lead on 15 minutes. With Ayton playing possession football

  • Fears grow that steelmaker is planning more job losses

    TODAY, thousands of steelworkers will find out if Sir Brian Moffatt's last act as chairman of Corus is to make them redundant. There was speculation yesterday that Corus board members, due to meet in London today, will agree to close the least profitable

  • Kall Kwik Harrogate and District League

    More women have been flying the flag of success in the Kall Kwik Harrogate and District Squash League this season. And as more female players become established there's a promise of more setbacks for men next season. Star woman player this term has been

  • Protestor angered as charges dropped

    VETERAN peace campaigner Lindis Percy accused the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police of conspiracy during a court hearing yesterday in which two charges against her were dropped. Appearing before Harrogate magistrates, Mrs Percy, a 61-year-old

  • 'Durham will always be in my blood'

    I ARRIVED in the same year, 1994, that the last coal mine ceased to operate in County Durham. By then of course a great deal had been done to change the landscape and renew the environment, but the memories of the economic battles of the 1980s lived on

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Support worker, Leyburn. £10,131 to £11,391pa, 37.5hrs pw. Experience with people who have learning or physical disability desirable but not essential. NVQ 2 in Care or willing to attain. Must be understanding and flexible. Ref: NOE 18899. Commis chef

  • Water Polo

    Durham City ASC Durham continue to go from strength-to-strength with their latest success being a 13-10 victory by their mixed boys and girls Under-17 team at home to a strong Doncaster side. The first quarter ended 2-2, but in the following three quarters

  • Horse Shoe protect proud record

    Crook Individual League The early surprise leader of this new competition played at Crook Coach and Horses is Lee Scott with five points, but he could now have problems as he broke his arm whilst playing for Roddymoor in the Norman Wright Memorial Cup

  • Chester-le-Street Town

    Chester-le-Street Town Juniors were beaten 2-0 by Redheugh Boys Club in the Fairs Software Tyneside Junior League Cup Final at Prudhoe Town on Good Friday. Redheugh started the game brightly but found Chester keeper Shaun Beckwith keen to avenge the mistakes

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Supervisor, Stockton. £4.60ph, 16hrs pw, 6-11pm, Mon, Wed, Sat. Experience an advantage but not essential. Will be key holder. Police security check on successful applicant. Ref: THN 7609. Care assistant, Thornaby. 20hrs pw, 5 shifts out of 7 on rota.

  • Elliott injury is growing worry for Tykes

    Concern is mounting over the fitness of Australian batsman Matthew Elliott, who has been ruled out of Yorkshire's Championship match against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl tomorrow and has yet to make his first appearance of the season because of knee trouble

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Supply worker. 7.15am to 6pm, Wed and Fri, inc weekends, shifts. Must have relevant level 3 qualification or equivalent in child care. Ref: DUR 35744. Payroll administrator. £5ph dep on exp, 8hrs pw. Required for head office, payroll. PAYE and computer

  • Pupils hailed for skills in business

    THE achievements of hundreds of schoolchildren in the world of business will be honoured at a presentation evening in the North-East next week. Aspiring enterpreneurs from across the Darlington and Teesside areas who have taken part in the Young Enterprise

  • Parish council election date

    AN election to fill seats on the parish council that covers Aiskew and Leeming Bar is to be held in June. After Thursday the parish council will not have a quorum of three, the minimum number of members necessary to hold a meeting. The combined parishes

  • Farmers unite in meat company venture

    FARMERS have joined forces to launch a meat marketing company to help secure their future. The Dales Quality Meat Company, in Wensleydale, aims to make beef and lamb from the area the choice of cooks and food-lovers across the country. Founded, owned

  • American Football

    Gateshead Senators The Gateshead Senators made the trip north to open the 2003 campaign against new boys Edinburgh Wolves. Prior to kick-off, a presentation was made by the Gateshead team to the Edinburgh Wolves to welcome them to senior football. The

  • The UniBond League

    Spennymoor United are hoping for a big crowd to see them clinch promotion against Witton Albion tomorrow. Moors go into the game in second place, two points ahead of Radcliffe Borough, following their win at Stocksbridge last night night. They need to

  • From struggling docklands to thriving times on the waterfront

    ONE of the region's biggest and brightest new waterfront developments is the next regeneration scheme in the North-East to receive the attention of Terrace Hill. Partners involved in Middlesbrough's Middlehaven project appointed property development company

  • Chinese dignitary hails North-East businesses

    THE growing business links between China and the North-East were further fostered by a visit to the region by Deng Boqing, Consul-General from the People's Republic Mr Deng met Chinese investors in the region and visited research centres during a whistle-stop

  • Tribute to victims of accidents at work

    HUNDREDS of union activists gathered yesterday in memory of the North-East workers killed in industrial accidents. Members of the region's trade unions were in Saltwell Park, Gates-head, for a memorial service and a banner blessing ceremony. It was organised

  • Mowden Park do their own tour de France

    Darlington Mowden Park Ithe early hours of Good Friday morning, Darlington Mowden Park's Under-17s crossed the Channel to travel to Lille in preparation for two matches against local French teams. Spirits were high, as were expectations - this was the

  • Railway treat for old soldiers

    OLD soldiers are being offered the chance to ride steam trains at 1940s prices, as part of a fun day this weekend. Tanfield Railway, near Stanley, County Durham, holds a military-themed weekend from Saturday to Monday. Anyone producing their original

  • Detectives to help trace porn hacker

    DETECTIVES have agreed to investigate how a computer hacker has virtually taken over a family computer and downloaded thousands of images of gay pornography. Cleveland Police decided to take away the computer after 3,717 gay pornographic images were deleted

  • A meal well worth coughing up for

    What better place to go after two weeks on bread and water than one of the best food pubs you could find in the area? The Boss has had bronchitis, quite laid her low for two weeks. "Like being kicked in the chest by a horse," she gasped, though that would

  • Killinghall pile the pressure on All Stars

    The Northern Echo Darlington Sunday Invitation League With the championship race over in Division One, and all over bar the shouting in Division Three, attention turns to Division Two as Killinghall Arms are looking to over-turn All Stars season-long

  • All of a flutter as peacocks go walkabout

    TWO exotic youngsters with a taste for adventure have sparked a frantic search of the countryside. Eleanor and Keith Anderson have scoured the fields and woods near their home looking for two peacocks who have become part of their family. Now the couple

  • Bishop Auckland Area League

    The semi finals of the team knockout competition with the teams who finished first and second in the league having the chance to meet each other in the final. Both were at home and it was this season's champions, Spennymoor Voltigeur, who, on paper, had

  • Brad's come far since Plawsworth

    BRAD Hogg, whose inscrutable Chinamen became Australia's secret weapon in last month's World Cup triumph, hasn't always been so successful - 13 years ago he couldn't get a bowl for Plawsworth. "He sent down three overs and I thought he was terrible, really

  • D'Argent to prove versatility

    CHAMPION National Hunt trainer Martin Pipe switches his attentions to the Flat at Bath today, where he tries to win the Saffie Joseph Filles' Handicap with Ela D'Argent (5.05). Pipe has been running Ela D'Argent over jumps this winter, winning with her

  • Farmer's co-op buys supplier

    THE North-East's leading farmers' co-operative has expanded its animal health business. Farmway, of Piercebridge, County Durham, has bought Hall-Shaw Farm Supplies. Kevin Shaw has joined the management team at Farmway, with responsibility for all the

  • Merry Moors simply the best

    Worthington Durham County CIU League The Moors landed the Championship but play-offs are necessary to decide the champions of both the Second and Third Divisions when Bearpark and Wingate finished level in the Second and Coundon and Sacriston finished

  • Spanish fight night

    A team of four Darlington thai-boxers few out to Spain yesterday to fight on a bill in Majorca this weekend, writes Craig Stoddart. Paul Spinks, Michael Dicks, Terry Anderson and Anthony Miller are all members of the Darlington Boxing and Martial Academy

  • 20/04/03

    WAR AGAINST IRAQ: ANYONE who read John Pilger's expos of the Bush/Blair relationship can be left in no doubt that Mr Blair misled Parliament and the British people. His clinical demolition of the justification for the war was a classic piece of journalism

  • Woman found safe and well

    A WOMAN who was reported missing by her family has been found safe and well in County Durham. Tracey Hewitt, 26, of no fixed address, who has family in Newton Aycliffe, was last seen in Darlington on Tuesday last week. The woman, who is described as depressed

  • Basketball

    Durham League Final tables and a selection of statistics from the recently completed 2002-3 season. Division One Champions: M'brough College Academy A. Runners-up: M'brough Mavericks. Division One Cup: Winners: Nissan. Runners-up: Belmont Reds. Cup Final

  • Angling by Jeff Herbert

    Following heatwave conditions the temperature took a nosedive for Saturday's big 109 pegger at Woodland Lakes Carlton Miniott Thirsk. Cold winds were a feature and no-one expected a real bonanza day but the complex 'fished its head off' with terrific

  • New Market B take second place in play-off

    Crook Ladies League Tow Law New Market B won the play-off for the runners-up spot when they beat Crook Jelly's Bar B at Crook Cricket Club by eight points to three. In the outstanding league match, Tow Law Dan's Castle beat the visiting Billy Row Green

  • Nicola's a student with a knockout ambition

    North-East student Nicola Owens is hoping to be a knockout in the boxing ring. Women's Editor Christen Pears meets her. WITH her cropped hair and mischievous sense of humour, Nicola Owens is a typical tomboy. Last year, the 20-year-old walked into the

  • Search for Jacqueline stepped up

    THE search for a missing mother-of-five intensified last night - a week after she was last seen. Jacqueline Swift, 44, disappeared after leaving home to buy cigarettes from a shop near her Hartlepool home on Easter Monday. Yesterday, police questioned

  • Fresh plea over attack in toilets

    POLICE investigating an apparent attack which left a middle-aged man seriously injured renewed their appeal for help yesterday. The victim was found on the floor of the public lavatory in Church Street, Whitby, on Sunday morning. He suffered serious injuries

  • Coastal survey

    A survey is to be carried out by the National Trust and South Tyneside Council into the causes and extent of coastal erosion at The Leas, near Sunderland. Results are expected in the summer.

  • Corus Teesside workers still fear plant could close

    Workers at the giant Corus plant on Teesside still fear it could close despite today's reprieve. Matthew Lodge, 44, of Marske, Cleveland, has worked for 28 years at the huge Redcar plant, which turns large blocks of steel, or ''slabs'', into beams known

  • Council employee sent home in 'Sars symptoms' scare

    A COUNCIL worker has been sent home in a Sars scare after her boyfriend returned from China with flu-like symptoms. The cashier was ordered home by bosses at Durham City Council after she also developed an illness. The woman, who is believed to be in

  • From the ashes a school arises . . .

    FROM the outside you would never guess that this was a school packed with eager pupils ready to start their summer term. The boarded-up windows, charred beams and demolition warning signs at Middleton St George Primary School, near Darlington, suggest

  • Cannabis haul: five charged

    POLICE have charged five men with drug offences after £500,000 worth of cannabis was found in a factory unit. The men, all from Hartlepool, were charged yesterday when they answered bail following their arrests in January. Officers from Cleveland Police

  • Consultants to focus on Spa revamp

    BUSINESS and technology consultants High-Point Rendel have been appointed to carry out a geotechnical appraisal report on one of North Yorkshire's landmark buildings. Scarborough Borough Council is carrying out a feasibility study on the possible redevelopment

  • Consett Sunday League

    Consett Sunday League Stanley Towneley Arms are sitting proudly on top of the First Division for the first time in their history. Last season's Division Two champions are two points clear of Stateside who suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at Lintz Cricket

  • 29/04/03

    NOW that we are safe from relegation I'm really looking forward to this weekend's matches where the fight to stay in the League is really hotting up. As I've said before, I wouldn't wish relegation from the Football League on anyone, but it does make

  • Crook go top after wawy win

    County Super League Crook B shot to the top of the table after they only dropped four points on their visit to Bishop Auckland. The Bishops only managed one point each from Kevin Watson, David Jacomb, Ron Wright and Malcolm Howard. Crook's table topping

  • Task force hailed as having early impact on village life

    A TASK FORCE set up to tackle a village's crime and social problems is proving a huge success, according to officials. The group was established six months ago after Durham county councillor Alan Barker raised concerns over long-term issues affecting

  • Cestrians go down fighting

    Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street's young side gave the East Durham women's football academy a good run in their Northern League Cup Final, but couldn't stop their opponents winning 4-1. The Cestrians' cause was not helped when they quickly went two

  • Coastal survey

    A survey is to be carried out by the National Trust and South Tyneside Council into the causes and extent of coastal erosion at The Leas, near Sunderland. Results are expected in the summer.

  • Pool's fab four provide lift for decider

    MIKE Newell last night heaped further praise on Hartlepool United's fab four - and admitted the rewards could prove a great psychological boost. Pool had Chris Westwood, Graeme Lee, Ritchie Humphreys and Mark Tinkler named in the PFA Division Three team

  • Launch of poetry collection

    AUTHOR Pauline Kirk will launch her latest collection of poetry at York's central library on Saturday, May 10. She recently led a ten-week creative writing programme as part of the Read Write York project. Owlstone is her seventh collection of verse and

  • Funding help on offer to voluntary groups

    VOLUNTARY projects are being urged to take a share of millions of pounds worth of grants. The Community Fund has more than £10m to award in the North-East this year, and it wants to make sure that projects in Stockton, Middlesbrough, and Redcar and east

  • Row about can of lager led to hammer attack on friend

    AN argument about a can of lager left a man lying unconscious with a fractured skull Teesside Crown Court heard. Yesterday, Robert Fishburn, 24, formerly of Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for five years for causing grievous bodily harm with

  • Youngsters research peer group worries

    A group of teenagers from Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton have been rewarded for the research they conducted into their peers' views on issues affecting their lives. A group of 22 youngsters aged between 13 and 16 presented their findings at an awards

  • Steelworkers demonstrate

    Steelworkers from across the country demonstrated outside the annual meeting of Corus today after the steel giant announced a fresh wave of job cuts. The announcement left a huge question mark over the future of one of its biggest plants. Workers expressed

  • Book your table with the stars . . .

    A DOUBLE date with two hearthrob actors is up for grabs in a North-East charity auction taking place tonight. Full Monty star Hugo Speer and Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey are offering two women a date with them at their favourite restaurant

  • Pressure grows for interest rates cut

    BRITISH industry piled more pressure on the Bank of England to make another cut in UK interest rates after manufacturing orders were shown to have fallen at their sharpest rate for four years in the first quarter of this year. In its quarterly industrial

  • Addict must wait for court decision

    HEROIN addict William Moran was prepared to accept a £10 payment for cashing a cheque for £995 so he could feed his habit, a court was told yesterday. But when 39-year-old Moran presented the cheque at a branch of the HSBC bank in Bilton, Harrogate, staff

  • Father and son in the theatre spotlight

    ACCLAIMED director Sir Peter Hall and his son Edward are heading to the region with their latest productions. Sir Peter will direct Mrs Warren's Profession, by Bernard Shaw, at Newcastle's Theatre Royal, from Tuesday, July 8. He will be preceded by Edward

  • Stanley push Garden Farm aside in title race

    Stanley Sunday League SUCCESSIVE defeats have all but ended Chester Garden Farm's title quest with Stanley FC now firmly in the driving seat. It started badly for the Farm as they lost out to title rivals Stanley by a massive six goals and then shipped

  • T M Disco Crook and District League

    Roddymoor have a fine record in the Norman Wright Memorial Trophy but they lost out to West Auckland Queens Head in this year's final at Crook. First half goals from Matthew Moffatt and Wayne Dobinson earned Queens Head a 2-0 win and the first leg of

  • Inquest into house fire deaths begins

    The inquest has been opened into the deaths of a mother and two of her sons who died in a house fire. Husband and father Nabeel Maqsood, 25, told the hearing that he had identified the bodies of his wife, Sadia, 25, Shamoon Nabeel, aged four and his three-year-old

  • Players gain drama success

    SEDGEFIELD Players, with their entry My Mother Said I Never Should, won best costume award and came third for best production award at the Isle of Man Easter Drama Festival, gaining praise for their presentation. Norma Neal, in the role of Margaret, took

  • Woman died after falling down stairs

    A WOMAN with a long history of alcohol abuse died after falling down a flight of stairs, an inquest heard yesterday. Barbara Louise Houston, 50, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in her house in Lightfoot Terrace, Ferryhill, on April 16. She

  • Less speed could have saved pensioner

    A PENSIONER who died after being hit by a car would have survived if the vehicle had been travelling within the speed limit, an inquest was told yesterday. The family of Jean Oliver heard how Mark Edward Rogers, the driver of a Rover car, could have avoided

  • Less speed could have saved pensioner

    A PENSIONER who died after being hit by a car would have survived if the vehicle had been travelling within the speed limit, an inquest was told yesterday. The family of Jean Oliver heard how Mark Edward Rogers, the driver of a Rover car, could have avoided

  • Inquest rules bar manager killed himself

    A BAR manager took his life after discharging himself from hospital where he was being treated for alcoholism, an inquest heard yesterday. David John Howard Webb killed himself on Monday, April 21, after moving out of the house he shared with partner

  • School wins funding to shoot documentary-style film

    A SCHOOL has secured funding to produce a film. Greenfield Community Arts College in Newton Aycliffe has received money from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme for a film involving a group of year ten performing arts students and older volunteers. The

  • Tourism guide is already in demand

    THE best places to stay, eat, shop and enjoy a day out in Wear Valley are on show in a guide launched by the district council. Visit Wear Valley has been produced in conjunction with the Wear Valley Forum for Business, with the help of the first part

  • Hamper of kindness for home's residents

    RESIDENTS in the County Durham Cheshire Home, in Crook, were last night enjoying the contents of a huge hamper after being presented with an unwanted raffle prize. The hamper was the star prize in an Easter raffle organised by the Freemasons Lodge in

  • Family doctors join drive to cut appointments wait time

    PATIENTS in Sedgefield borough will soon be able to see their family doctor much quicker. Four GP practices have been working with Sedgefield Primary Care Trust on an initiative to improve access to primary care professionals. The practices involved are

  • Landlords urged to support campaign against littering

    LANDLORDS across Darlington are being urged to help council chiefs take action against litter louts. The borough council is stepping up its anti-litter drive by contacting 50 landlords and housing associations, and asking them to ensure their tenants

  • News in brief: Blue Peter bike ride challenge

    Children in Darlington can join thousands of others taking part in The Blue Peter Bikeathon on Sunday. The charity bike ride, in aid of leukaemia research, is expected to attract 25,000 participants across the country. The Darlington event will start

  • News in brief: Blue Peter bike ride challenge

    Children in Darlington can join thousands of others taking part in The Blue Peter Bikeathon on Sunday. The charity bike ride, in aid of leukaemia research, is expected to attract 25,000 participants across the country. The Darlington event will start

  • New tactic to drive vice girls off streets

    ONE of the North-East's most prolific prostitutes could be barred from working the streets in a landmark legal case for the region. Police and council officials are jointly applying for an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) against 33-year-old Bernadette

  • Outrage grows over benefit loss for ex-miner with soldier wife

    OUTRAGED armed forces groups last night attacked the "appalling" decision to take away the benefit of a disabled man whose wife is serving in Iraq. The Northern Echo revealed yesterday how part of Michael Blackburn's incapacity benefit had been withdrawn

  • Paul honoured for brave swimming pool rescue

    EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Paul Basey has been feted as a hero after saving a girl from drowning in a swimming pool. Paul dived into the deep end to rescue Stacey Younger, eight, when he saw her floundering at Consett swimming pool, in County Durham. Yesterday Colin

  • Village festival makes a comeback

    A VILLAGE festival is making a comeback after it proved a big success two years ago. The second Burnopfield Festival takes place on Monday. The first event was held on May Day in 2001 and was meant to be a one-off, but it proved so popular that villagers

  • Residents rewarded for their help

    HELPFUL residents were presented with certificates yesterday recognising their efforts. Easington District Council recently underwent the first stage of a Best Value review to decide if the housing services it delivers could be improved. As part of the

  • Players ensure Bobby stays young at heart

    SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night thanked PFA Young Player of the Year Jermaine Jenas for helping to sustain his love of football. Newcastle United midfielder Jenas succeeded teammate Craig Bellamy as the choice of his fellow professionals as the most outstanding

  • Protests at proposal to turn verge into car parking space

    PEOPLE living in a small cul-de-sac have united against development proposals in their fight to save a children's play area. Youngsters could lose part of the grass verge they use to play on outside their homes in Valley Road, Northallerton, because of

  • Students set the stage for 'professional' debut

    STUDENTS are preparing for their debut at a professional theatre with a classic musical. Durham University Light Opera Group, in association with the newly-formed Durham University Production Society, is staging Kiss Me Kate, at Durham's Gala Theatre,

  • Festival is a celebration of spring

    VILLAGERS have joined together to celebrate the season by holding its 11th Festival of Springtime. There were plant and produce stalls, a children's farmyard, a craft fair and 11 open gardens as part of the event at Great Ouseburn, near Boroughbridge.

  • Grandmother's heart attack led to road ban

    BUILDING apprentice James Welsh's 200-mile dash to be with his sick grandmother brought him a driving ban yesterday after police clocked his Astra car doing 108mph. Harrogate magistrates heard how 18-year-old Welsh had been getting ready for work on February

  • Book your table with the stars . . .

    A DOUBLE date with two hearthrob actors is up for grabs in a North-East charity auction taking place tonight. Full Monty star Hugo Speer and Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey are offering two women a date with them at their favourite restaurant

  • The Albany Northern League Today

    Striker Chris I'Anson was the toast of Horden as the Second Division side lifted the Durham Challenge Cup for the first time since 1982 on Monday. I'Anson scored a goal fit to win any game when he ran from the halfway line past two defenders and fired

  • Flo puts family first

    TORE ANDRE FLO has vowed to put his family in front of his football career and stay at Sunderland - despite becoming the club's sixth-choice striker. Just eight months after moving to Wearside for £8.2m, the Norwegian misfit suffered the indignity on

  • Sunderland Catholic Club Over-40 League

    Although it appears that Steels Social will win the Premier Division this season and runners-up spot is still undecided and any of three clubs, Owton Manor, Killingworth Arms and Billingham CGS could fill it. Billingham CGS are there with an excellent

  • Bustling port a growing concern

    THE Port of Tyne is to extend its £2.25m warehouse, only opened in August 2002, after a successful management initiative. Port of Tyne Logistics Services has drummed up extra business which has led to the size of the facility being doubled, making a total

  • Betting on a good day -- and a rocking good night

    Like many Pools fans, I had a premonition last summer that the game at Rushden and Diamonds this coming Saturday was going to be of special significance. When the fixtures came out, it seemed almost pre-destined that the meeting of two of the strongest

  • Rural recovery

    The North-East hosts the Rural Enterprise Show 2003, from May 16 to May 18, at Kirkley Hall, near Ponteland, Northumberland. It combines business support, inspiration and motivation for people in rural areas. To register for free tickets call 0800 0711

  • Late strike saves Acklam

    South Cleveland Garages Teesside League Division One: Acklam SW 3 v 2 Carlin How Acklam Steelworks brought a four match losing run to an end, but had to fight all the way. Craig Hallett opened for Acklam in the 20th minute, Graham Solomon equalised for

  • Killer still on the run from open prison

    A CONVICTED murderer is still on the run from a women's open prison in the North. However, Claire McDermott, 28, who absconded from Askham Richard, near York, while serving the final part of her sentence, is not considered a danger to the public. McDermott

  • 100 jobs go in new blow to region

    THE Government was last night under renewed pressure to come to the aid of the region's beleaguered manufacturing sector following another jobs blow. Sloman engineering, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which has been in receivership since January and

  • Just a little note to say your clarinet is safe...

    A HASTILY-scribbled note from a kind-hearted stranger was music to the ears of a distraught musician who had lost his custom-made clarinet. Internationally-renowned clarinettist Michael Whight had been in Darlington a matter of minutes for a Northern

  • Bishop Auckland Bridge Club

    Results for Thursday, April 24 1 M Pitt/A Darnell 62.78%; 2 No card 61.39%; 3 I Gordon/J Dobson 58.89%; 4 R Cottrell/R Potter 57.22%; 5= O Blenkinsopp/M Dexter 53.33%; 5= J Pringle/B Seery 53.33%.

  • Father and son in the theatre spotlight

    ACCLAIMED director Sir Peter Hall and his son Edward are heading to the region with their latest productions. Sir Peter will direct Mrs Warren's Profession, by Bernard Shaw, at Newcastle's Theatre Royal, from Tuesday, July 8. He will be preceded by Edward

  • House prices keep on rising in North

    FURTHER evidence of a north-south divide in the housing market emerged as figures showed the first fall in national prices since November 2001. Property website hometrack said the slowdown had been felt the most in the South East, although counties north

  • Bowman Anderson Accountants Spennymoor Sunday League

    DIVISION One side Thorns and Second Division Brawns Den both made it to their third cup finals inside one week! The Den, already Division Two Cup winners, reached the B&A Trophy Final in a specially-arranged Good Friday semi-final last week, beating

  • Twitchers rush to get glimpse of rare visitor

    A coastal headland was the top attraction for Britain's twitchers hoping for views of the most unusual bird in the country yesterday. They made for Flamborough Head, near Bridlington, to see a taiga flycatcher, a tiny Russian forest insect-hunter that

  • News in brief: Woman died after stairs fall

    AN ELDERLY woman died in hospital two days after missing her footing and falling downstairs, an inquest heard yesterday. Handrails were fitted to the stairs in Willow Road, Darlington, where Evelyn Yates, 92, lived with her daughter, Alwyn Asbury. But

  • Super Kev proves his worth to scoop honour

    Bedale; Lacelles qualifier: Played in a divisions medal format to identify the 32 players who will go head-to-head in this matchplay competition. Played in excellent weather with a standard scratch of 74, the best gross score on the day was 77 returned

  • Nicky achieves lifetime ambition - aged 11

    No matter how many years they play the game, most golfers will never achieve a hole-in-one, but a North Yorkshire youngster has marked one down on his scorecard - at the tender age of 11, writes CriagStoddart. Nicky Gardener of Middleton St George has

  • Six-a-side

    Colburn League Legionaires 5, Wathgill Wanderers 1; McDees 7, Hill Giftware 0; Team Mean Machine 4, FC Spoons 0; Each Other 1, 150 Plop Shots 2; Colburn Town A 7, Leathleys Lads 0; LE Maginot 1, Colburn Town B 1; Dynamo Catterick 1, UPEX 1.

  • Vehicle repair centre opens

    FIVE jobs have been created by Darlington pick-up dealership Links Motors after it opened a vehicle repair centre in the town's Lingfield Point business complex. The company has created the jobs as part of an expansion which has seen it lease 5,500sq

  • There's no need for us to panic over Sars

    ONE of the weirdest bits of advice in the face of the threat from Sars is that which tells us there's no need to panic - yet. Will somebody please inform me as to just when there is a need to panic? In what set of circumstances would it ever be useful

  • Quakers fans see red over next season's new strip

    Darlington Football Club chairman George Reynolds last night surprised fans when he unveiled next season's radical new look home strip. Reynolds believes the switch from predominantly black and white to red and white stripes symbolises the club's "bright

  • Mandale take champ crown

    Hathaway and Cope Stokesley League Thornaby Mandale 5 v 2 B&H Kings Head With Ennis Square, winning at Middlesbrough St Mary's College and Mandale beating second place B&H Kings Head, Thornaby Mandale have taken the championship with five games

  • Reynolds comes out fighting

    It's no secret that George Reynolds and The Northern Echo haven't been getting on too well of late, if not yet hand-to-hand fighting then a period of sustained sniping. Withering fire, they used to call it. Though not necessarily adopting the Swiss position

  • 'Youngsters were lucky to survive fairground crash'

    A FAIRGROUND accident in which three teenagers narrowly cheated death was a disaster waiting to happen, a court was told yesterday. The terrified youngsters were thrown ten metres into the air when a ride at Hartlepool broke free during a carnival at

  • Sharon Griffiths Meets...The writer who'll be 34 forever

    Writing a new novel has taken second place to raising a daughter and producing a magazine for female writers, from professionals to kitchen-table poets, for author Debbie Taylor. But it's completed at last and she's looking forward to finishing the next

  • Comment: Injustice hard to understand

    WAR is an extraordinary state of affairs. Extraordinary challenges are faced. Extraordinary demands are made. Extraordinary sacrifices expected. And that is why we find it so hard to understand why the rules governing state benefits paid to a disabled

  • On song Crook Mill House close in on top spot

    Crook League Crook Mill House moved up to second place in the First Division after they only dropped two points at Crook Travellers Rest A, who dropped out of the leading group. The Travellers had singles wins from Tony Storey and John Carroll, whilst

  • Body Shop founder's tips for north businesswomen

    Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, visited the region yesterday to provide inspiration to fellow businesswomen. Ms Roddick was guest speaker at the Women Into the Network's (WIN) annual enterprise lecture, which took place at Durham Town Hall. She

  • School Sport

    Prior's Biathlon squad performed brilliantly in the British Schools Modern Biathlon championships held in February at Macclesfield. They got through to the finals after winning through the regional round. The girls' team were overall winners while the

  • Durham Alliance

    Whitehill FC stay in poll position courtesy of a 4-1 win at Brandon Station. Michael Pitt hit his first goal from three when he put away a nice header from a cross by Justin Robson. Brandon drew level when Michael Fort met a Paul Eallis cross with a brave

  • Minister in deep discussions as new science lab opens

    THE deepest mysteries of the universe may be about to be discovered 1,100 metres below the North-East coast. A new £3.1m laboratory buried at the furthest reaches of Europe's deepest mine, off Boulby, on the east Cleveland coast, was opened yesterday.

  • Spennymoor's promotion hopes hit by Bishops

    Spennymoor's chances of winning promotion from the UniBond League First Division were dealt a blow when they lost at Bishop Auckland on Easter Monday. Played at Dean Street, it was a bad-tempered affair which Bishops won 3-2, but Spennymoor had the better

  • Alleyway death investigated

    EXPERTS were last night examining the body of a man found in an alleyway in one of the region's leading resorts. The body, yet to be identified, was discovered at about 11am yesterday by builders working in an alleyway off Foreshore Road, Scarborough.

  • Investigating the darker side of life then and now

    The Great Pyramid (C4); Murphy's Law (BBC1); For a pile of stones, the Great Pyramid at Giza has a lot of secrets. Many have been revealed. Still more have yet to see the light of day. Egyptologists, archaeologists and scientists are still trying to understand

  • Lumley fail double test

    Rohm and Haas JOC Hetton Youth League: Lumley failed in their bid to complete a double when they went down to Ryhope in the final of the Jarrow Roofing North-East Durham Youth Cup. Ryhope, who are also in contention for the championship, ran out 3-2 winners

  • Athletics

    Newton Aycliffe Castle Eden Walkway was the venue for the first in the series of the Tees-Forest 5k trail races on Thursday, April 10. Seven Aycliffe runners competed unfortunately reigning women's champion Sue Milburn still not race fit was an absentee

  • Bird owner defiant after losing court custody fight

    A BIZARRE custody battle involving 144 of the world's rarest parrots has ended with the birds being seized by the courts. Harry Sissen, 64, one of the world's leading authorities on endangered species, was hoping to win back the birds which had been seized

  • Book your table with the stars . . .

    A DOUBLE date with two hearthrob actors is up for grabs in a North-East charity auction taking place tonight. Full Monty star Hugo Speer and Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey are offering two women a date with them at their favourite restaurant

  • 'Death fall may have been an accident'

    The death of a teenager who plunged from a 100ft cliff is now being treated as an accident. Detectives are trying to piece together the final hours which led to 17-year-old Kimberley Graham's death from a cliff-top beauty spot. Miss Graham's 23-year-old

  • Ex-police officer took his own life

    A RETIRED police sergeant who left work with an exemplary record hanged himself at his holiday home in Spain, an inquest was told yesterday. Friends and former colleagues of Billy Taylor, 49, from Defoe Crescent, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, have spoken