Archive

  • Worker hurt in factory accident

    A WORKER was trapped in a heated rolling machine at a factory yesterday. The man, who is in his mid-forties, trapped his left hand in the machine while he was working at SCA Packaging, Faverdale Industrial Estate, Darlington. Police and ambulance crews

  • Winning title would be biggest success, Newell

    MIKE NEWELL has won the biggest domestic trophy of them all on the grandest of stages. But he admits getting his hands on the Division Three championship trophy with Hartlepool United this afternoon will mean more than all he achieved with Blackburn Rovers

  • Farewell to Feethams: Smudger - Mr Commitment

    There is no doubting the fact that football fans will always take to a battler: the type prepared to dive into tackles, make vital challenges, and hear them admit they would "die for the cause" - proverbially speaking of course. Kevan Smith was all of

  • Leader's defeat in 'safe ward'

    THERE were shock in Labour Party circles across the North-East yesterday as news broke that one of the region's best known council leaders had lost his seat. David Walsh, now former leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, was well beaten in what

  • Horse trailer collision

    A DRIVER and his passengers escaped serious injury after their car collided with a vehicle towing a horse trailer on a motorway. The accident happened on the southbound carriageway of the A1M near Birtley services, just before 2pm yesterday. The people

  • Car dealership's £10.9m expansion programme

    NORTH-EAST car dealership Reg Vardy is building up its business with another multi-million pound investment. The Wearside group is on course to operate out of at least 100 outlets by the end of next year after buying seven new sites. The acquisitions,

  • Correction

    Yesterday's edition of The Northern Echo incorrectly stated that Janet Mazurk, Conservative candidate for Eastbourne ward on Darlington Borough Council, received 468 votes. She received 568 votes. Labour candidates Lee Vasey, Roderick Francis and William

  • Skipper backs Pretorius

    DURHAM skipper Jon Lewis leapt to the defence of new overseas player Dewald Pretorius as play was washed out on the third day of the match against Gloucestershire at Riverside. The South African paceman took one for 94 in 20 overs as the visitors piled

  • Judge sends accountant back to prison

    AN accountant was jailed for a year yesterday. Roy Humbey was convicted of six counts of obtaining money by deception and six of false accounting when he appeared at Durham Crown Court in March. Yesterday he appeared for sentencing at Newcastle Crown

  • Reduced rail tickets boost city visitors

    A CUT-price offer from GNER increased passenger numbers to some northern cities, the train company said. GNER reduced the price of its standard class return fares between January and the start of April. More than 145,000 journeys were made using the tickets

  • Comment: Favourites don't always win

    BOOKMAKERS are not renowned for bouts of rashness. We must assume therefore that the long odds available on Iain Duncan Smith winning the next General Election are an accurate reflection of his chances. Such odds in a two-horse race (although the Liberal

  • Cooper seeking new contract

    COLIN COOPER has opened talks with Middlesbrough over a new deal at the club. The experienced defender is out of contract at the Riverside in the summer and is keen to remain on Teesside. Cooper is in his second spell at Boro after joining from Nottingham

  • In The Picture: Is it curtains for makeover shows?

    BBC boss Greg Dyke has signalled that the plug is to be pulled on lifestyle shows in favour of more arts and current affairs. But the promises may prove difficult to keep. LAURENCE Llewelyn-Bowen can keep his ideas for turning bedrooms into bordellos

  • Teenager in court over fatal car crash

    A BOY has admitted causing death by dangerous driving after crashing a stolen car, killing a teenage passenger. The 14-year-old appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to the charge. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated

  • Victory will be a fitting farewell to Feethams

    Darlington Football Club wave goodbye to 120 years of Feethams history this afternoon - and boss Mick Tait has vowed to make it a day to remember. Leyton Orient provide the opposition in the final game at DL1 before the club moves to its brand new 27,500

  • National Pets Week backing from vets

    National Pet Week is being supported by Wilson's Veterinary Surgery, in Bishop Auckland, which is hosting the following programme of events: Tomorrow - Pets for People, about working pets including guide dogs and pat dogs; Tuesday - Think Carefully Before

  • Former nurse relishes her new priestly role

    A FORMER nurse has been installed as the vicar of three churches. The Reverend Lynda Gough has taken charge of St Paul's Church, Whitworth Church and St John's Church, in Kirk Merrington. "It will be a challenge running all three churches but one I'm

  • Rebecca's first dance steps

    A TEN-YEAR-OLD girl from Darlington will take her first steps on the road to stardom today. Rebecca Evans is starting at the local branch of the Stagecoach drama school after winning a year's free tuition in a national competition run by The Disney Channel

  • Improved diabetes service aim

    A DIABETES pressure group has sent the health service thank you cards - for improvements in care it expects to be carried out. More than 50 cards have been sent to Darlington Primary Care Trust by members of the local branch of Diabetes UK, reminding

  • Steam engine rides on offer

    VISITORS to Darlington Railway Centre and Museum can enjoy a ride in a guard's van pulled by the Peckett locomotive on Monday. The steam engine will be operating at the museum between 11am and 4pm. Visitors to the centre will also be able to see the museum's

  • News in brief: Pub owners return to roots

    THE Wheatsheaf Inn, at Borrowby, has been sold to a North Yorkshire couple returning to their roots. The new owners are Paul and Helen Thomas-Peter, who come from York and are moving back to the county from London. The Wheatsheaf was sold through licensed

  • News in brief: Hanging basket competition

    Members of Chester-le-Street Traders Association are inviting businesses to take part in the town's hanging basket competition. It will be judged in August and the winner will receive a weekend break at Lumley Castle. Application forms are available from

  • Poll shocks fail to rattle Labour

    THERE were one or two shocks in the Labour stronghold of the District of Easington - even though the ruling party had ensured victory before a vote was cast. Labour retained overall control of the council on a night when the party suffered embarrassing

  • High drama as leader is beaten and breakaway group celebrates

    THE political map of Teesside was torn up on an election night of high drama. Dave Walsh, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, lost his seat and Labour lost overall control of the majority. The Labour Party's nightmare night was confirmed with

  • Former nurse relishes her new priestly role

    A FORMER nurse has been installed as the vicar of three churches. The Reverend Lynda Gough has taken charge of St Paul's Church, Whitworth Church and St John's Church, in Kirk Merrington. "It will be a challenge running all three churches but one I'm

  • Rebecca's first dance steps

    A TEN-YEAR-OLD girl from Darlington will take her first steps on the road to stardom today. Rebecca Evans is starting at the local branch of the Stagecoach drama school after winning a year's free tuition in a national competition run by The Disney Channel

  • Special brew to toast end of an era at Feethams

    Darlington Football Club fans will be able to toast the end of an era at the club's Feethams ground today with a beer brewed for the occasion. Darlington Supporters' Trust teamed up with local members of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) to help develop

  • News in brief: Blaze probe at leisure centre

    FIREFIGHTERS were called to a blaze at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre yesterday. The centre, in Greenfield Way, was evacuated after staff found smoke filling the corridors shortly after 1pm. Station Officer Steve Wharton, from County Durham and Darlington

  • Brave Thomas works to help others

    A COURAGEOUS young cancer victim has joined his school classmates to raise money for other children with the disease. Thomas Burrows, a pupil at Gurney Pease Primary School, Darlington, is recovering from cancer of the kidney, but took part in numerous

  • Mayor looks forward to

    THE Lord Mayor of York gets married tomorrow. Councillor David Horton, who was re-elected to the city council on Thursday, will marry Jane Robinson, of Fulford, at Barley Hall, in York. The civil ceremony will then be blessed in the Lady Chapel at York

  • Play areas closed by increased insurance

    CHILDREN have been deprived of their playground which has been padlocked because their parents cannot afford to pay rising insurance premiums. The situation in the Ryedale village of Hovingham is repeated elsewhere in the county, where insurance companies

  • Optician helps patients in poor countries

    PEOPLE in developing countries with poor eyesight are being helped by a high street optician in Hambleton. Thirty pairs of spectacles have been collected at Specsavers Opticians, in Northallerton. Gordon Lee, a retired optometrist and member of the Rotary

  • Team acts to cut risk of falling

    PEOPLE have been learning how to prevent falls among the elderly. The open day at Horden Welfare was organised by a community team involved in a project promoting older people's safety. There were displays and advice was given by chiropodists, physiotherapists

  • Jewellery shop raider receives life sentence

    A robber who stabbed a jewellery shop manager during a raid has been jailed for life. David Parker, 46, was stabbed in the head and hand when he confronted masked raider Kevin Griggs. Griggs, 38, burst into North Road jewellers, in Durham City, armed

  • Gastle gardens enjoy the rain

    THE weather may have turned to rain but if proof were needed that spring has arrived, look no further than one of the country's great stately homes. The recent conditions have encouraged flowers in the grounds of Castle Howard, near Malton, to flourish

  • Election results from around the Teesside area

    Acre Rigg (2 seats) Audrey Laing (L)410 *Ralph Liddle (LD)468 *Barbara Sloan (LD)525 Maureen Taylor-Gooby (L)293 Blackhalls (3 seats) *Robert Crute (L)No contest *Alphonsus Holmes (L) *Peter Ward (L) Dawdon (3 seats) *Joseph Goodwin (L)519 Derrick Lait

  • Flo reveals his guilt at miserable goal tally

    TORE ANDRE FLO has revealed his shame over a disappointing season on Wearside. Flo has been one of the chief culprits in Sunderland's season of shame, firing blanks rather than bullets since joining for £8.2m in August. The Black Cats' shot shy forward

  • Super Mac helps promote healthy living

    FORMER footballer Malcolm MacDonald helped launch a programme of walks aimed at promoting healthier living in north-west Durham. The former Newcastle United player, known as Super Mac in his playing days, helped start the Derwentside Doorsteps scheme

  • Lee leads the rallying call as Pool prepare for massive day

    THREE near misses and Hartlepool United are finally ready to go one better. A win at Rushden this afternoon will, at the fourth time of asking, see Pool taste end-of-season succes after the play-off woe of recent years. The Division Three title means

  • Election results from around the Teesside area

    Acre Rigg (2 seats) Audrey Laing (L)410 *Ralph Liddle (LD)468 *Barbara Sloan (LD)525 Maureen Taylor-Gooby (L)293 Blackhalls (3 seats) *Robert Crute (L)No contest *Alphonsus Holmes (L) *Peter Ward (L) Dawdon (3 seats) *Joseph Goodwin (L)519 Derrick Lait

  • Health company owners mark first year in business

    A FORMER NHS nurse who set out in business on her own has celebrated the first anniversary of her thriving health firm. Champagne corks popped as Sheila Flood, from Chester-le-Street, marked a successful year in business as Number One Priority Health

  • Search teams find body

    SEARCH teams have found the body of a missing mother. The body of 35-year-old Sarah Ann Linklater was discovered in dense undergrowth in secluded woodland near Pittington, County Durham - the village where she was last seen after visiting a friend's house

  • News in brief: Hanging basket competition

    Members of Chester-le-Street Traders Association are inviting businesses to take part in the town's hanging basket competition. It will be judged in August and the winner will receive a weekend break at Lumley Castle. Application forms are available from

  • Leave your car and leg-it . . .

    OFFICIALS are driving ahead with a campaign to encourage people to leave their cars at home. Council chief executives from Sunderland, Newcastle and County Durham are joining Nexus and the Countryside Agency to back the 2003 Leg-it campaign. Aimed at

  • Haunting tales of a peacock pandemic

    THERE has been a preponderance of peacock tales in The Northern Echo this week. A pair of peacocks has been lost and re-united in Ramshaw, near Bishop Auckland, and another pair has been captured in Catterick after jumping on cars. There have been reports

  • High drama as leader is beaten and breakaway group celebrates

    THE political map of Teesside was torn up on an election night of high drama. Dave Walsh, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, lost his seat and Labour lost overall control of the majority. The Labour Party's nightmare night was confirmed with

  • Council chief loses as party clings to power

    THE shock waves are still reverberating around the Labour Party in Sedgefield, County Durham, following its reverses in the borough council elections. Veteran council leader Brian Stephens was the biggest name to lose his seat as Labour's tight hold on

  • Steam crazy after all these years

    GEORGE Cowell's eyes light up with a boyish twinkle as he recalls his earliest memories, growing up on the banks of the River Tyne. He speaks of the "huff and chuff of steam locos, the clatter of steam derricks on the ships unloading, the smell of smoke

  • More cash pours in to help reopen rail line

    A scheme to reopen a 25-mile stretch of North Yorkshire railway has been given another boost. The Countryside Agency has already pledged £20,000 towards a feasability study ahead of plans to relaunch the Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton line. North Yorkshire

  • Roberto to rescue clothing centre

    AN ITALIAN entrepreneur has stepped in to save a discount clothes centre threatened with closure. The Designer Room, at Jacksons Landings, Hartlepool Marina, had gone into receivership after falling profits threatened its future. With about 60 staff,

  • Independents' Day - and the region's reds are left flagging

    IN THE North-East, it was a night to be an Independent with a pocketful of postage stamps. And if you couldn't be one of them, it was best to be a Lib Dem. Thursday night's elections are a continuation of what was started last year by Ray Mallon and Stuart

  • Sir Bobby throws in the young guns for finale

    SIR BOBBY ROBSON is backing his youngest-ever side to clinch Newcastle United's place in the Champions League. With thirtysomethings Alan Shearer and Gary Speed ruled out through injury for the rest of the season, Robson is relying on his rookies to complete

  • Crash soldier loses compensation fight

    A NORTH-EAST soldier left severely injured when his armoured car careered off a mountain road in Bosnia lost his final bid for compensation yesterday. Private John Paul Young sued the Ministry of Defence over an accident in which his vehicle commander

  • Farewell to Feethams: An emotional goodbye to a grand old lady

    FEETHAMS has been Darlington Football Club's home beside the River Skerne for 120 years - which is appropriate as the Norse word 'feethams' means 'home on the riverside meadow'. The club was formed on July 20, 1883, and played its first couple of games

  • Missing woman contacts family

    A MISSING mother has contacted her family - almost two weeks after disappearing. But police and Jacqueline Swift's husband, John, are asking her to get in touch again, because she did not tell them where she is. Mr Swift has made daily pleas for his wife

  • Bollywood movies may encourage smoking

    MACHO images from Bollywood films may be helping to fuel a smoking epidemic among Asian men, according to a study carried out in the North-East. Researchers recruited 13 members of Tyneside's Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities to investigate attitudes

  • Illness can't stop John in record bid

    A bodybuilder from the North-East has overcome a debilitating illness to become a champion and break a world record. John Battye, of Darlington, suffers from menieres disease, a condition of the inner ear which causes severe attacks of vertigo, including

  • Mindreader gets tour help

    CELEBRITY mindreader Derren Brown is getting a helping hand from a North-East firm to go on tour. Northgate Plc, of Darlington, has provided a van for the first tour by Mr Brown, the star of Channel 4's Mind Control programme. The firm is sponsoring the

  • Boro stars are staying - McClaren

    CLUBS considering approaches for Middlesbrough stars were last night warned to 'keep their hands off' by manager Steve McClaren. The core of Boro's starting XI-- Mark Schwarzer, Gareth Southgate, Ugo Ehiogu and George Boateng - have all been linked with

  • Focus on theatre's new cinema

    CINEMA entered a new era at one of the region's cities on Thursday with the first screenings of Hollywood film X-Men 2. Durham has been without a cinema since the closure of The Robins, in January. But the city council, which approved a plan to convert

  • Police to be given extra civilian help

    POLICE forces are to be helped in the fight against crime with the addition of scores of civilian beat bobbies. The Home Office confirmed yesterday that funding was being made available to employ 90 community support officers in the North-East. A number

  • For Your Benefit: Should we get a tax rebate?

    Q Once more, due to the mismanagement of our council, we find our council tax has gone up yet again, making it nearly £900 a year. Our State Pensions prior to April added up to £183.89 a week and I also have works pension of £39.66 a year and £104.75

  • Is it curtains for makeover shows?

    BBC boss Greg Dyke has signalled that the plug is to be pulled on lifestyle shows in favour of more arts and current affairs. But the promises may prove difficult to keep. LAURENCE Llewelyn-Bowen can keep his ideas for turning bedrooms into bordellos

  • Soap's ale ideal for Conservative tastes

    FORMER Tory leader William Hague raised a glass to the success of the second annual Dales Festival of Food and Drink yesterday. The Richmond MP visited Leyburn, North Yorkshire, to toast the event, which was originally conceived as a response to the foot-and-mouth

  • News in brief: Bishop's funeral

    THE funeral service and requiem eucharist for the Right Reverend Frank Weston, Bishop of Knaresborough, will be held at Ripon Cathedral at noon on Wednesday. It will be attended by family, friends and colleagues who worked with him throughout his 40 years

  • Mum to the rescue

    MOTHER Nature came to the rescue of two lambs trapped and facing drowning yesterday. Firefighters from Consett, County Durham, were called at about 2pm, after the animals became trapped in an underground drainage pipe on Throstle Nest Farm, near Lanchester

  • Mayors who have shed 'heavy baggage' image

    DURING his victory speech on May 2, last year, Ray Mallon told his enemies: "If you cannot let the past go, then go. There is no place for you in Middlesbrough." A year on, and like his counterpart in Hartlepool, Mr Mallon is still striving to win over

  • Report highlights success of law on whistleblowing

    A REPORT highlighting the controversial practice of whistleblowing has detailed a number of North-East cases in which workers won complaints against their employers. The report by the charity Public Concern at Work, which provides a free legal helpline

  • Mazundar misses Kingsway opener

    Bishop Auckland play their first game at Kingsway following their promotion to the Darlington Building Society NYSD League Premier Division, but they will be without new professional Amul Mazundar, who has been held up in India. Stuart Morgan is ruled

  • Murder charges

    DETECTIVES have launched a murder investigation after a man died in hospital of injuries he received during a disturbance. A police spokesman said Dale Robson, 24, from Longbenton in Newcastle, was taken to Newcastle General Hospital with serious head

  • Disgust at 'rip-off' charge to phone patients in hospital

    A North-East hospital has been accused of exploiting the sick by charging relatives who want to ring their loved ones sky-high rates. Phil Wadsworth, 49, who lives in Cornwall, is horrified at the rates charged by the University Hospital of North Durham's

  • Falcons fight Grimes' ten-week ban

    NEWCASTLE Falcons have appealed against a ten-week ban handed out to their Scotland lock Stuart Grimes, enabling him to play in tomorrow's Premiership match against Saracens at Kingston Park. Unless he wins the appeal, which will be heard on Tuesday,

  • Yakimov class can win Thirsk thriller

    THIRSK'S Hunt Cup may not be the richest race of the day but it is one of the most exciting, with a maximum field of 18 runners lining up to rip round the sharp home turn. Low numbers normally have the call, being drawn against the favoured inside side

  • Seaham rely on favours

    Seaham Red Star manager Neil Hixon knows his side's fate is out of their hands on a nail-biting last day in the Second Division. Penrith were promoted in midweek, but there are two places up for grabs between the other three clubs - Horden, Thornaby and

  • Police issue safety warning to off-road motorcyclists

    OFF-ROAD bikers are being warned their vehicles could be seized in an effort to improve public safety in Shildon's streets and parks. After floods of complaints from people in the town, police have vowed to crack down on irresponsible quad bike and motorcycle

  • Community centre project wins grant aid

    A SCHEME to restore the heart of a community has received more than £272,000 in funding. Work on the project in the Plains Farm and Humbledon area of Sunderland began after it secured £107,000 from the Government's sixth round Single Regeneration Budget

  • Conservatives 'delighted' by poll results

    THE Conservatives were celebrating success across most of rural North Yorkshire yesterday, after consolidating their hold in some authorities and gaining ground in others. But for Labour, the day was a disaster, making no gains and being swept from their

  • Special brew to toast end of an era at Feethams

    Darlington Football Club fans will be able to toast the end of an era at the club's Feethams ground today with a beer brewed for the occasion. Darlington Supporters' Trust teamed up with local members of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) to help develop

  • Event for the early birds

    EARLY birds are being invited to greet the dawn on guided walks from Durham Wildlife Trust reserves. The events celebrate National Dawn Chorus Day and start tomorrow, at 4.30am, at Low Barns Nature Reserve, near Witton-le-Wear. Dr Chris Spray will lead

  • Clean-up accolade for anglers

    ANGLERS who carried out a huge clean-up operation have landed an environmental award. The hard work of Darlington Anglers was recognised by a Care For Our Environment accolade from the borough council. During the Easter holidays, the group carried out

  • Strategy does not include pursuits

    MORE emphasis should be placed on the importance of shooting, hunting and fishing in the Ryedale area, town councillors have said. Helmsley town councillors said countryside pursuits receive only a passing mention in the district's new cultural strategy

  • Durham City election results

    Shadforth and Sherburn (3 seats) John Bowman (L)643 Mildred Brown (I)314 *Fionna Davison (LD)913 Keith Smith (L)460 James Turnbull (L)495 *James Walton (LD)1,025 *Carol Woods (LD)1,11

  • Election results

    Lanchester (3 seats) Colin Burton (L)917 Neil Fleming (L)731 *John Ingham (I)919 *Oswald Johnson (L)1,083 Russell Ross (C)602 Kenneth Wilson (C)415 *Richard Young (I)1,029

  • News in brief: Chemical drums scare

    FIREFIGHTERS wearing protective suits were called to deal with three chemical drums they feared may have contained toxic substances. The unidentified containers were left in a compound behind The Front, in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, yesterday. Fire officers

  • Improved diabetes service aim

    A DIABETES pressure group has sent the health service thank you cards - for improvements in care it expects to be carried out. More than 50 cards have been sent to Darlington Primary Care Trust by members of the local branch of Diabetes UK, reminding

  • Steam engine rides on offer

    VISITORS to Darlington Railway Centre and Museum can enjoy a ride in a guard's van pulled by the Peckett locomotive on Monday. The steam engine will be operating at the museum between 11am and 4pm. Visitors to the centre will also be able to see the museum's

  • Clean-up accolade for anglers

    ANGLERS who carried out a huge clean-up operation have landed an environmental award. The hard work of Darlington Anglers was recognised by a Care For Our Environment accolade from the borough council. During the Easter holidays, the group carried out

  • Developers say estate site is being plagued by vandals

    A HOUSING development on a Darlington estate is being plagued by vandals, according to developers. Barratt Homes and Haslam Homes are building more than 400 houses in Firthmoor as part of a multi-million pound regeneration of the estate. But Rob McLackland

  • Pupils put their learning on display

    CHILDREN from Rise Carr Primary School, Darlington, have creating a silk banner portraying marine life. They unveiled their work, which features all kinds of sea creatures, at an assembly yesterday. The banner was part of a series of artistic activities

  • News in brief: Blaze probe at leisure centre

    FIREFIGHTERS were called to a blaze at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre yesterday. The centre, in Greenfield Way, was evacuated after staff found smoke filling the corridors shortly after 1pm. Station Officer Steve Wharton, from County Durham and Darlington

  • Stolen property

    POLICE are trying to trace the owners of equipment they believe may have been stolen in North Yorkshire in April. The items were recovered from an address in Leeds. They include a 16in Stihl Rollomatic chainsaw, MS440, a Stihl chainsaw labelled John Miller

  • Brass band announces spring concert

    MUSICIANS with a brass band are preparing for another busy season of performances. Bedale Brass band is preparing for a spring concert, to be held at Bedale High School on May 17, at 7.30pm. The event is in aid of the British Heart Foundation and it will

  • Residents consulted on transport policy

    A PROGRAMME of consultation has begun over transport plans for the Hambleton area. Transport users and providers are being asked for their views on the district council's draft transport strategy. The strategy brings together the transport policies and

  • Public meeting over waste transfer plan

    CAMPAIGNERS fighting two bids for a waste transfer station have called a public meeting. Waste management company Yorwaste, of Northallerton, said it needed a temporary base in the area to deal with household rubbish from the northern end of the county

  • Regiment welcomes royal guests

    THE King and Queen of Norway were the special guests when North Yorkshire's own regiment said farewell to its Colonel. Lieutenant General Richard Dannatt is retiring as Colonel of the Green Howards after nine years in the post. His successor in the role

  • Library gives visitors a chance to delve into the past

    PEOPLE in Durham have been invited to delve into the past at the city's library. Durham Clayport Library in Millennium Place, Claypath, is holding a range of events to celebrate National Local History Month. Earlier this week, visitors to the library

  • Theatre: 'The biggest challenge was to know about drugs'

    Derek McGhie warns that York audiences could be in for a shock when see Trainspotting on stage. Not only by the drug-taking and bad language but by the fact that the play isn't like the hit film that starred Ewan McGregor. He points out that the the film

  • Labour licks its election wounds

    AS the dust settled on a night of major changes, North-East councils were today looking at a different political landscape. Labour was left assessing the damage after voters gave the party a bloody nose in traditional heartland areas such as Durham City

  • Would-be cabbie in clear over theft

    A PROSPECTIVE taxi driver who was arrested at a licensing meeting on suspicion of burglary will not face any criminal charges. John Embleton Cowx, of Shakespeare Road, Darlington, was apprehended by police moments before he was due to apply for a taxi

  • Vases bring in £2,680

    A LONDON antique collector won a frenzied bidding war to buy two rare vases at a North auction house. A banjo vase went for £2,200 and a "drunken bricklayer" vase sold for £480 at Thomas Watson Auctioneers, in Darlington. Both Whitefriars glass pieces

  • Kyle has style to help lift Sunderland's gloom

    IF Kevin Kyle's progression from spare part to crucial cog in the Sunderland wheel needed confirming, Mick McCarthy last night paid the striker the ultimate compliment. "Alan Shearer has always been a top player but even his game has developed - and look

  • News in brief: Chemical drums scare

    FIREFIGHTERS wearing protective suits were called to deal with three chemical drums they feared may have contained toxic substances. The unidentified containers were left in a compound behind The Front, in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, yesterday. Fire officers

  • News in brief: Hanging basket competition

    Members of Chester-le-Street Traders Association are inviting businesses to take part in the town's hanging basket competition. It will be judged in August and the winner will receive a weekend break at Lumley Castle. Application forms are available from

  • Drugs haul as police swoop on homes

    ABOUT £2,000 worth of cannabis and heroin was recovered from a North-East house in a drugs raid on Thursday evening. Officers from the District Drugs Unit and the District Support Unit swooped after local information about drug dealing activities in Egerton

  • Brinkley out to impress

    JAMES Brinkley will be out to prove a point to Durham when he plays for Scotland on their National League debut at Riverside tomorrow. Two years ago Brinkley topped Durham's championship bowling averages with 30 wickets at 20.96, but he couldn't get in

  • Guineas Preview: Muqbil to put on a Classic show

    MAKE sure Muqbil (3.35) is on your short-list for this afternoon's first Classic race of the year, the Sagitta 2,000 Guineas. The entire complexion of the £320,000 Group 1 contest has changed because, following an unusually dry spell during April, heavy

  • Anger explodes over 'lost school millions'

    THE Government was last night on collision course with local education authorities following fresh claims that schools were being short-changed by hundreds of millions of pounds. Education Secretary Charles Clarke produced figures showing that more than

  • Renovated almshouses are

    JUDGES have inspected one of the region's most important Grade I-listed buildings on behalf of Prince Charles. The 326-year-old Sir William Turner Almshouses at Kirkleatham, near Redcar, have been nominated for a Prince of Wales National Almshouse Association

  • Patients missing out on treatment

    THOUSANDS of people who are deaf in one ear are missing out on effective treatment, say experts. The Advisory Group for Single Sided Deafness (SSD) - which includes two specialists in Newcastle - says too many people are not receiving treatment because

  • Durham Board XI face battle for survival

    THE Durham Board X1 will cease to exist next Wednesday unless they pull off a shock win against Glamorgan at Darlington in the C & G Trophy. Six years after coming into existence as part of Lord Maclaurin's blueprint for the future, called Raising

  • Farewell to Feethams: Hero Walsh leaves lasting impression

    Over 80 former Darlington favourites will be at Feethams this afternoon to give supporters one last opportunity to see their heroes at the old ground. Of course, their visit also allows the players, many of whom who have not been back to the ground since

  • From Hartlepool to Hollywood

    Award-winning film maker Sir Ridley Scott has gone back to his North-East roots to talk about the home movie which set him on the road to Hollywood. Steve Pratt reports. A teenage boy cycles along the main street in 1950s Hartlepool in a short black and

  • Teenager invented rape claim

    A disturbed teenager's bogus rape claim led to a 35-year-old Iranian man being locked up and other ethnic minority families having to be rehoused for fear of reprisals, a court heard yesterday. The Iranian asylum-seeker spent four days on remand in Durham

  • Christopher bridges age gap

    A YOUNG bridge player proved himself a match for more experienced hands at a national tournament. Teenager Christopher Owen narrowly missed the winning spot when he competed in the Under-25 Bridge Championship in London at Easter. The 17-year-old, from

  • 03/05/03

    ROAD SAFETY: THE picture (Echo, Apr 28) of a lady cyclist without a safety helmet makes me shudder. A recently born-again cyclist, my bicycle and I are both elderly. I have twice been thrown head-first onto a hard road surface, once backwards into a hawthorn

  • Trip down memory lane pays tribute to cup final heroes

    SUNDERLAND football fans can seek solace from relegation gloom by reflecting on former glories of the side. An exhibition celebrating the greatest achievement in the club's 124-year history opens today. The 30th anniversary of Sunderland's FA Cup triumph