Tens of thousands of civil servants will stage a two-day strike next week after voting for industrial action over pay, it was announced today. Workers, including staff at jobcentres and benefit offices across the UK, will walk out on January 29 and 30
DIAMOND SAL should make no mistake in her bid to uphold Mary Reveley's superb record at Newcastle today. Reveley is by far and away the most successful trainer at the Tyneside venue over the past five years, unsurprising with the likes of Diamond Sal
DURHAM are hoping to receive final approval next month for the long-awaiting building of an indoor school at Riverside. The decision is in the hands of Chester-le-Street district council, who own the proposed site for the school, which will also be available
SOMETIMES it takes just one lone voice to give politicians the jolt they need. And not just the politicians. Last week, it was the voice of Samantha Roberts, widow of the sergeant who died in Iraq after he had to give his body armour back. With the release
Murder hunt detectives are looking at the unsolved murder of a prostitute and the disappearance of two other girls. Detective Superintendent Tony Hutchinson co-head of a newly launched dedicated Murder Investigation Team confirmed today he is convinced
LABOUR Party members are to select their first female candidate for a city constituency in the North-East at the weekend. The 700 party members in the Durham constituency party will vote from a shortlist of four candidates at the end of a meeting on Saturday
Tony Dobbin has been announced as the new partner for Truckers Tavern in both this weekend's Pillar Property Chase and the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, writes TATTENHAM. The Cumbrian-based jockey has managed to bag the ride on Ferdy Murphy's stable
Extra cash could be pumped into vital bus links for remote communities. The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority (PTA) is planning to add £400,000 to its bus budget. This will go on secured bus services - those services which the commercial bus
Tim Henman believes he might have finally hit upon the right formula for Grand Slam success after linking up with new coach Paul Annacone. Pete Sampras' former mentor has instilled a sense of confidence and aggression into Henman's game which, the British
A SPECIALIST centre to help patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalopathy (ME) is to be opened in the region. The Newcastle centre, one of 12 in England set up using an £8.5m cash injection, will provide specialist assessment
A new feed for horses and ponies is helping animal feed manufacturer I'Ansons set new export records. Speedi-Bett, developed by I'Ansons Masham Micronized Feeds (MMF) business, can be prepared and ready for use within ten minutes, compared to the usual
DETECTIVES hunting the killer who bludgeoned a teenager to death said they had been pleased with the response to appeals for help. Officers investigating the murder of Scott Pritchard said a a woman who had called a police confidential line had come forward
TWO of the region's largest training providers have won recognition for excellence. Access Training and ITEC North East, members of the newly-formed training consortium The Collective, along with Gateshead College have been awarded Centre of Vocational
Who Am I? - Storyville (BBC Four) Boss Swap (C4) THE woman looked anxious as she crossed the busy London road. "That's the first time I've come across here since the accident. I won't be doing it again. I only did it for you," she told the cameras. Her
Excavation work has begun on a new sports pitch in Thornaby which will serve two schools and the local community. Stockton Borough Council's cabinet member for education, leisure and culture councillor Alex Cunningham today visited the site at the field
JUNINHO gave Middlesbrough the scent of a first major trophy and ended manager Steve McClaren's Arsenal hoodoo at Highbury last night. Against a weakened Gunners side, Boro edged ahead in this Carling Cup semi-final, first leg to make a first-ever trip
NORTHUMBRIAN Water has standardised its corporate identity across all its operations with a new logo. The new look follows the group's flotation on the stock market in September. Northumbrian Water has operations in the North-East, Essex and Suffolk.A
AWARD-winning Lumley Castle hotel has become the first in the region to sign up for an online service marketing hospitality venues. The North-East Chamber of Commerce has added NECC Business Travel, a free online travel booking facility, to its membership
NORTH bird lovers have been invited to help discover which bird will be crowned the number one feathered visitor to gardens this winter. The RSPB, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Big Garden Birdwatch, the world's biggest survey of its
A BURGLAR targeted his neighbours' home knowing they were on holiday, Durham Crown Court heard. But Michael O'Brien was unaware the family had asked a friend to house-sit. O'Brien gained access to the house in Warwick Square, Darlington, by smashing a
A PENSIONER was hit with a baseball bat by a thief who got away with thousands of pounds in a robbery on Monday morning. The 67-year-old was driving to a bank with takings from a County Durham club when he was attacked by a masked robber. Alan Bramhald
A MAN appeared in court yesterday accused of attacking another man. Police found Graham Rafferty, 42, unconscious and bleeding from serious head injuries in Langdon Gardens, Catchgate, near Stanley, County Durham, at about 10pm on Sunday. Mr Rafferty,
COUNCILLORS will today consider a controversial planning application for an art sculpture made up of eight 50ft steel rods. The Tees Valley Partnership wants to erect the £120,000 sculpture, called Sea Rods, at the Queens Meadow Business Park on the A689
TWO football fans have been banned from matches for three years after an incident at the Reynolds Arena, in Darlington. Jamie Hinde, 26, of Pateley Moor Crescent, Darlington, and Neil Keith Bingham, 31, of Firthmoor Crescent, Darlington, admitted using
A TOWN has become the latest in east Cleveland to have its streets scanned by closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Seven cameras have been installed in Eston, bringing the total monitoring the Redcar and Cleveland Council-administered area to more
DURHAM Mayor Councillor Ray Gibbon is hoping for a big turnout for a charity concert tonight in aid of his appeal. The acclaimed Durham Light Opera Group and The Ormston Singers, featuring award-winning soloists, will play at Durham's Gala Theatre from
A 23-YEAR-old man has become the latest motorist to die at a notorious accident blackspot. Dale Andrew Skidmore, of Saltburn, east Cleveland, died in a two-car collision on the A171 outside the Cross Keys pub, near Guisborough, east Cleveland. A Cleveland
DETECTIVES investigating the brutal killing of a man in an apparently motiveless attack have set up a mobile police station in the street where he was found. The body of Colin Johnson, 40, was found by his girlfriend in his living room in Pickering Road
A DOCTOR spoke yesterday of how he saved the life of a man found clinically dead in the street after he was attacked. Chris Gregory, 57, was beaten unconscious by a gang of youths in December when he confronted them over the alleged theft of a crate of
A MAN will appear at crown court tomorrow, accused of trying to kill a woman during a stand-off in which two homes were damaged. Michael O'Connor, 35, was arrested after emerging from one of two blazing semi-detached properties in Fulforth Way, Sacriston
A TEENAGER bled to death after he was stabbed in the back by a friend at his 18th birthday party, a court was told yesterday. David Mitchell, 18, took a kitchen knife, which had been used to cut cannabis, and plunged it into Paul Best after a row. Paul
CATHEDRAL choristers will be travelling far and wide over the next 14 months, and they are hoping more will join them. This Easter, the girl choristers from Ripon Cathedral, in North Yorkshire, will travel to Scotland, where they will give concerts and
A PROPOSAL to introduce parking charges in the centre of Barnard Castle has been roundly condemned by a number of councillors, residents and local businessmen. Teesdale District Council expects to generate income of about £45,000 by charging motorists
SURVIVORS of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide will stand together in the North-East next week to highlight the need for lessons to be learned from atrocities. On Tuesday, Newcastle Civic Centre will host the city council's ceremony to mark Holocaust
A CAMPAIGN to save Guisborough swimming pool is to be launched. The pool has been earmarked for closure under proposals by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council as part of its budget cuts, although it has yet to be agreed by councillors. Ashok Kumar, MP
PEOPLE have jumped at the chance to quiz the Prime Minister's former Press secretary. Alistair Campbell will be at the Customs House in South Shields, South Tyneside, on Friday, January 30, at 7.30pm. It will be his first public engagement since leaving
CELEBRATIONS for Chinese New Year are guaranteed to go with a bang thanks to a £15,000 donation. The Northern Rock Foundation has donated the money for the Chinese New Festival in Newcastle, which will be held this weekend. The money will also safeguard
BOXING world champions past and present will be in the North-East next week. Ricky Hatton, holder of the WBU light-welterweight world title, will be the guest of honour at a sporting evening in Consett, County Durham. The main speaker at the event will
A recruitment campaign has been launched to staff the new Walkers Crisps warehouse in Peterlee. Up to 45 jobs in a range of positions are on offer at the £5m building. Jobcentre Plus in Durham is working with the snack food company to fill the vacancies
AN HISTORIC locomotive nameplate which could help to save Darlington Football Club for another few months was being prepared for sale last night. The brass and enamel steam engine nameplate came from a class B17 locomotive - called Darlington FC - which
SPECIALIST police units are being set up amid fears the region's most notorious football hooligans are planning to cause mayhem at the European Championships. More than 100 known thugs could be banned from leaving the North-East to support the England
A COUPLE preparing for a family funeral were shocked to discover the grave had been dug in the wrong place, exposing the coffin of their baby daughter. Dorothy Whitehouse was bracing herself for the funeral of her father, Joseph William Dodds, last week
POLICE have launched an investigation after an unknown device, thought to be a pipe bomb, blew up a car in a residential area. The incident was in the Melrose Street area of Hartlepool on Monday night when the explosion shattered the car's windows and
THE Law Society has warned solicitors who plundered compensation for sick and crippled former miners that they could be struck-off and forced to pay back the money. A hard-hitting statement by the governing body said additional charges levied by some
NORTH bird lovers have been invited to help discover which bird will be crowned the number one feathered visitor to gardens this winter. The RSPB, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Big Garden Birdwatch, the world's biggest survey of its
THE company behind a controversial £11m contract to dismantle 13 former US Navy ships in the North-East could lose the deal because of the time it is taking to secure the correct licences. Able UK has admitted it does not expect to secure the necessary
FOCUSED chairman Bob Murray is refusing to consider the thought of Sunderland playing Division One football again next season. And the Sunderland chief is willing to reward the club's stars with a bumper promotion bonus if they return to the Premiership
NEWCASTLE UNITED'S wing wizards were last night hailed as two of the best in the Premiership by midfielder Jermaine Jenas. Frenchman Laurent Robert and Peruvian Nolberto Solano were instrumental in the Magpies' victory over Fulham on Monday night. And
JUST as the Blair/Bush dust is beginning to settle, we hear of the mysterious case of the old grey mare and of why the horse crossed the road - yet more excitement in Sedgefield. Last month's edition of the village newsletter carried a letter from Julia
ON a warm summer's day in 1854, a poetic Victorian writer took a walk out of Darlington into the countryside. He strolled down Grange Road and came to a stop near the new park. With the birds in Blackwell Grange's tall avenue of trees cawing at his back
DIAMOND SAL should make no mistake in her bid to uphold Mary Reveley's superb record at Newcastle today. Reveley is by far and away the most successful trainer at the Tyneside venue over the past five years, unsurprising with the likes of Diamond Sal
SUNDERLAND are still hopeful of luring Jon Stead and Steve Caldwell to the Stadium of Light. Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy has been scouring the transfer market in a bid to bolster his side's chances of securing promotion to the Premiership this season
JUST as the Blair/Bush dust is beginning to settle, we hear of the mysterious case of the old grey mare and of why the horse crossed the road - yet more excitement in Sedgefield. Last month's edition of the village newsletter carried a letter from Julia
NO doubt boardroom executives of Samsung will not be removing from their homes the framed pictures of themselves with Her Majesty the Queen. "That's me with the Queen of England'' (chances are they will say England) "when she opened a plant of ours over
The FTSE 100 Index failed to set a new 18-month high yesterday after a negative opening on Wall Street hit market morale. The Footsie had drifted around the break-even mark for much of the session before a lacklustre start to trading in New York pushed
TWO more players could be about to leave Hartlepool United in the near future. After Marco Gabbiadini's injury-enforced retirement this week, Paul Arnison and Adam Boyd are likely to be next to leave Victoria Park. Arnison is on loan at Carlisle and Boyd
'ONE sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder, unless proven otherwise." This is Meadow's Law. On first hearing it sounds almost glib, vaguely reminiscent of Oscar Wilde, but for the innocent mothers jailed for murdering
CRAIG RUSSELL has emerged as a target for Darlington's Third Division rivals Boston United. The former Sunderland striker is training with Quakers and was last week registered as a player after offering his services to the cash-strapped club for free.
SOMETIMES it takes just one lone voice to give politicians the jolt they need. And not just the politicians. Last week, it was the voice of Samantha Roberts, widow of the sergeant who died in Iraq after he had to give his body armour back. With the release
A GROUP of district councils says a single authority for part of the North-East will be too large. Six district councils have launched a campaign group after councillors said the proposal for one authority in County Durham was impractical. The group,
A bitter battle between women workers and their council bosses could cost taxpayers in the North-East tens of millions of pounds. Thousands of low-paid female local authority staff are set for rises to bring them in line with male colleagues - and compensation
GARDENERS in the North-East are being urged to have a clear-out amid concerns they may have illegal weedkillers and pesticides. Many gardeners will be unaware that some of the products they have became illegal at the start of the year, according to Liberal
ENGLAND soccer legend Bryan Robson last night urged North-East fans to turn out in their thousands for two star-studded matches in aid of cash-strapped Darlington Football Club. The former Middlesbrough boss, nicknamed Captain Marvel during an illustrious
the resignation of executive chairman Robin Barr from soft drinks manufacturer AG Barr signals the end of an era. The 66-year-old, who has been at the Glasgow-based firm for 40 years, will be replaced by Roger White - the first person from outside the
Development plans are under way at a North Yorkshire brewery. A 120 tonne crane, visible for miles around, lifted brewing vessels through the roof of the Black Sheep Brewery, in Masham, North Yorkshire. The crane lowered a three-tonne mash tun, used to
the resignation of executive chairman Robin Barr from soft drinks manufacturer AG Barr signals the end of an era. The 66-year-old, who has been at the Glasgow-based firm for 40 years, will be replaced by Roger White - the first person from outside the
HIGHER-than-expected inflation figures have increased the likelihood of a rise in interest rates next month. Analysts were braced for annual price growth to fall in December, but were forced to revise their outlook after the Consumer Prices Index (CPI
A 57-YEAR-OLD man kicked a young boy and then hit his aunt in the face, South Durham Magistrates' Court heard yesterday. John Pattison, of Killinghall Row, Darlington, admitted assaulting the 14-year-old youth and the woman. Magistrates in Darlington
A GIRL who witnessed the death of a schoolgirl in a horror car smash said the driver was speeding the night she died, a court heard. Danielle Atkins, 18, told Teesside Crown Court that Lee Leonard was driving too fast in the minutes leading up to the
AN 11-YEAR-OLD girl who has spent her life fighting cancer is looking forward to more time with her family after being allowed home for the first time in seven months. Vicky Barker, of Hartlepool, has spent the past seven months in Newcastle's Royal Victoria
A FORMER coal miner has made his own tribute to the men and boys who died in the North-East's worst peacetime disaster. Billy Johnstone, of Murton, County Durham, has spent £1,430 making 100 commemorative plates in memory of the 1909 West Stanley Burns
AIRMEN enjoyed an emotional reunion with wives and families when they returned home after two years in some of the world's troublespots. More than 100 personnel from 34 Squadron RAF Regiment touched down at their home base at Leeming, near Bedale. The
SURGEONS in the region have carried out the UK's first "double-decker" kidney transplant. Surgeons decided to give Ken Spensley, from Middlesbrough, a pair of donated kidneys rather than the usual single organ. A double kidney transplant is very rare
A RECORD number of students at a North-East school have been offered places to Oxbridge. Nine pupils at Yarm School, Yarm, Teesside, have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge, which is 11.5 per cent of the year group. It also equals the school
A TEAM of scientists from the North-East has made an important breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence, with a system that understands language and obeys instructions. The experts from the University of Sunderland have won a national award
A DEVASTATED family is to take out a private prosecution against police over the death of a father-of-three. Paul Wardell, 32, was with his sister, Karen Squires, and his children, Ashley, eight, and Simon, 12, when a gang attacked him and broke his skull
LABOUR Party members are to select their first female candidate for a city constituency in the North-East at the weekend. The 700 party members in the Durham constituency party will vote from a shortlist of four candidates at the end of a meeting on Saturday
BISHOP Auckland MP Derek Foster is to visit Barnard Castle's Witham Hall to view plans for a £6m extension and renovation of the building. He will view the blueprint for the scheme, which is on display to the public, on Friday, January 30. Mr Foster has
Grants of £3,750 awarded to businesses in Darlington will help to create jobs. The grants were paid from a council fund designed to encourage development and promotion for small and medium-sized companies. JB Leisure has been awarded £1,500 for building
DIAMONDS are a girl's best friend, but it was her knowledge of other precious stones that helped Joyce Dixon win a diamond ring. Mrs Dixon, of Leam Lane, Gateshead, won a £1,200 De Beers diamond ring after recognising her birthstone in a competition run
BUS passengers in east Cleveland will see better facilities on the busiest routes. Work has started in Redcar to improve Arriva's 63 service, which operates from the town's bus station and carries two million passengers a year. The white bus shelter,
A COUPLE preparing for a family funeral were shocked to discover the grave had been dug in the wrong place, exposing the coffin of their baby daughter. Dorothy Whitehouse was bracing herself for the funeral of her father, Joseph William Dodds, last week
SURGEONS in the region have carried out the UK's first "double-decker" kidney transplant. Surgeons decided to give Ken Spensley, from Middlesbrough, a pair of donated kidneys rather than the usual single organ. A double kidney transplant is very rare
COMPANIES in the engineering and service sectors are queuing up to offer jobs to former Samsung staff. JobCentre Plus plans to establish an office onsite at Samsung to match the 425 staff affected by the company's decision to move production abroad, with
DARLINGTON FC I HAVE donated to the Save Quakers fund but I think they would be better off returning to Feethams and spending a fraction of the money they are spending at the Reynolds Arena. Why? If they cannot find any means of getting any revenue into
Who Am I? - Storyville (BBC Four) Boss Swap (C4) THE woman looked anxious as she crossed the busy London road. "That's the first time I've come across here since the accident. I won't be doing it again. I only did it for you," she told the cameras. Her
Workers at a wildlife centre have described their shock at discovering the theft of some of the rarest birds in the world -- and the senseless killing of others. A breeding programme for the endangered white-winged ducks from Sumatra has been dealt a
