IT was party-time at the Stadium of Light last night as Sunderland booked their place in the play-offs with victory over new Division One champions Norwich City. On-loan midfielder Carl Robinson's first goal for the Black Cats proved enough to cement
INVESTIGATORS are still examing a boat which mysteriously capsized, killing two anglers. Yesterday, maritime officers and coastguards carried out a full preliminary examination of the motor cruiser which capsized half-a-mile out into the River Tees estuary
AN award-winning children's author has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for sex attacks on young girls dating back more than 40 years. William Mayne, 76, was also ordered to be placed on the sex offenders' register, and banned from working with children
IN the "private landscaped" grounds today are seven executive homes "designed to reflect the beauty of the original Victorian building". In the grounds in the early 1880s, there were children attending the forerunner of one of the North-East's most famous
CHRIS FAIRHURST can land the biggest training success of his career with Rahwaan in today's £120,000 Chester Cup. Napped by this column to score on his seasonal reappearance at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting, Fairhurst's gutsy gelding duly obliged with an
Yorkshire are keeping their fingers tightly crossed for a big improvement in the weather today as they preparefor their first meeting with Dorset in the second round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy at Bournemouth. It is 18 years since Yorkshire
LEEDS United last night gave Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren the green light to make a formal bid for striker Mark Viduka. The Australian international heads the list of McClaren's summer transfer targets as he looks to bolster his Boro squad ahead
TWO more injuries have reduced Durham to the bare bones for today's C & G Trophy second round tie against county champions Sussex at Riverside. Graeme Bridge will be out for three to four weeks with a broken finger, while Graham Onions is unlikely
DETECTIVES have renewed an appeal for taxi drivers to come forward following the rape of a 25-year-old woman. The victim, from Sedgefield, County Durham, was raped by two men who offered her a lift after she spent a night out in Middlesbrough on April
OK, let's start with the toddlers... We want the best for our children. We want them to flourish and do well. We want them to go to good schools where they will be happy and well taught. In which case it's time we did our bit. And we could start by teaching
SWEET toothed for some reason, last week's column wondered what had happened to the Milky Bar Kid - or at least to one of the many who have filled those famous cowboy boots. The North-East's star attraction was Gareth Watchman, then a fun faced five-year-old
NORTHGATE has gained control of Spanish rental business Fualsa after securing the remaining 60 per cent of the company over the Bank Holiday weekend. Darlington's only public limited company (plc), which owned 40 per cent of the business, paid 22.3m euros
OK, let's start with the toddlers... We want the best for our children. We want them to flourish and do well. We want them to go to good schools where they will be happy and well taught. In which case it's time we did our bit. And we could start by teaching
MARGARET THATCHER: NICK Morrison concludes his review of Margaret Thatcher's legacy (Echo, May 3) by quoting Newcastle lecturer Martin Farr's comment that: "her achievements were very genuine and very significant". In a nutshell, Mrs Thatcher built her
BUSINESSES about to submit their end-of-year payroll returns to the Inland Revenue may be liable to pay unexpected deadline penalties. Accountants Baker Tilly, based in Newcastle, have warned that late businesses could incur fines of £100 a day for every
IT seems the latest accessory for the woman about town is a GBF - or Gay Best Friend to you and me. This isn't a new phenomena in America, where shows such as Will and Grace have been presenting gay men as a must-have for months. But now the trend has
FORTY-SIX jobs at a tea factory will be lost following the installation of new machinery. Tetley, which is owned by Indian company Tatu, has installed £2m-worth of machinery that will do the work of some shift operators at the Teesside factory. Last night
Cutting It (BBC1): FOR many, Debbie Horsfield's hairdressing drama lost the plot when Allie chose Finn over Gavin as her partner at the end of the first series. It was a decision that lost her our sympathy and stretched our patience. That a woman would
POLICE are treating a blaze which badly damaged a football stadium as arson. Firefighters were called to the Reyrolle Stadium, in Hebburn, South Tyneside, at 3.50am on Sunday. More than £100,000 damage was caused to the stadium - home of Hebburn Town
A LEADING union figure is to help promote adult literacy and numeracy in the region as part of a skills campaign. Kevin Rowan, regional secretary of the Northern Trades Union Congress (TUC), has joined the Get On North East campaign as a skills for life
A PRIEST who worked throughout the North-East has died aged 93. Father Martin McBrien died from leukaemia at the Little Sisters of the Poor home, in Sunderland. He was born in Darlington in 1910 and lived there for six years. When his father died, he
Cutting It (BBC1) "Whatever" - A Teenage Musical (C4) FOR many, Debbie Horsfield's hairdressing drama lost the plot when Allie chose Finn over Gavin as her partner at the end of the first series. It was a decision that lost her our sympathy and stretched
A COUNCIL fitness manager who pioneered exercise initiatives to combat Wear Valley's dismal record on heart deaths has left the area. Kevin Archer was the first local authority-funded community fitness officer in Britain when he arrived in 1986 to run
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an unprovoked assault on a 25-year-old man that left him cut and bruised. The incident happened in Woodham, Newton Aycliffe, between 11pm and 11.30pm on Sunday. The victim, who is 6ft 5in, was on his way home from
POLICE seek witnesses after a young woman was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Middlesbrough town centre in the early hours of Monday. The woman, from the town, and who is in her twenties, was injured as she tried to hail a taxi outside Barclays
A MAN extradited from Jamaica to face charges over the murder of a North-East market trader has appeared in court. Lee Harrison, 38, of Ormesby Bank, Middlesbrough appeared at Teesside Crown Court charged with the murder of father-of-five Kalvant Singh
Fame Academy finalist Alistair Griffin returns to the region this month for a performance in front of thousands of fans. Alistair, 26, from Castleton, North Yorkshire, will headline the Re:Generation stage at the free all-day Middlesbrough Music Live
A MOTOR sport club is hoping for a sympathetic vote next week when councillors decide if a temporary racetrack should be approved as a permanent venue. Yorkshire Dales Autograss Club has been using a field close to the main Northallerton to Richmond road
A MINI drama played out in a Dales village hall yesterday could help in the fight against doorstep crime. North Yorkshire County Council's trading standards team is leading a campaign, supported by The Northern Echo, which aims to stamp out the menace
A UNION has called for consultation over a council's plans to introduce compulsory driving assessments for its workers. Darlington Borough Council wants to bring in the assessments for any employee who drives as part of their job. Those affected could
NEW zones banning the consumption of alcohol in public are in force in a North-East city. Sunderland City Council has made an order extending the areas previously covered by existing by-laws ban in the city centre and the sea front. It will become an
A TEENAGER has been invited to audition for a scholarship to a dance college. Clementine Walker, of Hartlepool, will take part in the audition for the Leeds Studio La Pointe Dance College for a three-year musical theatre course. The course will include
UEFA Cup glory is currently more important to Kieron Dyer than securing Champions League football with Newcastle United next season. The Magpies' midfielder would love to appear on the biggest stage in European club football. But with Sir Bobby Robson's
A TEENAGER bled to death after he was stabbed in the back at his 18th birthday party, a court was told yesterday. Newcastle Crown Court heard David Mitchell, 19, plunged a kitchen knife into Paul Best after grabbing him in a headlock during the gathering
THE case against a former Tory councillor accused of stealing more than £68,000 was yesterday adjourned for a week. Charles Graham Smith, 54, of Woodland Road, Darlington, is charged with stealing the money from the NatWest Bank between August 2000 and
WORK by a steel sculptor is on display at an east Durham gallery. The two pieces at Seaton Holme, in Easington, took Ray Lonsdale about 40 hours each to shape out of two-millimetre sheet metal. Panic and Grief Inside and Outside are part of a ten-piece
NOT for the first time, an extraordinary power game is being played out at the heart of Cleveland Police. When the expensive farce of Operation Lancet came to an end, it presented an opportunity for a new dawn for Britain's most accident-prone police
VILLAGERS campaigning against proposals for a wind farm on a hillside above their homes have called a public meeting tonight. People living in Sunniside and Stanley, Crook, fear that the installation of the huge turbines would ruin their view and spoil
A WOMAN was critically ill in hospital last night after her car plunged 100ft from cliffs at a beauty spot. A police spokesman said the car crashed through a barrier and crossed 400 yards of grassland before going over the cliff at Marsden Lea, near Marsden
A 24-YEAR-OLD has received hospital treatment after being stabbed in his back during an argument. Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which took place at around 5.30pm on Tuesday in Longbeck Way, Thornaby. The victim climbed into the first
THREE teenagers from the North-East will travel to an angling fair to offer advice to young people on how to take up fishing. Jonathan Boulton, 14, from Sunnydale School, Shildon, Wayne Collins, 16, from Bishop Barrington School, Bishop Auckland, and
FORTY-SIX jobs at a tea factory will be lost following the installation of new machinery. Tetley, which is owned by Indian company Tatu, has installed £2m-worth of machinery that will do the work of some shift operators at the Teesside factory. Last night
A PIONEERING initiative spearheaded by a North-East police force has gone global after getting the seal of approval from the United Nations. The North-East Fraud Forum (NEFF) was created by Northumbria Police last year to help cut down the main problem
ADAM Boyd was yesterday doubly rewarded for his April form, and if he continues in the same vein everyone at Hartlepool United could be celebrating another success in May. Boyd was named both the Umbro Isotonic Division Two player of the month and the
NORTHGATE has gained control of Spanish rental business Fualsa after securing the remaining 60 per cent of the company over the Bank Holiday weekend. Darlington's only public limited company (plc), which owned 40 per cent of the business, paid 22.3m euros
THE largest bulk haulage company in the country has been bought out by its management team for £19.2m. Hargreaves plc was acquired from owner Bob Young in one of the biggest management buyouts in the UK this year. The Esh Winning company, which has a
MILLIONS of pounds is needed to bring the region's sports halls up to scratch and prevent "a ticking time bomb" going off, it was claimed last night. Charity bosses revealed how they are drawing up a Domesday Book of facilities to present to the Government
SWEET toothed for some reason, last week's column wondered what had happened to the Milky Bar Kid - or at least to one of the many who have filled those famous cowboy boots. The North-East's star attraction was Gareth Watchman, then a fun faced five-year-old
RACEHORSE trainer Norman Mason's entertainment business will emerge from administration by the end of the month. Grand National-winning trainer Mr Mason will regain control of his amusement arcades and pubs. His eight bingo halls, and some amusement arcades
THE mayor of Hartlepool yesterday called for all dangerous waste from the controversial Ghost Ships to be sent back to the US to stop Teesside becoming a "toxic dumping ground". Stuart Drummond outlined to the borough council what he intends to say to
TRANSPORT company Arriva has acquired 49 per cent of an Italian bus operator for £19.4m. The acquisition of the stake in SAF will boost Arriva's position in the Italian transport market. It also has the option to buy a further 11 per cent of the bus service
TRUST the people? Never. The pained protests over the referendum on the European Constitution by prominent EU supporters like Michael Heseltine reflect their fear that defeat stares them in the face. But they could be wrong. Strong though anti-EU feeling
SUNDERLAND boss Mick McCarthy refused to join in the celebrations on Wearside last night by insisting: 'We've achieved nothing yet.' The Black Cats sealed their place in the play-offs with a 1-0 victory over champions Norwich City as the Stadium of Light
HUNDREDS of fake DVDs and CDs have been seized following a co-ordinated operation by trading standards officials and police. They swooped on the huge Sunday morning car boot sale at Rufforth, near York, and their haul was taken from five traders. Many
THE police authority chairman who oversees Britain's most controversial force could find himself ousted in a crucial vote tonight. If Councillor Ken Walker fails to secure his party's nomination to Cleveland Police Authority it will mark the end of an
ANGER was growing yesterday over a university's proposals to shed up to 58 posts - with the threat of industrial action by academics. Union leaders at Northumbria University will meet today to ask their members to endorse a ballot for strike action. They
STEPHEN Caldwell will swop the pain of relegation for the prestige of a UEFA Cup semi-final when he travels to Marseille with the rest of the Newcastle United squad this morning. Caldwell was dramatically recalled from his three-month loan spell at Leeds
A TODDLER'S brave battle against cancer has inspired a community to rally round and raise money to send her on a dream holiday. Two-year-old Katie Grant was diagnosed with a brain tumour after she failed to recover properly from a stomach bug last year
JAZZ musician George Melly, poet John Hegley, politician Mo Mowlam and feminist Germaine Greer are the headline acts in a North-East theatre's summer programme. The line-up for the Arc, in Stockton, was released yesterday. Former Redcar MP and Northern
CRAIG LIDDLE believes defensive linchpin Joey Hutchinson has a vital role to play in the club's renaissance next season. The 22-year-old has proved a shrewd signing since joining the club from Birmingham on a free transfer nine months ago. He has played
THE police authority chairman who oversees Britain's most controversial force could find himself ousted in a crucial vote tonight. If Councillor Ken Walker fails to secure his party's nomination to Cleveland Police Authority it will mark the end of an
CHRIS FAIRHURST can land the biggest training success of his career with Rahwaan in today's £120,000 Chester Cup. Napped by this column to score on his seasonal reappearance at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting, Fairhurst's gutsy gelding duly obliged with an
SEWAGE bio pellets from a North-East treatment works will help fuel cement production. Pellets processed from sludge are to be used as part of a fuel mix to heat a 2,000 degrees centigrade cement kiln in an environmental first for the UK. The deal has
A NORTH-EAST wildlife reserve is taking part in an annual celebration to help people get closer to wildlife. Teesmouth Nature Reserve will mark the Low Tide Festival on Saturday with an event celebrating the diversity of life in the inter-tidal zone.
THE full list of lucky winners from a raffle held to raise vital funds for Darlington Football Club has been revealed. Signed shirts from soccer superstars David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Paul Gascoigne were among the prizes up for grabs. Winners must
HIGH-FLYING executives were given a boost yesterday when one of Europe's corporate aviation industry leaders chose Teesside Airport as its next operational base. Midwest Executive Aviation has a specialist executive handling and chartering operation at
POLICE have issued a warning after a Middlesbrough man was electrocuted following a break-in at a disused dairy. The 39-year-old man is still critically ill in intensive care at the RVI hospital, in Newcastle, after suffering serious burns. He received
A SENIOR council officer has reported a councillor to the Standards Board For England. The chief executive of Richmondshire District Council, Harry Tabiner, has reported Catterick councillor Tony Pelton to the board. Mr Tabiner is already considering
DOCTORS' leaders have blamed bosses at a North-East NHS trust for a failure to put into practice a new deal for consultants. In an unusual move, the British Medical Association (BMA) named South Durham Hospital NHS Trust, now part of the larger County
POLICE have named a man found dead in woodland near his North-East home. He was Victor Warrington, 50, of Russell Street, Waterhouses, near Durham City. Yesterday, police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. He was reported
THERE was standing room only as hundreds of mourners packed a village church yesterday to pay tribute to a much-loved Scout leader. Andy Muckley was a Scout leader in the County Durham area for more than 30 years. He founded the Heighington Scouts group
DEEP-rooted pockets of unemployment in Middlesbrough are to get extra help from a new service. From tomorrow, the Jobs Squad will provide advice and support for people having difficulty finding work. Its aim is to get 200 people into work over the two
MEMBERS of the local health trust are meeting in the community for the first time in North Yorkshire. Instead of the usual hospital venues, the next South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust board meeting will be held at Hambleton Forum, Bullamoor Road, Northallerton
A FORMER industrial site in a village could become a residential estate, opening up a scheduled monument to more visitors. Nestled behind a disused bus depot and work yards in St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, lie the remains of part of the Stockton
A STRATEGY to keep leading officers at a Teesside authority has been dubbed a "a charter for driving up wage bills". In the scheme, Hartlepool Borough Council will be able to offer senior officers an extra ten per cent of their annual salary if they are
THE full list of lucky winners from a raffle held to raise vital funds for Darlington Football Club has been revealed. Signed shirts from soccer superstars David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Paul Gascoigne were among the prizes up for grabs. Winners must
RENEWED calls for caution have been made following the deaths of three bikers in three days over the holiday weekend. The roads of North Yorkshire are a magnet for motorcyclists from all over the region - but last year a total of 28 riders were killed
A DEDICATED young dancer has proved that her success in winning a regional tap title last year was no flash in the pan. Keen all-round dancer Stephanie Lund excels in the tap category and took the International Dance Teachers' Association North-East of
NEW traffic lights are due to come into operation today at a Durham roundabout with the worst accident record in the county. Since February, Durham County Council has been making £500,000 improvements to Milburngate roundabout, which is used by more than
A family is at odds with a council over a gravestone. Samantha Harrison wanted a gravestone resembling an open book for her father, Matthew Brough, at Heworth Burn Cemetery, in Gateshead. But Gateshead Council said the base should be no more than 12in
THE latest in BT technology has been put to the test by youngsters with visual impairments. Students from Harrogate's Henshaws College were among the first to try out the telephone handsets. BT Relate 3000 is designed for people who are hard of hearing
A COMPUTER bug which targets Microsoft software brought down the IT network of a local authority yesterday. The "worm", thought to have been developed by a rogue cyberspace fraternity, has been dubbed the Sasser bug and uses email to access systems. Once
A NORTH-EAST charity is appealing for people who like adventure to take part in a fundraising effort. The Butterwick Hospice is holding its third Great Escape on Friday, June 19. Teams of two are needed to dress up as convicts and have 24 hours to see
Fame Academy finalist Alistair Griffin returns to the region this month for a performance in front of thousands of fans. Alistair, 26, from Castleton, North Yorkshire, will headline the Re:Generation stage at the free all-day Middlesbrough Music Live
LIBERAL Democrat leader Charles Kennedy yesterday called for a fairer deal for the North-East as he launched the party's campaign for the European election. Mr Kennedy was in the region to bolster the party's efforts to secure its first North-East seat
THE region may be about to become a virtual learning centre for the electronics industry. The North of England Microelectronics Institute (NEMI) is to run a pilot project on behalf of regional development agency One NorthEast, the Department of Trade
SERVING up roast dinner in a sandwich is a new venture in Darlington enticing people away from their regular lunchtime haunts. Karen Price will set up her trailer on Monday for the second time in the town's Market Place, serving beef, pork and turkey,
A RADICAL rethink is needed to make sure the Domesday scenario facing the region's leisure facilities does not return to haunt future generations. With many of the ageing sports centres and swimming pools costing a fortune to run and maintain, building
LAW firm Dickinson Dees has helped close two multi-million pound deals in the region. The firm, based in Newcastle, advised Selby District Council on the first government private finance initiative to fund social housing and advised Darlington Borough
A RISE in interest rates is likely after three surveys showed the pace of economic recovery was accelerating. Economists said the Bank of England was almost certain to increase interest rates to 4.25 per cent tomorrow, with further rises likely. Anxiety
AN award-winning children's author has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for sex attacks on young girls dating back more than 40 years. William Mayne, 76, was also ordered to be placed on the sex offenders' register, and banned from working with children
HE had a hate-filled childhood with witchcraft-practising parents and became the ruthless leader of a notoriously bloodthirsty New York street gang. It sounds like the plot for a Hollywood movie, but it is in fact the early life story of Nicky Cruz. Cruz
THE FAMILY of a German man who went missing from a North-East ferry have offered a reward information leading to his safe return. Frank Conrad, 35, was last seen at 1.30am on Tuesday March 9 on the DFDS ferry which left Amsterdam at 6.30pm the previous
JAMIE BIRKBECK has set his sights on claiming county colours after ending almost eight years in Durham exile. The 27-year-old Bishop Auckland golfer has been named by county captain Ted Kirtley in the team to face Yorkshire at Hallamshire this Saturday
A CLEANER who failed in a bid to sue one of the North-East's biggest firms over an accident last night hit out at his treatment. Michael Dixon, 59, was forced to quit his job with Arriva when he fell and suffered leg injuries at its bus depot in Bishop
London shares made big gains yesterday on the back of oil price rises and an upbeat outlook in the mining sector. The FTSE 100 Index bounced back from three straight sessions of losses to close 57.5 points higher at 4547.2 as investors set aside worries
