Archive

  • First all-postal poll poised to go ahead

    THE Darlington borough's first all-postal local government by-election is due to take place on Thursday. The poll, being held in the town's North Road ward, follows the resignation of Councillor Susan Walker. Ballot papers must be completed and posted

  • Youth-friendly health centre

    TEENAGERS will be able to access a host of sensitive health advice outside a clinical setting thanks to an initiative being launched in Darlington. The Darlington Primary Care Trust has linked with Connexions to deliver teen health clinics in relaxed

  • Youth-friendly health centre

    TEENAGERS will be able to access a host of sensitive health advice outside a clinical setting thanks to an initiative being launched in Darlington. The Darlington Primary Care Trust has linked with Connexions to deliver teen health clinics in relaxed

  • Helpline for runaways

    A HELPLINE has been launched to help children who run away from home. Durham County Council has set up the service, funded by £188,000 from the Department of Education Skills, to keep runaways safe and show youngsters thinking of leaving home that it

  • Helpline for runaways

    A HELPLINE has been launched to help children who run away from home. Durham County Council has set up the service, funded by £188,000 from the Department of Education Skills, to keep runaways safe and show youngsters thinking of leaving home that it

  • Cyclists blazing trails in forest

    CYCLING enthusiasts seeking to create an outdoor sport venue to attract hundreds of competitors and spectators to a popular tourist spot are celebrating a successful first year of fundraising. Plans to develop a series of mountain bike trails and adventure

  • Village conflicts in a good cause

    THEY fought hard, but the small group of Union soldiers were vastly outnumbered by the Confederates when the two sides clashed on County Durham farmland. After a fierce battle on the outskirts of Middlestone village, near Spennymoor, the Confederate Greys

  • Park visitors juggle with the idea of learning a new skill

    FAMILIES were given the chance to learn how to juggle and spin plates as part of a circus skills workshop yesterday. The event was held at Preston Park, Eaglescliffe, as part of a series of family days. An Egyptian textiles and fashion illustration day

  • Government subsidy could help save rural post offices

    RURAL post offices across the region could face a more certain future if the Government agrees to extend a £150m annual subsidy. Ministers are expected to announce next month that they will extend the payment, which was due to run out in 2006, for another

  • Charity team planning bumper event

    CHARITY supporters hope to help in the fight against cancer by staging a bumper coffee morning. The Lanchester and District Macmillan Committee will take part in Macmillan Cancer Relief's "world's biggest coffee morning". The committee's event will be

  • Hair team in national finals

    A TEAM of hairdressers could win a European trip after they won a regional competition. The team from Toni and Guy, in Durham's Prince Bishops Shopping Centre, won the regional heat of L'Oreal Hair Idol and will represent the North-East in the national

  • Two charged with murder over shooting

    TWO men have been charged with the murder of a pensioner who was shot at his local pub. Fred Fowler, 72, was shot at the Tap and Barrel pub, in Hendon, Sunderland, in an attack in which teenager Michael Nixon was injured. A 19-year-old man from Hartlepool

  • Reprieve for bus services after group steps in

    BUS services threatened with changes because of economic pressures could be saved. More than 1,000 people objected when Go North-East announced changes to services on routes in parts of Derwentside and Gateshead. Nexus, which oversees Tyne and Wear's

  • Cricket teams help to deliver health message

    CRICKET teams from Middlesbrough took to the crease yesterday as part of a project encouraging men to take more care of their health. The first Healthy Living in Middlesbrough Cricket Tournament took place at Prissick Base in the town and attracted 110

  • Farmers' group in appeal for support

    A SCHEME has been launched by the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (YFC) to give former members the chance to put something back into the organisation. The federation is appealing to all ex-members, associates and supporters to find out more

  • Candidate makes pledge on MP's role

    A CANDIDATE bidding to replace Peter Mandelson as Hartlepool MP last night pledged to campaign for the interests of the town and not view the job of an MP as a career. John Bloom, the Respect candidate in the by-election said an "MP should listen carefully

  • Complaints about travellers

    PEOPLE in Darlington who have been complaining about travellers staying illegally in a street have been reassured action will be taken. A Darlington Borough Council spokesman said number of complaints had been received about travellers in John Dixon Lane

  • Unlocking funds for new alleygating project

    WORK will get under way later this year on a new phase of alleygating in Middlesbrough. The £500,000 two-year project is being funded by Middlesbrough Council, the Single Regeneration Budget, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and European funding. It will target

  • Taking a dip into history as baths mark centenary

    VISITORS to a historic baths in North Yorkshire are to get a taste of what life was like 100 years ago as part of celebrations to commemorate the baths' centenary. The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Stuart Martin, is to don period costume to celebrate 100

  • Centre balances shopping and entertainment for families

    THE thrills and spills of the big top have arrived at an out-of-town shopping complex that hopes to become a leisure attraction. Dalton Park, at Murton, County Durham, which opened last year and attracts 60,000 shoppers a week, is laying on circus entertainment

  • Lisa inspired by Kayleigh to conquer fear for a worthy cause

    A WOMAN is to confront her fear of heights to help raise money for a leukaemia charity. Lisa Nicholson, of York, was inspired by the plight of her three-year-old niece, Kayleigh Nicholson, who has leukaemia, to take part in a 10,000ft sponsored parachute

  • Summer show's 20,000 target

    PREPARATIONS are well under way for this year's Stockton Summer Show and organisers hope attendances could top the 20,000 figure. The event, which runs for four days from Friday, August 27, will include a range of activities and entertainment for people

  • So-so Sunderland fail to heed McCarthy's warning

    IF Mick McCarthy ever needs a new career then he may see a bright future in clairvoyancy. "You don't win promotion by looking good on a Tuesday and so-so on a Saturday." Surprisingly not the Sunderland manager's post match reaction to a disappointing

  • Country show 'will be best yet'

    ORGANISERS of this year's Wensleydale Show say the event will be bigger and better than ever. The show will be held in Bellerby Road, Leyburn, on Saturday, August 28. Traditional favourites such as the horticulture and livestock competitions will take

  • Company warns of parking dangers

    BUSINESSES on an industrial estate claim nuisance car-parkers are causing a safety hazard by clogging up roads. Lorry drivers turning into the York Road Industrial Estate, Malton, particularly at Derwent Road, are faced with daily problems. Cars double

  • Hasselbaink nets a handy point

    LAST season, Middlesbrough only picked up a solitary point during the last five minutes of their 38 Premiership games while, in the same period, Newcastle contrived to throw nine away. So, on the face of things, it is Boro who can celebrate a new dawn

  • It's all too easy for leaders Boldon

    Leaders Boldon took another important step towards the championship when they disposed of bottom-placed Durham City. With Burnmoor losing at Whitburn, the gap between the top two has now been stretched to 26 points. Boldon's task at Durham was all the

  • Kites 'an art gallery in the sky'

    BRITAIN'S highest kite festival was held in the region at the weekend. Thousands of people flocked to Teesdale, in County Durham, to see scores of kites soaring above the stunning countryside for the second annual festival. Hosts Raby Estates hailed the

  • Police investigate employee's death

    Police are treating the death of an oil industry employee as suspicious. The body of Lewis Welch, 32, was found at a house in Wheatacre Close, Marske, east Cleveland, shortly before 7pm on Saturday, August 14. Mr Lewis, a single man, had just returned

  • Firm developes package to help manage IBS

    A North-East firm has developed a way to manage a common and distressing disease which could bring relief to millions. Yorktest Laboratories, the North-Yorkshire firm which last year claimed a world first by developing a quick screening test for food

  • Durham Diary

    AFTER yet another example of illuminations producing dull cricket at Riverside on Wednesday - Ricky Ponting apart - the future for floodlit 45-over matches ought to be extremely gloomy. There seems to be universal agreement that Twenty20 is the way forward

  • Government to review rules after rapist's win

    THE Government has confirmed it is looking into offenders compensating their victims if they receive windfalls, following the £7m Lotto win by rapist Iorworth Hoare. The move is being explored by the Home Office through consultation on the Domestic Violence

  • Victory at last for Shildon

    Readers Durham County League: It's been a long time in coming but Shildon finally tasted success on Saturday. They failed to win in 2002 and 2003 and had gone 19 games without victory this season but they at last celebrated at Ushaw Moor. The home side

  • Support for gay group victims

    HOMOPHOBIC hate crime is to be tackled in a pioneering scheme that will help bring offenders to justice. The charity Comic Relief has agreed to fund a criminal justice worker in Darlington - believed to be the first in the country - who will help, support

  • Free travel scheme is best in country

    PUPILS in part of the North-East enjoy some of the most generous and inclusive free school transport in the country, according to a study. Northumbria University researchers found only three other councils spent more per pupil on free travel than Durham

  • Continent has the speed

    KEEP Continent (3.15) in mind for this afternoon's big race at Nottingham, the £14,000 Weatherbys Bank Conditions Stakes. The sprinting world seemed to be at Continent's feet after his breath-taking Group 1 double in the July Cup and Prix L'Abbaye a couple

  • Festival choir to sing requiem

    BEDALE Festival Choir's autumn concert will be held in St Gregory's Church, Bedale, North Yorkshire, on Saturday, November 13, at 7.30pm. The concert will feature professional soloists accompanied by a full orchestra. The concert is Mozart's Requiem,

  • Benefits campaign success praised

    COUNCIL bosses say a campaign to encourage elderly people to claim Pension Credit has paid off. Easington District Council said more people in the area were claiming the credit, which replaced the Minimum Income Guarantee in October last year, than in

  • Weakened Nissan UK hit for 19

    Wearside League: Washington Nissan UK, who finished bottom of the table last season, fielded a severely weakened side and newcomers Coxhoe Athletic took full advantage romping to a 19-0 win. After establishing a seven-goal interval lead Coxhoe didn't

  • Riot of colour at finale to 'best' festival

    THE streets of a North-East town were brought alive with a splash of colour as the end of a popular festival drew to a close. For the past week, performers from across the globe have entertained the crowds as part of the 40th Billingham International

  • Anger at Aggborough as Hodgson threatens changes

    After Darlington's short-lived unbeaten start to the season came to a disappointing end, manager David Hodgson emerged from the dressing room with all guns blazing. And it was his players who were coming under fire from a man who feels defeat more than

  • Watching Brief

    REGARDLESS of the flurry of transfer activity on Teesside during the summer, in one fleeting first half moment Craig Bellamy highlighted exactly what Middlesbrough still lack in their ranks. As Chris Riggott failed to deal with a routine stray pass from

  • Offshore off-licence is back in business

    BRITAIN'S first offshore off-licence was back in business yesterday off the North-East coast for the first time in more than a month. Trade was said to be steady, despite Customs and Excise officials apparently patrolling the seas off Hartlepool in a

  • Tykes' title chances dented

    Yorkshire's chances of getting back into the Championship race suffered a further blow at Headingley yesterday when their match against Derbyshire ended in a tame draw. It seemed as if Yorkshire had more than made up for time lost to the weather by making

  • Danby on fire as luck deserts Quakers

    They say that over the course of a season good and bad luck just about even themselves out - but it's only taken a week for exactly that to happen to Darlington. A week ago Quakers were thankful for the fine goalkeeping of youngster Sam Russell whose

  • All aboard - for lunch

    A CAFE in a former paraffin lamp store is helping to put the icing on the cake for passengers using Britain's newest heritage railway. Ever since she opened the appropriately named Signal Box, at Stanhope station, on the Weardale Railway, in County Durham

  • Judges to pick final musical talents

    JUDGING is now under way in The Northern Echo's Big Chance competition - designed to find the best new North-East group or artist. The winner of the Revolution Big Chance will win four days in the Sanity Multimedia recording studio, Stockton, 100 pressed

  • Judges to pick final musical talents

    JUDGING is now under way in The Northern Echo's Big Chance competition - designed to find the best new North-East group or artist. The winner of the Revolution Big Chance will win four days in the Sanity Multimedia recording studio, Stockton, 100 pressed

  • Double for Rutter in Croft thriller

    MICHAEL RUTTER did the double at Croft yesterday to close the gap at the top of the British Superbike standings. The HM Plant Honda Racing rider was 73 points behind championship leader John Reynolds in second place, but his victories in the North-East

  • Group's mural tonic

    A GROUP of people with disabilities have seen their hard work come to fruition after creating a mural. Eight people from Middlesbrough's Lansdowne Centre, which provides support and activities for people with disabilities, have been involved in an arts

  • Art dates bid to stimulate youngsters

    A SERIES of art sessions with a difference is taking place at Stockton Library in an effort to encourage youngsters of all ages and abilities to take up the hobby. The three sessions, Clayworks for Children with Disabilities, Comic Character Drawing and

  • A new angle on asylum seekers

    The asylum seeker is an uncomfortable subject but German artist Julian Rosefeldt has opened up a new line of debate with a video installation at Gateshead Baltic which challenges our views on the subject. Viv Hardwick reports. A NINE-SCREEN video installation

  • Show goes on for performers

    A PLUCKY young performer has proved the show must go on after she broke an ankle in an accident. Katy Forth, 11, will sing her song in the Nunthorpe Players' Musical Extravaganza this week in a chair after she slipped on wet grass while playing badminton

  • Continent has the speed

    KEEP Continent (3.15) in mind for this afternoon's big race at Nottingham, the £14,000 Weatherbys Bank Conditions Stakes. The sprinting world seemed to be at Continent's feet after his breath-taking Group 1 double in the July Cup and Prix L'Abbaye a couple

  • Company chosen for steam train boiler

    THE trust building the first steam locomotive in Britain for more than 40 years has selected a German company to supply a boiler for the train. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has chosen Dampflokwerk Meiningen, a steam locomotive works in Meiningen, Germany

  • Football club still shackled by courts

    RESURGENT Darlington Football Club is still stuck in administration and may not be freed from the financial shackles it imposes for up to two months, it has emerged. The club's share in the Football League has not yet been transferred to Darlington FC

  • TV review

    Real Life: You Will Know Them By Their Trail of Death (ITV1, Sun) IF, like me, you only have the five terrestrial channels and you don't like wall-to-wall sport, this weekend didn't provide much viewing pleasure. The BBC is obviously trying to get its

  • Blunkett refuses to discuss affair claim

    PRIME Minister Tony Blair has publicly backed David Blunkett in the face of newspaper reports that his Home Secretary is having an affair with a married mother. Mr Blunkett has refused to discuss the claims, insisting that his private life has no bearing

  • A photo-journalist's view...

    IT was back in 1992 that John Gibb, then an idealistic but nave photographer, had his first taste of human misery. He had seen media coverage of the conflict in Eastern bloc countries, been sickened by the images of children dying in orphanages, and decided

  • On the trail of the living moors

    They are one of our most spectacular and distinctive landscapes, but the North York Moors are criss-crossed with paths, some dating back to Roman times. Owen Unsworth explores. THE North York Moors are a haven for tourists attracted by the bleak beauty

  • Bellamy up for the fight

    CRAIG BELLAMY is in no mood to give up his place in the Newcastle United starting line-up and is determined to keep Dutchman Patrick Kluivert waiting in the wings. Bellamy was preferred, along with Alan Shearer, to Kluivert in the 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough

  • Police hail bid to cut accidents

    A police bid to cut accidents on the roads during the British Superbike Championship has been declared an overwhelming success. Officers from six forces awaited the 35,000 spectators who arrived at Croft Circuit, near Darlington, at the weekend. And with

  • Lorry driver rescued after tunnel crash

    A QUARRY worker was recovering in hospital last night after he had to be cut from his truck in a dramatic rescue operation at a North-East plant. The 42-year-old's tipper lorry got stuck in a tunnel as he worked an early morning shift at Thrislington

  • Man needed lifesaving op after contracting salmonella

    A retired lorry driver needed a lifesaving operation after falling victim to the County Durham salmonella outbreak. Father-of-four Brian Hume, 66, of Flint Hill, near Stanley, is one of 93 confirmed cases of the bug that is thought to be linked to meat

  • Reprieve for bus services after group steps in

    BUS services threatened with changes because of economic pressures could be saved. More than 1,000 people objected when Go North-East announced changes to services on routes in parts of Derwentside and Gateshead. Nexus, which oversees Tyne and Wear's

  • 16/08/04

    COUNCIL SERVICES: DURHAM County Council's assessment as an "excellent" authority confirms that large, countywide councils are indeed able to deliver effective, efficient and high quality services to the people they represent. It also conclusively destroys

  • The Great Debate: Different approaches needed in region

    I DO have a strong sense of region. Yorkshire is a historic county and there is a strong allegiance to the idea of Yorkshire as a region. It may have been administratively divided for a long time, but people do feel that they are part of Yorkshire as

  • Dust to dust, but no answers to tragedy

    Real Life: You Will Know Them By Their Trail of Death (ITV1, Sun): IF, like me, you only have the five terrestrial channels and you don't like wall-to-wall sport, this weekend didn't provide much viewing pleasure. The BBC is obviously trying to get its

  • Deepcut parents 'kept in the dark'

    THE family of a soldier who died at the Deepcut Army base are calling for an investigation into the police handling of his death to be made public. Geoff and Diane Gray have been fighting to uncover the truth over how their son, also called Geoff, died

  • Plea for clues after man is beaten and robbed of phone

    A MAN was beaten up and robbed of his mobile phone at the weekend. The incident took place near the Tap and Spile pub, in Bondgate, Darlington at about 10.30pm on Friday, when the 21-year-old victim, from Darlington, was approached by two males. Sergeant

  • No change at summit as leading pair triumph

    Darlington Building Society NYSD League Premier Division: There is no change at the top of the table after leaders Northallerton and Guisborough won both matches in the double weekend programme. After seeing off Blackhall on Saturday, Northallerton had

  • Football boss gives fans a boost

    A football club boss decided his crowd needed to lift its side by making a bigger din when their team scored a goal. So he imported a recording of fans roaring their heads off - and ordered it to be played when the home side put the ball in the net. But

  • Hamilton starts fight for a future at Durham

    THIS is the time of year when you can usually tell which players are battling for their futures and no-one showed greater fight than Gavin Hamilton at Riverside yesterday. It was just as well for Durham as he top scored with a gritty 41 then joyously

  • Lifeboatmen take a ducking - but it may save their lives

    LIFEBOATMEN from have under-gone vital capsize training which will ensure cover is maintained at two North-East stations. A mobile crane was brought in to capsize an Atlantic B class lifeboat with crews from Sunderland and Hartlepool on board. The crews

  • It's all too easy for leaders Boldon

    Federation Special Durham Senior League: Leaders Boldon took another important step towards the championship when they disposed of bottom-placed Durham City. With Burnmoor losing at Whitburn, the gap between the top two has now been stretched to 26 points

  • Kimeli's the king of Castle to end Julius' emphatic run

    Brilliant teenager Ernest Kimeli ran the fastest 10K in Britain this year on his road race debut to end fellow Kenyan Julius Kimtai's winning run in yesterday's big Auckland Castle event. The 18-year-old World Junior Cross Country bronze medallist made

  • A new angle on asylum seekers

    The asylum seeker is an uncomfortable subject but German artist Julian Rosefeldt has opened up a new line of debate with a video installation at Gateshead Baltic which challenges our views on the subject. Viv Hardwick reports. A NINE-SCREEN video installation

  • Sky's the limit for Porter

    JOEL Porter has taken a shine to playing in front of the TV cameras. Hartlepool United's Australian striker netted his last goal for the club in the televised play-offs with Bristol City - and that came after he opened his account in England against Burton

  • Success in village shop bid

    VILLAGERS have celebrated the success of a campaign to open a shop. Residents of Middleton Tyas, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, refused to be beaten when it was announced their village store was to close last year. Instead of accepting the loss, they

  • 40,000 superbike spectators lead to massive traffic jams

    TRAFFIC chaos surrounded the British Superbike Championship yesterday when the competition was staged in the North-East for the first time. Up to 40,000 spectators travelled to the event at Croft Circuit, near Darlington, which resulted in large traffic

  • Gap is narrowed at the top

    Foster's Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League: Tynedale were disappointed that their match at Lintz was a casualty of the weather and even more so when they heard that Ashington's game against Shotley Bridge was going ahead. In the event though it

  • Canadians dig deep to aid Mynarski memorial fund

    CANADIANS have donated more than £5,500 to The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal, taking the total so far raised to £22,542. Donations have been flooding in to the Canadian Air Force Heritage Fund to pay for a statue to mark the bravery of Second

  • 13-year-old raped after night out at bar

    A 13-year-old girl was raped after a night out drinking in a trendy bar, police said today. The girl, who was with a friend of the same age, was found crying in the toilets of the Purple Onion, Middlesbrough, early on Sunday. She told detectives she left

  • A new college course will teach photo journalism

    " This was a place where I was taking photographs of children with their hands cut off. A little accident in Sierra Leone was a bit insignificant..." IT was back in 1992 that John Gibb, then an idealistic but nave photographer, had his first taste of

  • Off-licence ship pledges to stay afloat

    The operator of Britain's first offshore off-licence vowed today not to give in to pressure from Customs officials. The owners of the Cornish Maiden, 12 miles off Hartlepool in international waters, claim they can sell cut-price cigarettes and alcohol

  • Tractor driver accused of causing deaths after accident

    A farm worker taking a shortcut across a busy road caused the death of two men when their car collided with his tractor's trailer, a court heard. Paul Humpherson and Peter Gates died instantly when their car crashed into the back of Andrew Breckon's tractor

  • Dump the 'gung-ho', Caldwell

    GOAL hero Steve Caldwell has warned his teammates they must curb their 'gung-ho' style if they hope to be in the promotion shake-up come May. The former Newcastle centre-back was the toast of Wearside on Saturday night with his 90th minute header ensuring

  • Ehiogu backs Shearer to break Wor Jackie's record

    ALAN SHEARER took one step nearer Jackie Milburn's long-standing Newcastle United goalscoring record at the Riverside and was immediately backed to overtake the feat achieved almost 50 years ago. Patrick Kluivert's arrival on Tyneside has sparked rumours

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Public interest ...or prurience?

    AS exposs go, yesterday's revelation that Home Secretary David Blunkett has been having an affair with a married women for three years was surprisingly sympathetic. The News of the World was quick to say that Mr Blunkett should not resign for his misdemeanours

  • Telling stories has its rewards

    A CHILDREN'S book is enjoying a new lease of life after its North-East author was asked to read extracts at a storytelling festival. Haghir the Dragon Finder, a comic fantasy by John Dean, of Darlington, was published ten years ago - but only after a

  • Expert's snapshot of a good picture

    THE judge in The Great North Photography Competition has given some tips to amateur photographers planning to enter the contest. Mike Gibb, chief photographer of The Northern Echo, said that when judging begins, after September 24, he will be looking

  • Open day to promote joys of allotments

    ALLOTMENT holders in Darlington held an open day as part of National Allotment Week. Ann Foster, chairwoman of the Glebe Road Allotments Association said the event was held to promote allotment gardening. "We wanted to promote allotments as a great way

  • Framing workshop

    CHILDREN are being invited to take their favourite picture or photograph along to the Picture This workshop being held in Darlington Arts Centre tomorrow, and learn how to frame them. Two workshops are being run, one for children aged four to seven at

  • Bridge body

    THE body of a man who fell from the Tyne Bridge on to Gateshead Quayside, next to the Tuxedo Royale floating nightclub, was found in the early hours of Saturday by a nightwatchman. Northumbria Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

  • Dedicated nurse steps down after 40 years

    A NURSE who helped patients with specialist care for two decades and ran a support group has retired. Sister Barbara Hodgson has left Bishop Auckland General Hospital after 40 years of service, including 21 years as a stoma care nurse. She has also run

  • Dedicated nurse steps down after 40 years

    A NURSE who helped patients with specialist care for two decades and ran a support group has retired. Sister Barbara Hodgson has left Bishop Auckland General Hospital after 40 years of service, including 21 years as a stoma care nurse. She has also run

  • Village conflicts in a good cause

    THEY fought hard, but the small group of Union soldiers were vastly outnumbered by the Confederates when the two sides clashed on County Durham farmland. After a fierce battle on the outskirts of Middlestone village, near Spennymoor, the Confederate Greys

  • Boost for cardiac support group

    A SUPPORT group for cardiac patients has been heartened by a response to appeals for funds. It costs almost £2,700 a year to keep Take Heart Support Group rehabilitation classes running across Teesside. Grants for £1,000 have been made by Middlesbrough

  • Lucky 13 for Essex boy Davison

    AIDAN DAVISON, a goalkeeper who admits to needing a caravan rather than a house, has just signed for his thirteenth Football League club. Unlucky for some? Two games into the season and Colchester United are unexpectedly top of the table, though the old

  • Councillor backs under- fire officers

    A LEADING councillor has defended a council's officers in a row about the authority's accounts. The Labour group on Lib Dem-controlled Durham City Council said there were errors in the official statement of 2003-2004 that was approved at a meeting and

  • Benefits campaign success praised

    COUNCIL bosses say a campaign to encourage elderly people to claim Pension Credit has paid off. Easington District Council said more people in the area were claiming the credit, which replaced the Minimum Income Guarantee in October last year, than in

  • Girl in pool rescue

    A 12-YEAR-OLD girl has been hailed a hero after rescuing a boy from the bottom of a swimming pool. Sarah Laville was at the baths in Guisborough, east Cleveland, when she saw the boy lying at the bottom of the pool's deep end. She swam to the bottom of

  • Helpline launched for young runaways

    A HELPLINE has been launched for County Durham children who run away from home. The county council has set up the service, funded by £188,000 from the Government to try to make runaways safe and to show youngsters thinking of leaving home that it is not

  • Hairstylist's brush with 1920s

    A PORTFOLIO of hairstyles inspired by the 1920s has earned a North Yorkshire hairdresser a place in the finals of a national hairdressing competition. Lindsay Burr, 40, the managing director of the Ryedale-based Goody's Group, has been named as one of

  • Plea to solve problem of parents parking near school

    RESIDENTS who have had to endure months of parking problems outside their homes because of school traffic have raised concerns ahead of the new term. Householders living near Whitehouse School, in Stockton, have complained about parents parking cars outside

  • Hope for phone mast campaigners

    OPPONENTS of plans to erect a phone mast in Darlington have been given fresh hope that there is a way to block the project. People campaigning against the proposal by communications company Orange to site a 11.5-metre mast in Coniscliffe Road were delighted

  • School blaze

    Firefighters tackled a blaze in the hall and five classrooms of the derelict Manor Park School, High Heaton, Newcastle, on Friday.

  • Spy camera cuts park crime

    A TELEVISION surveillance system to stop vandalism in a town park has gone into operation. The equipment, installed at Shildon Town Council offices to overlook Hackworth Park, has been hailed a success after less than two weeks in operation. Acting Sergeant

  • Renewed call for road safety measures despite scheme

    HIGHWAYS bosses are facing renewed calls to lower the speed limit on a busy dual carriageway after they rejected a plea earlier this year. Durham county councillors voted in June to keep the 70mph limit on the A167 at Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street

  • Quarry protestors rubbish 'tougher' landfill controls

    PROTESTORS opposed to waste landfilling of a former quarry said last night they were unimpressed at "tougher controls" imposed on the site operator. Campaign group Residents Against Toxic Site (Rats) has carried out a seven-year fight to close the landfill

  • Scheme wins £540,000 grant

    A SCHEME that aims to give youngsters the best start in life is celebrating after it won £540,000 of European funding. Sure Start in the Deckham area of Gateshead successfully bid for European Regional Development money. It will use the money to build

  • Safety rumble strips may be replaced

    ABOUT £150,000 may be spent to replace speed reducing rumble strips because they have proved unpopular with road users. The 35 strips along Redcar's Esplanade, from Henry Street to Clarendon Street, have cut the accident rate by 68 per cent and reduced

  • Outlet approved

    PERMISSION has been granted for new premises for builders, timber and plumbers' merchants, including a retail outlet, to be built on fields off Boroughbridge Road, Ripon. The planning application to Harrogate Borough Council was tabled by Canalside Developments

  • Quarry protestors rubbish 'tougher' landfill controls

    PROTESTORS opposed to waste landfilling of a former quarry said last night they were unimpressed at "tougher controls" imposed on the site operator. Campaign group Residents Against Toxic Site (Rats) has carried out a seven-year fight to close the landfill

  • South North eye back to back wins

    Foster's ECB North East Regional Premier League: South Northumberland have emerged as favourites to clinch back-to-back championships following their maximum points victory over neighbours Newcastle at Jesmond. John Graham's side has struck form at just

  • Ball prize will have winner all at sea . . .

    A CRUISE holiday will be auctioned off to raise money to treat cancer sufferers. The trip will go to the highest bidder at the annual fundraising ball of the Cook-ridge Cancer Unit, in Leeds. Donated by Sealand Cruising, of Richmond, the Tapas and Togas

  • Boy, 12, hailed hero by sick dad

    A 12-YEAR-old boy put the Scouts' motto "Be Prepared" to good use when he leapt into action to help his father, who had collapsed in mysterious circumstances. Jack Dunning, of Darlington, had been shopping with his father, Mark, when Mr Dunning began

  • Bowlers aim to boost fund

    SIX bowlers from the White Rose Centre, Catterick Garrison, will take part in a six-hour sponsored bowl to raise money for charity. The event, on August 27, is being held to raise money for a children's playground for Sure Start at the garrison. Lanes

  • Offshore off-licence 'doing steady trade'

    BRITAIN'S first offshore off-licence was back doing steady trade off the North-East coast yesterday - and heading for a battle with Customs and Excise officials. Charter boats are once again travelling to and from maverick mariner Philip Berriman's floating

  • Army still recruiting in region

    THE Army is launching an advertising campaign in the region to attract recruits - despite recent announcements about cutbacks in the Armed Forces. Lieutenant Colonel John May, recruiting commander for the North-East and Yorkshire , said: "I think the

  • No Place better for real ale after drinks group gives award

    A PUB that has won national recognition for its promotion of real ale is again the toast of local beer enthusiasts. The Beamish Mary Inn, at No Place, near Stanley, County Durham, was voted pub of the year by the County Durham branch of the Campaign for

  • Festival choir to sing requiem

    BEDALE Festival Choir's autumn concert will be held in St Gregory's Church, Bedale, North Yorkshire, on Saturday, November 13, at 7.30pm. The concert will feature professional soloists accompanied by a full orchestra. The concert is Mozart's Requiem,

  • Equal pay claims pose tax dilemma

    COUNCIL tax payers face a potential multi-million pound legal bill for equal wage claims by female council workers unless a deal is agreed over unfair pay. A series of tribunal rulings means poorly paid cleaners and kitchen workers could be entitled to

  • Murton odds on to retain title

    Durham Coast League: Murton are now odds-on favourites to retain the championship after coasting to an emphatic ten-wicket victory over Bill Quay on Saturday. They now lead the table by 56 points but nearest rivals Dawdon and Silksworth, who play their

  • Jazz singer will headline city festival

    A FORMER North university student is a new jazz sensation popular with Paul McCartney and Prince Charles. Gwyneth Herbert studied English literature at Durham two years ago. The 22-year-old is now set to headline the London Jazz Festival in November.

  • Botox's birthday bash

    It's ten years since the rich and famous were given the chance to part with thousands of pounds to have their faces injected with poison. Yes, it's Botox's birthday - and if only they could show emotion I am sure the thousands of people who have used