POLICE pounding a rural beat may star in a fly-on-the-wall documentary, provisionally called Country Cops. The programmes will be based on police in Ryedale, showing officers in different roles, from community beat officers to the road policing group.
Pushy Parents (ITV1): IF there isn't a law against making your child impersonate a cat for hours on end there should be. Not that the police would be able to stop Kevin and Daphne Baines in their bid to make their daughter Marie famous. For 26 years,
SUNDERLAND'S latest acquisition Dean Whitehead has revealed that his decision to move to the Stadium of Light was the easiest of his career. The 22-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Black Cats, and the Abingdon-born midfielder had no hesitation
A DISABLED man says he is becoming trapped in his home because rail bosses will not install automatic barriers at an unmanned level crossing. Every time David Birdsall, 47, leaves his home at Whitehouse Farm Cottage, Eaglescliffe, Teesside, he has to
A soldier was found dead with gunshot wounds at an army barracks, police said today. The 24-year-old trainee Coldstream Guard was found in a dormitory at Vimy Barracks, at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, yesterday. A spokesman for North Yorkshire
More than 500 copied DVDs and CDs with an estimated value of £7,500 were seized following a raid at a car boot sale. Officers from Stockton Borough Council's trading standards, backed by Cleveland Police, carried out a series of raids at Blakeston car
The development of the digital sector in the North-East has been as much about winning hearts and minds as anything, according to one of the leading players in the process. Herbert Kim is chief executive officer of Codeworks, which was given the task
Since 2000, 61 graduate start-up companies have started operating in the area, most of them in digital media, including computer games design and web development. To help some of the students develop their ideas, the university runs an awards scheme that
In the future, the region will benefit from an industry whose products are far removed from the ships, steel and coal upon which the North-East economy was built. John Dean reports. WITH the decline of traditional industries such as shipbuilding and engineering
AN alleged scam to steal the number off David Beckham's back was exposed at court yesterday. Mark Donnelly, 38, and his wife, Carole, 42, of Gardeners Place, Langley Moor, County Durham, and their friend, Jacqueline Mallon, 44, of Elm Terrace, Wallsend
AN estimated TV audience of 30 million last night watched teenage hero Wayne Rooney seal England's place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. The 18-year-old striker sent the nation wild with delight with two stunning goals against Croatia. His sensational
A PROPOSAL by train company Grand Central Railway to run four new daily services between Newcastle and Manchester has been rejected by the rail regulator, Tom Winsor. The company had hoped to run cut-price services between the two destinations, taking
Q I have recently joined a company where I am earning a pretty good, but frankly unspectacular salary. My boss drives an expensive Mercedes and, possibly because I am in a fairly senior position in the company, continually taunts me about my eight-year-old
When Christine Micklejohn underwent a kidney transplant, her life was transformed, but, 20 years on, she needs another. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears about her battle against illness and her wait for a new organ FOR as long as she could remember
IN-FORM trainer Michael Dods has found a golden opportunity to strike at Beverley with both Rotuma (3.15) and Jedeydd (3.45). Dods, who knocked in a cracking 186-1 double with Divine Spirit and Balakiref at Ayr on Saturday, and followed up in similar
HGV technician, Consett. 40-plus hpw, up to 7 days, 6am-6pm, or 6pm-6am (shifts). £7.50ph. Must be time-served with class 1 driver's licence. Any fleet experience would be an advantage. Duties will include the report and maintenance of a fleet of Mercedes-Benz
JULIE WILSON - Overall winner and Incredible Colleague of the Year award: For overall winner Julie Wilson, her award was proof positive that enjoying your job can bring rich rewards. Julie works as event co-ordinator for Northumbrian Water, a demanding
EUROPEAN novices Middlesbrough have been backed to ruffle a few feathers on the continent next season. The vote of confidence comes from the player whose penalty in the Carling Cup Final put Steve McClaren's men on the road to victory and their first
WHEN American art student John Thomas LeFebvre III had to base a college project on a man-made landmark, he was spoilt for choice. He comes, after all, from the country that boasts the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and the mighty Hoover Dam
AN ex-convict who trained as a gas fitter after his release and tricked his way into an elderly woman's home to steal her pension book, has been sent back to prison. Steffan Przygodski dressed in a uniform and told the pensioner he had come to check her
SCHOOL pupil Megan Alexander-Weir has lent her support to a local authority's campaign to clean up the environment. The 11-year-old contacted Darlington Borough Council after learning of its real nappy campaign. The initiative was designed to encourage
UPMARKET department store Harrods cheered a return to profits growth last night after recording its best sales performance for more than 150 years. Harrods, in Knightsbridge, London, said the turnaround was driven by higher demand for luxury goods and
THE newest weapon in the fight to slow down drivers in built-up areas was unveiled by firefighters yesterday. Officers were at Stokesley Junior School with a new £12,000 speed matrix sign, which has been bought by Hambleton Community Safety Partnership
REDCAR MP Vera Baird is to speak at the Northern Pensions Conference in Newcastle next month. About 150 union activists and member-trustees are likely to hear Ms Baird talk about her work on the House of Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensions.
THREE north Durham residents and a community group are celebrating after proving crime sometimes can pay. Earlier this year, Derwentside Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership called on residents for their views on crime activity in the district. Everyone
POLICE have been given new powers to disperse gangs of youths who they suspect could cause trouble. Officers in Northallerton and Romanby will be the first in the county to issue Dispersal Orders for a two-month period from July 1 to August 31. The orders
A CHARITY football match featuring famous ex-players is to be staged in the North-East. Crook Town will play a celebrity team at its Millfield ground on Saturday, July 3, for Cancer Research UK. The event has been organised by Crook captain Les Langley
The event has been organised by Crook captain Les Langley and is dedicated to the memory of his wife, Alison, who died in January, aged 34, after being diagnosed with liver cancer. The celebrity team will include Darlington boss David Hodgson, former
RELATIVES of a father and son who died in a car crash have asked mourners to dress brightly for their funeral. Shaun Gellatly, 28, and his father, Malcolm, or Mally, were larger than life characters and their family wants today's service to reflect that
A HEARTBROKEN family has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the loss of their third child. Ten-year-old Catherine Readshaw, whose courageous struggle has inspired fundraising for cancer and hospital charities, died at home on Sunday. Her sister, Ann-Marie
A CRACKDOWN on drink-fuelled crime and disorder is to be expanded after a pilot scheme more than halved offences in pubs and clubs. Durham Constabulary has introduced a team to monitor licensed premises in its north division, which takes in the districts
CHILD Safety Week began in earnest yesterday with a graphic demonstration of the aftermath of a car accident. Firefighters were in St Sampson's Square, York, to show how they cut people from the wreckage of crashed cars - and in particular what happens
PLANS to demolish a former police office to make way for apartments in Yarm are likely to be approved despite objections from local people. Members of Stockton Borough Council's planning committee will meet tomorrow to discuss the application to build
THE newest weapon in the fight to slow down drivers in built-up areas was unveiled by firefighters yesterday. Officers were at Stokesley Junior School with a £12,000 speed matrix sign, which has been bought by Hambleton Community Safety Partnership. If
AN elderly man suffered a broken leg when he was knocked down by a boy on a bike. The man, aged 78, had been collecting medication for his wife at a pharmacy in the Linthorpe area of Middlesbrough when the incident happened at about 4.40pm on Monday last
A TOWN hopes to launch a scheme to help tackle violence on its streets and in its pubs. Police say street violence and violence in pubs in Guisborough is on the increase but say the No Winners in this Fight campaign would help to improve the safety of
RELATIVES of a father and son who died in a car crash have asked mourners to dress brightly for their funeral. Shaun Gellatly, 28, and his father, Malcolm, or Mally, were larger than life characters and their family wants today's service to reflect that
VENITA PATTINSON - Community Award, sponsored by The Northern Echo: Venita Pattinson won her award for starting up a business which has had a dramatic impact on the lives of elderly people in one of the most rural areas of County Durham. She started Applejack
PAULINE YARKER - Training and Development award For Pauline Yarker, it was her work co-ordinating a lifelong training programme for prospective health service workers which earned her the award. Pauline is vocational training manager for South Tees Hospitals
THE team behind one of the region's largest business parks which is expected to create more than 12,000 jobs is celebrating after completing an important phase of the development. A further 96,000sq ft of office space is to be released after the completion
DENISE SKINNER - Juggler of the Year award: Denise Skinner won her prize for the remarkable way she juggles the different priorities in her life. A single mum from Darlington, she realised she required an income. Having been a trained hairdresser with
A DIOCESE which includes churches over a wide area of North and West Yorkshire ran up a deficit of £280,000 in its last financial year. There had been plans for a £190,000 shortfall on the basis of collecting a 100 per cent contribution from churches
The company redeveloping the Millennium Dome site has reported pre-tax profits up by 14.8 per cent at £16m. Quintain, which owns the Castlegate shopping centre, in Stockton, said it had experienced another successful year after gaining approval to develop
A SCHOOL has adopted the Great North Air Ambulance Service as one of its charities. Teesside Prep and High School, in Eaglescliffe, wants to help keep the lifesaving ambulance helicopter in the air. The school's Old Students Association has raised £200
A SCHOOL in Yarm has received an award for its achievements in the arts. Conyers School was awarded the Arts Mark Gold Award from the Arts Council of England in recognition of the commitment of students and teachers to the arts. The award was presented
SCHOOLS in County Durham have been chosen to help the Government test a new system of carrying out Ofsted inspections. Durham County Council is one of several local education authorities in the country piloting a radical new approach to the inspections
THE PD group is expected to be sold within the next few weeks. The Teesside operation has been put up for sale by its Japanese owner Nikko Principal Investments through investment bank NM Rothschild. The group - PD Ports, Logistics and Shipping - is being
David Allison has just been appointed director of Strategy for Success at regional development agency On NorthEast. Deputy Business Editor Julia Breen meets the man with the task of delivering the region's £200m vision of becoming a world leader in scientific
NETWORK Rail is in talks to hire a former wagonworks site in York, which it may turn into a maintenance operation. The company confirmed it is about to sign a 12-month deal to hire the site from Trinity Rail. Network Rail is also carrying out a feasibility
CAR dealership Pendragon is on track to beat annual profit forecasts. The group, based in Nottingham, bought rival CD Bramall for £230m in January and said the integration was ahead of schedule following the completion of the deal in February. Trading
CONVENIENCE chain Bells Stores has been named as one of the country's top employers. The North-East-based business has been nominated at the Learning and Skills Council's National Apprenticeship awards. The company is competing for the award against companies
BARBARA MADIGAN - Manager of the Year award: Barbara Madigan's journey to last Thursday night's award ceremony began five years ago when she started Abacus Care Nursing Services, a Darlington-based business. The idea for the business, an agency which
A TANKER driver is facing a lengthy jail sentence after admitting killing a father and son by crashing into the back of their horse-drawn caravan. Gerald Norman Grange, 50, of Norwood Close, Stockton, pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday to
NORTH-EAST farmer Neil Richmond reckons he can earn a large slice of financial pie by switching from heifers to hit records. He has launched the world's first website which allows fans to invest in promising bands. Bands from Latvia, Germany and the US
A radio company which recently bought out local stations across the region was yesterday toasting another acquisition. The Local Radio Company, which was set up by a group of former bosses at Jazz FM, doubled its stake in Lancashire station Two Boroughs
EUROPEAN novices Middlesbrough have been backed to ruffle a few feathers on the continent next season. The vote of confidence comes from the player whose penalty in the Carling Cup Final put Steve McClaren's men on the road to victory and their first
CHILDREN worried about making the transition from primary to secondary school will be helped by a film produced by students. The 40-minute film, called Going Up, will be available to all schools next month, after a successful premiere. It was made by
PUPILS at a Canadian school have launched a petition backing The Northern Echo's campaign to have a statue erected to forgotten Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski. More than 300 signatures have already been collected by children at the Andrew Mynarski
FORGOTTEN HERO APPEAL: ON behalf of the Cleveland and District Branch of the Aircrew Association, I would like to offer our support and thanks for The Northern Echo's recognition for a long neglected local wartime hero. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary
THE life of railway pioneer George Stephenson was recreated yesterday as an educational film was shot in the North-East. Preston Hall Museum, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, was the setting for the piece, called George Stephenson - This is Your Life.
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to encourage more people to give evidence against criminals in the North-East. The Local Criminal Justice Board in County Durham and Darlington is the first in the country to carry out such a detailed public consultation which
DURHAM have dropped last season's player of the year Gary Pratt and are to hand a debut to Kyle Coetzer in the championship match against Glamorgan starting at Cardiff tomorrow. Born in Aberdeen, 20-year-old Coetzer has played for Scotland and has scored
A CHARITY football match featuring famous ex-players is to be staged in the North-East. Crook Town will play a celebrity team at its Millfield ground on Saturday, July 3, for Cancer Research UK. The event has been organised by Crook captain Les Langley
A PROJECT that looks at the theme of portraits and identity is hoping to get the members of the public engaged with art. The project, by York artists, is on show as part of the Territories exhibition at the city's Yorkshire Museum. Organisers hope to
SUNDERLAND'S latest acquisition Dean Whitehead has revealed that his decision to move to the Stadium of Light was the easiest of his career. The 22-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Black Cats, and the Abingdon-born midfielder had no hesitation
A SCHOOLBOY who assaulted his teacher in the classroom has been given a last chance to behave. The 13-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, yesterday. Ciaran Grogan, prosecuting
BRASSED-off concert-goers walked out of a show by one of Britain's best-known bands when they were denied a rendition of its biggest hit. More than 100 people walked out of the Gala Theatre, in Durham City, during a performance by the Brighouse and Rastrick
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to encourage more people to give evidence against criminals in the North-East. The Local Criminal Justice Board in County Durham and Darlington is the first in the country to carry out such a detailed public consultation which
A NORTH-EAST father has criticised airport police who detained him under anti-terrorist laws after he attended a peaceful protest. The 32-year-old was stopped and questioned by a detective at Teesside International Airport after he got off a flight from
A PENSIONER has had a heart operation cancelled three times because of a lack of critical care beds. John Smailes has been waiting for surgery on an enlarged aortic aneurysm since February and doctors have told him unless he has the op he will die. But
THE most passionate and thrilling voices in Latin American music swept away an audience at Newcastle City Hall. If the evening was revelational to devotees, to any initiate, the experience was simply mind-blowing. Every synapse worked overtime, absorbing
THE property arena in general is complex and full of stringent rules and regulations. Anything that would simplify these processes regionally would be of huge benefit to the local property industry and, in turn, the local economy. I believe that having
Marks & Spencer has received a second proposal in relation to a possible offer. Philip Green has upped the stakes with a slightly less opaque revised offer of not less than 370p in cash per share. Again, this has been rebuffed by the M&S board
A report published by the Royal National Institute for the Blind in Scotland, called Beyond the Stereotypes, has confirmed what many employers probably already know - that discrimination against the blind and partially sighted is rife in the workplace
TEENAGERS are ready to represent the North-East in the UK final of a law contest. The pupils, aged 13 and 14, from Northfield School, Billingham, are to take part in The Citizenship Foundation Mock Trial Competition, in Birmingham next month, after winning
More than 60 pensioners in the North-East and North Yorkshire have won compensation because they were wrongly denied free long-term care on the NHS. Many patients forced to use their own cash for "post-hospital" care have had to sell their homes to pay
A quick one while on holiday in Wales with the celebrated Cynthia Payne, she of the liberal Luncheon Vouchers. She seemed quite a little madam - and rather a bored one, sitting back and thinking of England perhaps - until the conversation turned to George
Organisers are preparing for what is expected to be the biggest Durham County Show yet. Sunderland City Council staff are on hand to help with marshalling thousands of people at Herrington Country Park Chester-le-Street and Sunderland on July 17 and 18
A new machine at a North-East salon is revolutionising nail art, as Sarah Foster finds out. DEBORAH Allen has nails that just demand to be noticed. Long and shapely, they each bear a different pattern, from leopard print to peacock, and on closer examination
WE have consistently argued that there is an imbalance in the criminal justice system. The rights of the victims of crime are too often overshadowed by the rights of those who make their lives a misery. We therefore welcome today's launch of a campaign
The most famous PR man in the UK, Max Clifford, is guest speaker at a business event taking place in the region next month. North-East Business Writer of the Year Mike Parker reports. MAX CLIFFORD is the consummate professional. He has the unerring ability
WHAT are the greatest evils of our time? You might suggest the atomic bomb or the possibility of germ warfare; or abortion or football, or celebrities or EastEnders or opera in the park, or the national obsession with the mawkish also-ran Tim Henman.
PUPILS at a Canadian school have launched a petition backing The Northern Echo's campaign to have a statue erected to forgotten Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski. More than 300 signatures have already been collected by children at the Andrew Mynarski
A PATHOLOGICAL gambler who wrote dud cheques for computer equipment, which he then sold off to pay debts, won a reduction in his jail term yesterday. John Wendell Stout, 38, of North Bitchburn Terrace, Crook, County Durham, was jailed for three years
From the crime-ridden streets of Brixton, London, to the picturesque university city of Durham, new chief crown prosecutor Portia Ragnauth tells Liz Lamb how she hopes to make her mark on the region. WHEN Portia Ragnauth was a teenager she dreamed of
HEART patients have been given a huge cash boost from a tractor-run through some of the Wear Valley's favourite beauty spots. More than 80 vintage vehicles left Bill and Sheila Marley's farm, in North Bitchburn, last month for a drive to Hamsterley Forest
A SPATE of thefts from gardens is being investigated by police in Darlington. The Cockerton area was worst affected over the weekend, with garden furniture stolen from a house in Hensfield Grove, and a barbecue and ten silver solar lights from Aldgrove
A FIVE-YEAR plan to improve one of Darlington's important woodland areas is being drawn up by council officers. Cemetery Lane, a link between the Hummersknott estate and Carmel Road North, has been home to some of the area's oldest trees and an array
A COLLEGE student's ambitions are taking flight after he secured a sponsorship deal worth thousands of pounds. Lee Clark, who is studying for a Btec national sports diploma at Darlington College of Technology, is proving to be one of the town's best skateboarders
A JUDGE told a defendant he behaved like a caveman when he dragged his partner along a road after a row about how they should get home from the pub. Michael Russett caused injuries to the woman's stomach, right breast and arm during the incident in Barnard
STAFF at St Teresa's Hospice, in Darlington, are celebrating after a concert organised by Cockerton Methodist Church Ladies' Group raised £585 for their work. The group organised a musical night, with performances from Newcastle's Shiney Row Male Voice
THE late Sir Peter Ustinov opposed the closure of a department at the North-East university where he was chancellor. A few months before his death, the actor and raconteur wrote a letter expressing his views about Durham University's decision to axe its
THOUSANDS of council house tenants have added their voices to a debate on the future of their homes. After months of discussions over the future ownership and management of its housing stock, Wear Valley District Council is expected to reach a decision
AIR travel could be simple in 20 years' time if imaginative ideas dreamed up by pupils are put into practice. Year nine pupils from Wolsingham School and Community College toured Newcastle Airport before devising their plans for the next generation of
A CHARITY supporting people with osteoporosis has been given a £1,100 donation. Members of Soroptimist International of Thirsk and District raised the cash during the past year and decided to hand it over to the local National Osteoporosis Society (NOS
RELATIVES of a father and son who died in a car crash have asked mourners to dress brightly for their funeral. Shaun Gellatly, 28, and his father, Malcolm, or Mally, were larger than life characters and their family wants today's service to reflect that
A garden where monks grew herbs to help cure the sick is to be restored. Durham Cathedral Educational Resource Centre is built on a former medieval monastic hospital, and the infirmary's herb garden was sited where the centre's entrance yard now stands
THE Pyeroy Group, based in Gateshead, has won contracts worth nearly £4m on three construction projects due to start soon. The three tenders take the group's construction business through the £10m barrier for the first time this year. New work includes
CHILDREN will put their best foot forward for charity on Thursday when they take part in a Big Toddle to raise cash for Barnardo's. About 20 children from Borrowby Playgroup, in Knayton, near Thirsk, will take part in the Foresters Big Toddle by walking
A RESIDENTS association has launched a membership drive. Old Thornaby Residents Association (OTRA) is looking for people in the town's Victoria ward to join them. It holds its annual meeting on Monday, July 5, at 7pm in St Andrew's Mission, Mansfield
A photograph on a squaddie's mobile phone landed him behind bars on sex charges. The nude picture of a girl was taken in the young gunner's barracks room. Teesside Crown Court was told Terry Ballentine, 18, handed the mobile to an Army guard when police
JUDITH HEALEY - Creative Product/Service award: None of the award winners can have had quite as personal a reason to celebrate their success as Judith Healey. Her award was for producing a range of designer handbags based on ideas created by her mother
NEARLY 100 workers, including some from this region, will be sent to work for oil company Shell thanks to an £8m contract with a North-East company. Wolviston, based in Stockton, has won a contract with Shell to be one of only four agencies to provide
THE late Sir Peter Ustinov opposed the closure of a department at the North-East university where he was chancellor. A few months before his death, the actor and raconteur wrote a letter expressing his views about Durham University's decision to axe its
Police launched a murder inquiry today after finally identifying human remains found dumped in a lay-by more than seven years ago. Parts of a human skeleton were discovered by the side of the A6033 in the picturesque village of Oxenhope, near Keighley
The UK's biggest mortgage lender today doubled its forecast for house price rises before the end of the year but said it still expected the market to slow. Halifax is now predicting property prices will end 2004 16 per cent higher than they started it
NEARLY 100 workers, including some from this region, will be sent to work for oil company Shell thanks to an £8m contract with a North-East company. Wolviston, based in Stockton, has won a contract with Shell to be one of only four agencies to provide
JEANETTE WATSON - Against Adversity awar: Jeanette Watson won this award for her role in creating a scheme, against the odds, to help children in Darlington. StarKids 2000, in Nickstream Lane, was the brainchild of local mother-of-three Jeanette, who
Play worker, £5ph, 3pm to 6.15pm Mon-Fri, should have NVQ 2 or Cache 2 or equivalent in childcare, or some experience working with children. Ref: DAE 39590. In-store demonstrator, £45 per day, one to three days pw, must be educated to GCSE Grade C or
HEALTH workers are celebrating after scoring top marks for safety in the workplace. Three staff from Derwentside Primary Care Trust (PCT) passed an Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) course. Anne Edwards, committee co-ordinator at Derwentside
A CRACKDOWN on drink-fuelled crime and disorder is to be expanded after a pilot scheme more than halved offences in pubs and clubs. Durham Constabulary has introduced a team to monitor licensed premises in its north division, which takes in the districts
Only one in five employees on long-term sick leave return to full-time work. Barry Nelson discovered how the public and private sectors are working together to address the problem. CONTRARY to popular belief, the vast majority of people who are off sick
BIRD watchers are venturing into the woods at the dead of night to see if the nightjar is continuing to make a comeback in the region. The Forestry Commission is taking part in a national survey of nightjars, a migratory nocturnal bird known for its churring
A schoolgirl spent four days in hospital suffering from terrible burns to her legs caused by a common plant growing next to a North-East river. Now her parents are campaigning to make people aware of the threat caused by this plant, and council workers
CONSIDER yourself invited to a production of the classic musical, Oliver! Children from Park View Community School, Chester-le-Street, have converted their theatre to look like Dickensian London. An all-singing, all-dancing cast of 60 year seven and eight
THE PD group is expected to be sold within the next few weeks. The Teesside operation has been put up for sale by its Japanese owner Nikko Principal Investments through investment bank NM Rothschild. The group - PD Ports, Logistics and Shipping - is being
A HEARTBROKEN family has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the loss of their third child. Ten-year-old Catherine Readshaw, whose courageous struggle has inspired fundraising for cancer and hospital charities, died at home on Sunday. Her sister, Ann-Marie
BUILDERS uncovered a skull and and a separate human skeleton yesterday while working on a house extension. Police were alerted at lunchtime after the remains were found close to where an Anglo-Saxon mass burial site was found last year. Archaeologists
GILLIAN BAKER - Networker of the Year award: Winning her award was confirmation for Gillian Baker that the way she works is the way to grow a business. Gillian is a partner in TSM Audio, of Brunswick Street, Stockton, which she runs with fellow partner
SCENES from a film about the 1995 nerve gas attack on the Japanese underground are to be shot on the Tyneside Metro system next week. Film-makers will use Metro tunnels to recreate the attack, which killed 11 and left 5,000 injured following the release
EMMA PINDER and STACEY NOTTINGHAM - Young Entrepreneurs of the Year award: Winners Emma Pinder and Stacey Nottingham have designs on success - literally. Emma, 25, and Stacey, 23, who run Bombshell Design, in the Queen's Court Business Centre, Middlesbrough
ENERGY group Centrica announced last night that it was in talks to sell its AA motoring organisation. The British Gas owner bought the AA from members for £1.1bn five years ago. It is thought the proposed sale will help fund acquisitions in the electricity
