Durham have placed senior player John Watson in caretaker charge for their game at Horden today. Watson was handed the caretaker job after previous boss Billy Cruddas decided to quit on Thursday night. Chairman Stewart Dawson said: "We're pleased that
MALCOLM CHRISTIE has attempted to cover up the disappointment of more injury heartache by claiming his Middlesbrough teammates can claim a Champions League place without him. Christie is still coming to terms with the fact that he will miss the rest of
TONY BLAIR put the North-East in the election spotlight yesterday by unveiling the six pledges he hopes will secure him an unprecedented third term as Prime Minister. He arrived by helicopter at his party's spring conference at the Sage, in Gateshead,
A COUNTY Durham company is winning orders and has seen turnover double thanks to help from an export scheme in the region. IMS Engineering, of Tursdale, Durham, specialises in the design and manufacture of chain conveyors for the glass and recycling industry
QUEEN Victoria loved a good sermon; it probably kept her amused. When the first Rector of Etherley produced a whole, wholesome book of them, Her Majesty bought 33 copies. She should have heard Peter Holland. We knew Peter when he was Vicar of Tudhoe,
EMMERDALE is the soap winner when it comes to house prices, with property values in the Yorkshire Dales soaring by 714 cent in the past 20 years. In the heart of the Dales, house prices in Emmerdale have increased by 4,290 per cent, from £4,689 when the
Nearly 700 staff at department store chain Allders have been made redundant. Kroll, which took control of the company last month, announced 461 job cuts at the stores and a further 209 at Allders' headquarters in Croydon, south London. The redundancies
TRANSPORT group Arriva made another European acquisition yesterday. The company, based in Sunderland, is paying £17.5m for one of Germany's largest privately-owned bus companies. Sippel Group, which runs public transport in the Rhine-Main area, which
THE true comedy on Friday nights is far away from the promised land of BBC1. Who wants 29 Minutes of Fame when you can have Colin And Justin's How Not To Decorate (five, 9pm). My wife has spent the past two weeks constantly, saying "They can't say that
DURHAM Musical Theatre Company's version of the Frank Loesser Broadway musical is a show bursting with sin, gambling and more than a smattering of crap games. There is plenty of talent on show from an experienced cast performing the company's 110th production
DESPITE an ever-increasing unavailable list, manager Steve McClaren has light-heartedly moved to reassure fans that Middlesbrough will not be following the lead set by the class of 1996. The unfortunate Malcolm Christie, only recently back in the fold
PUPILS are being given the opportunity to increase their studies following a link-up with a Darlington college. The Gifted and Talented scheme links Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College to year ten and year 11 pupils from schools across the town. The children
A YOUNG man launched a campaign to torment a taxi driver after a road-rage incident, a court heard yesterday. Darlington Youth Court heard how Scott Brian Kirwan, 18, of Thirlmere Road, Darlington, hurled abuse at taxi driver Michael Kennedy and damaged
PUPILS at a Darlington school have presented a cheque for £340 to children's charity the NSPCC. The year seven students from Hurworth School of Maths and Computing gave the cheque to Jan Dowling, of the NSPCC, on Wednesday. The money was raised by the
A CENTENARIAN keeps young by spending time with her energetic brood of grandchildren. Edie Martin, who was 100 yesterday, loves having the youngest members of her family around her at home on the Woodhouse Close Estate, Bishop Auckland. She has nine great
A JILTED man who sent menacing text messages to his ex-girlfriend has been warned by a judge to stay away from her - even though their homes back on to one another. Trent O'Neil, 40, was given a 12-month conditional discharge and a restraining order forbidding
A DRIVE to rid Sedgefield's streets of dumped cars is to be extended. Sedgefield Borough Council joined almost 200 local authorities across the country to declare an amnesty on abandoned or unwanted vehicles for two weeks in January. The council's offer
A DRUG supplier was caught when two beat policemen walked past and heard him setting up a deal on his mobile phone. Kevin Richard Smith, 40, was sitting in a relative's car with the window down when he asked the caller: "How many rocks do you want, mate
COUNCILLORS have been advised to give their approval to an unauthorised caravan site operating in a village near Darlington. Croft and District Working Men's Club and Institute has applied for planning permission to use land in Hurworth Road, Hurworth
A DRUG addict died after being treated in hospital for deep vein thrombosis caused by heroin abuse, an inquest has heard. Clifford Harker, 37, of Kelfield Avenue, Pallister Park, Middlesbrough, was taken to the James Cook University Hospital on Wednesday
A SHOPLIFTER must serve the rest of a previous custodial sentence after he stole from the same store on successive days. Glen Wilson, 20, stole two bottles of spirits from Asda, in Peterlee, east Durham, on January 5 and took three the following day.
BOSSES at three town centre pubs owned by the same family firm are looking to take advantage of relaxed licensing laws. Hartlepool-based Birotex wants to extend opening times at Bar Paris, Loons and Time and Tide until 2am every day. The pubs are thought
AN ancient tree in the Yorkshire Dales that had been earmarked for the chop has been spared. Founder of the Methodists, John Wesley, is said to have preached under the branches of the 500-year-old oak in Redmire, Wensleydale. The tree was facing the axe
THE council tax levied upon people with second homes in North Yorkshire is being pumped back into local communities. More than 40 cash grants have been awarded to projects across the county, ranging from £300 to £10,000. Among the successful applications
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to shut down a youth caf after complaints from traders of yobbish behaviour. Town centre shopkeeers in Kirkgate, Ripon, say that Ripskys youth caf is in the wrong place and that they are losing business. Jim Vauvert's shop
A BEER for gluten-intolerant drinkers has been launched by an independent brewery. Hambleton Ales, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, said the gluten and wheat-free beer was the first of its kind brewed in Britain. Brewery owner Nick Stafford said: "We have
CHILDREN are invited to sign a series of half-term holiday art workshops in Darlington. The sessions take place at Darlington Arts Centre from Tuesday to Friday, between 10.30am and 12.15pm or 1.30pm and 3.30pm and cost £5 per child. For more details
TWO teenage Albanian refugees are warming to life in Sedgefield by training as welders and improving their English skills. Alfie Lashi, 17, and Chris Noka, 16, have started pre-apprenticeship training programmes which have secured them jobs with a Newton
A PENSIONER was saved by fellow patients after suffering a heart attack at cardiac support group. Ted Reilly, 67, was attending the first of his classes recommended to help him recover from a quadruple heart bypass. The massive attack stopped his heart
ONE of Shakespeare's plays is coming to The Arc centre, in Stockton. Actor David Edwards will direct and play leading character Angelo in the Boss Theatre production of Measure for Measure. The play, described as Shakespeare's most controversial as it
AN axe-wielding drunk who threatened to "chop up" a three-month-old baby was jailed yesterday. Liam Dove, 23, had been released from a two-and-a-half- year sentence for wounding only a few months before he targeted a family in Ernest Street, Boldon Colliery
ARMED police were called out when a drunken man chased a police officer with a 12-inch carving knife, a court was told yesterday. Mark McManus, 25, ran amok after drinking at home with his wife and neighbours, said Aisha Wadoodi, prosecuting. His wife
Spin-off TV programmes may be acceptable but copycats are now going too far - and could end up in court. Wannabe budding tycoons compete against each other to win a highly-paid job with one of the country's top entrepreneurs. If the format sounds familiar
AN advice and guidance service has been praised for helping to cut unemployment among young people. The Connexions Service in North Yorkshire has helped reduce the number of young people not in education, training or employment by 23 per cent from 2003
CHRIS Tomlinson will make his seasonal bow at Sheffield this weekend, hoping that 2005 will bring the "one big jump" that would have earned him an Olympic medal last year. The Middlesbrough long jumper is currently ranked sixth in the world after a series
YOUNG villagers in a community where time has stood still for two years will lead the way in a project to get their church clock working again. The Trimdon War Memorial Clock, installed at St Paul's Church, Trimdon Station, County Durham, in 1950, seized
AS Cilla Black sang in other circumstances, "What's it all about, Alfie?". I'd bet that most of the audience left The Studio debut of York University's Out Of The Blue theatre company asking themselves what on earth had been going on. Caryl Churchill's
COUNCIL officials are to make a renewed plea to British Telecom not to scrap payphones in rural areas, saying the proposals could put lives at risk. The company is planning to remove 297 of the 1,805 payphones in North Yorkshire as part of a national
YOUNG boxer Rebecca French is on the ropes -before she has even swung a punch. The talented 16-year-old fighter is fully trained, has her Amateur Boxing Association medical card, yet cannot find an opponent to face her. Rebecca is so good she even outclasses
museum staff who have rejected a management pay offer are planning industrial action. But bosses at one of the region's most popular attractions, York's National Railway Museum, say they hope to remain open, despite next week's one-day strike. The museum
AN investigation has been launched by the Environment Agency after a tanker spewed oil over a village park and residential gardens. One family's garden had to be completely dug up to remove contamination after the spill in Melsonby, North Yorkshire, on
THE future of the North-East will come under the spotlight tonight as The Northern Echo hosts a conference fringe meeting. The meeting is titled Life After the Big 'No': Where Does the North-East Go From Here?, which refers to last year's resounding referendum
FAMILIES of the Red Caps massacred in Iraq last night vowed to fight to have inquests into how they died after the Army admitted no staff will be punished for what happened. The men, all from 156 Provost Company, were killed by an Iraqi mob as they manned
A POLICE force blitz on crime in known hotspots is starting to pay dividends, according to new figures. The latest statistics released by Cleveland Police show a reduction of 273 recorded offences last month compared with the same period in the previous
A DISABLED man who sexually abused two young girls over three years has walked free from court. Robert Lawson Guy, 41, was spared jail and given a three-year community rehabilitation order after a judge heard how he desperately wanted help to prevent
DESPITE an ever-increasing unavailable list, manager Steve McClaren has light-heartedly moved to reassure fans that Middlesbrough will not be following the lead set by the class of 1996. The unfortunate Malcolm Christie, only recently back in the fold
TRANSPORT group Arriva made another European acquisition yesterday. The company, based in Sunderland, is paying £17.5m for one of Germany's largest privately-owned bus companies. Sippel Group, which runs public transport in the Rhine-Main area, which
MORE than 300 people packed into a North-East church yesterday to say their farewells to a 24-year-old sportsman who died suddenly during a game of football. Family, friends and sporting colleagues gathered at St Batholomew's Church at Sunderland Bridge
WHATEVER happens at Bolton's Reebok Stadium this evening, Middlesbrough fans can at least console themselves with the knowledge that their club is top of one table. Chelsea might be striding clear at the top of the Premiership but, when it comes to injuries
NEALE COOPER appears to have made the right choice when deciding to turn his back on after-dinner speaking in an attempt to prove his worth as a manager at Hartlepool United. Now, instead of doing a turn in front of gathered rooms, comedian Cooper chooses
ONLY 48 hours after returning from active service in Iraq, a soldier was killed in a road accident. Mark Dixon, 22, from South View, in Meadowfield, Durham City, sustained massive head injuries when his car veered off the road in Bearpark, just outside
Bishop Auckland manager Brian Honour believes his side can still escape relegation, starting with a home win over Ossett Town today. Even though Bishops are ten points adrift of Premier Division safety, Honour thinks they can pick up enough points from
STEVE CALDWELL'S moaning has improved since he struck up a partnership with Gary Breen at Sunderland - but reckons his skippers is still a lot worse. "We're both moaners, but Breeny is a bigger moaner than me, and I'm sure the rest of the lads will agree
ONE of the region's largest business organisations last night threw its weight behind GNER to win the East Coast Mainline rail franchise. The North East Chamber of Commerce said most businesses in the region backed the York-based rail operator to keep
Property developer Rok Property Solutions is closing a plastics business after failing to sell it. Rok, which recently opened offices on Teesside and in Newcastle, blamed a lack of market appetite for the closure of the SpaceAge Plastics operation in
TONY BLAIR stepped out of his helicopter and breezed up the steps into The Sage, his brilliant white shirt shining out amid the grey Gateshead day. From across the river, he might have heard - if not seen - the blare of hunting horns from the modest number
A DATE has been announced for the inquest into the death of a North-East woman who died after routine tonsil surgery using controversial disposable instruments. Its outcome could decide whether the Government's medical advisors were right to tell surgeons
TONY BLAIR put the North-East in the election spotlight yesterday by unveiling the six pledges he hopes will secure him an unprecedented third term as Prime Minister. He arrived by helicopter at his party's spring conference at the Sage, in Gateshead,
IT might be a tough call for Joe Allon, but the lure of the Premiership sways it. The Hartlepool United legend may have a slight case of split loyalties this afternoon when two of his old clubs go head to head with a place in the fifth round of the FA
'I TOLD you so' - that was Darlington manager David Hodgson's stark message to the stay-away fans who have brought chairman Stewart Davies to the brink of selling the club. As crowds continue to dwindle at the Williamson Motors Stadium, Hodgson has expressed
London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games comes under scrutiny next week. The new Wembley Stadium forms part of the bid and Sports Editor Nick Loughlin visited the site which is due to open early next year. AS Great Britain's Olympians prepare to meet and
HOWLE HILL (3.00) has an excellent each-way chance at odds of around 20-1 in this afternoon's richest race, the £125,000 Tote-sponsored Gold Trophy. Alan King's classy dual-purpose performer has been in action on the Flat of late, picking up a valuable
A DATE has been announced for the inquest into the death of a North-East woman who died after routine tonsil surgery using controversial disposable instruments. Its outcome could decide whether the Government's medical advisors were right to tell surgeons
TOWNSFOLK both young and old have made massive efforts to help raise money for the Asian tsunami appeal. A motorbike rider, with only one leg, joined a cross-country trek to raise money. Ian Charlton, from Darlington, right, joined 2,000 other bikers
A TROUBLED school which has one of the highest exclusion rates and worst exam results in the region could be saved by a partnership with one of the most successful. Education chiefs are looking at the possibility of a federation between the highly-acclaimed
A MAGIC group is hoping to conjure up some support across town. The Darlington Magic Circle was formed in September last year, after existing unofficially since 1989. It now has 16 full-time members. The circle has four professional magicians, but also
AS the Labour Party's spring conference puts the political spotlight on the North-East, it is a time for members to look ahead to the forthcoming election and a potential third term in power. But it is also an opportunity to take a look back at the dedicated
CHILDREN dressed in the colours of the South African flag yesterday to welcome a visitor from the country. Pupils from West View, Greatham, Eldon Grove and St Hild's primary schools in the borough of Hartlepool met the headteacher of Imperial primary
A NORTH-EAST university has unveiled £14m in help for students, to be introduced when the Government's student finance arrangements come into force in September next year. Sunderland University's scholarship scheme offers financial help to all full-time
THE demolition of derelict houses on a troubled council estate is in its final stages. Only one and a half streets are left standing in Grangetown, Middlesbrough, after Redcar and Cleveland Council bought the property back from residents. Paul Tuffs,
A DRAMA group has cancelled a stage version of the 'King and I' because the same play is being performed in a nearby town. Despite recent storm damage to the Forum Theatre in Billingham, the Stockton Stage Society were set to go ahead with their production
ELDERLY and disabled people are being urged by an MP to claim free gas and electricity services. All energy suppliers provide help for customers, including bills in Braille or on audio, adaptations to make controls easier to use, a password scheme to
A GANG used cloned credit cards on a North-East shopping spree, a court has been told. The four, from West Yorkshire, ran up a bill of £1,141 in little under an hour in Durham stores. After suspicions were aroused, they were approached by police on Elvet
POLICE are investigating after vandals caused £500 damage on an allotment site. About ten poly tunnels were slashed and greenhouse windows were broken on Newton Hall Allotment Association's land near Bek Hall, Newton Hall, on Monday night. Association
EMPLOYERS are being helped to go smoke-free thanks to the appointment this week of an expert. The appointment of Mark Hollander as a smoke-free public places project worker will realise the vision of the three local authorities in County Durham and two
EASINGTON MP John Cummings has welcomed a substantial increase in funding for frontline NHS services in his constituency. Following the announcement that the Government has allocated £43.5m over the next three years for Easington, he said: "This is great
A CONCERTED attempt to bring more lucrative business conferences to Durham will get under way next week. A team from the Destination Durham project is heading to London for the UK's biggest conference trade fair, at Earls Court. Team members Margery Gill
POLICE have thwarted a plot to smuggle crack cocaine into the region from London, a court was told yesterday. Police surveillance on Teesside led to observation of a meeting in Leeds between two Thornaby men and two men from London, who were jailed at
PROCEEDS from a college's Christmas fair have been donated to a Durham hospice. Every Christmas, East Durham and Houghall Community College stages an event, and it was decided the money raised from last year's should go to St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham
BUSINESSES are being warned to be on their guard against firms cold-calling to gain sponsorship for school drug education packs. David Uffindall, drug education consultant for the education service at North Yorkshire County Council, has already received
WITH it being Valentine's season, couples are being offered the chance of a spectacular setting for their wedding. Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, is hosting a wedding open day next Saturday, from 10am to 4pm. It is being billed as a chance for couples to
STUDENTS from a Darlington school spent their winter in Russia as part of an exchange visit. Nine Hummersknott School and Language College pupils visited their partner school in St Petersburg, to improve their language skills. The trip comes after the
DEVELOPERS facing claims that a homes scheme would swamp a rural community are resisting public pressure to alter their plans. At a meeting in St John's Chapel, on Thursday night, members of the public said that Dere Street's bid to build 51 houses behind
A RESPECTED computer engineer who downloaded child pornography from the Internet narrowly avoided prison yesterday. Ralph Cummings, 52, his wife and their son were arrested after five computers were seized from their home of 25 years in Thornley, east
MARKET organisers have switched South Durham towns to escape a council's threat of legal action. Nobles Promotions has pulled the plug on Sunday markets in Spennymoor, and will move to Bishop Auckland, at the end of the month. The company was told to
A campaign has been launched to get people off the sofa and burn calories while banishing any stress. The Forestry Commission wants to get more people into the woods - and their head man in North Yorkshire is leading the way. Mountain bike fanatic Alan
'I TOLD you so' - that was Darlington manager David Hodgson's stark message to the stay-away fans who have brought chairman Stewart Davies to the brink of selling the club. As crowds continue to dwindle at the Williamson Motors Stadium Hodgson has expressed
ENGINEERING students have been given a chance to exchange ideas with youngsters in France and Germany. EU funding has been secured for the Comenius Project, an initiative between Redcar and Cleveland College and three overseas sites. It is designed to
YORK is in line for a Last Night of the Proms-style concert to be held during the Royal Ascot Week in the city, in June. Behind the venture is Scarborough businessman Don Robinson who is planning to stage the event at York City football ground, at KitKat
In a new version of Bouncers, actor Andy Brady takes on no less than six roles. He talks to Steve Pratt about the challenge. THE last time actor Andy Brady worked with Harrogate Theatre director Hannah Chissick, he played both a cow and a giant. He also
DARLINGTON Mowden Park will forget the grudge element when they visit Blaydon today and attempt to launch their bid for National Three North safety by playing fluent rugby. Mowden can almost trace their troubles back to the late November day when this
NORTH-EAST ASSEMBLY: IT IS all very well the leaders of the councils in County Durham opposing the North-East Assembly's Regional Spatial Strategy, which would promote Tyneside and Teesside, and marginalise County Durham (HAS, Feb 9). All they have to
SWEET revenge beckons for Well Chief (3.35), fancied to topple one of his arch-rivals, Azertyuiop, in Newbury's eagerly-anticipated Game Spirit Chase. Instead of waiting for next month's Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, trainers
JAMES Milner is hoping to force his way into Graeme Souness' first-team plans after the Newcastle boss underlined his commitment to keep the teenager at St James' Park. Milner's former club, Leeds United, raised the possibility of taking the 19-year-old
A LURCHER puppy that had been badly beaten and abused was dumped outside a police station in a carrier bag. Sandy was picked up by Hartlepool Council after he was found at the town's police station, and was taken in by the Dogs Trust Darlington rehoming
THREE hospital trusts in the region have lost out on a £100,000 Government bonus because they have failed to hit a target aimed at ending long waits in casualty departments. Six of the nine acute trusts in the North-East and North Yorkshire are treating
IT MIGHT be an old adage, but Mick McCarthy believes you don't have to be mad to be a goalkeeper, but it certainly helps. The Sunderland boss feels none of his shot-stoppers are suffering from the eccentric tendencies that plague some goalkeepers, but
For almost 150 years the British and French fought over the island of St Lucia. It had changed hands 14 times when power was finally ceded to the British. It didn't take me long to see why neither wished to let go of this island paradise. Whether it is
Q I am severely disabled, receiving Disability Living Allowance for care and mobility. I also have £179.20 a week Incapacity Benefit and Income Support, including an allowance for the interest on my mortgage. What worries me is that, when I am 60 next
FEARS of chaos on the streets of Tyneside proved unfounded as the first day of Labour's spring conference passed peacefully yesterday. A smaller-than-expected crowd of 1,500 Countryside Alliance demonstrators staged a noisy but trouble-free protest against
DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott returned to the North-East yesterday, the scene of last year's resounding referendum defeat, and launched what may be Labour's last major gathering before an election with a boisterous and defiant speech. His main message
A THEATRE is hoping for another successful year, with the announcement of its spring programme. The Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, says it is catering for all tastes in coming months, through a miexture of comedy, drama, jazz, folk, dance, classical
DURHAM'S new skipper Mike Hussey, who is enjoying an excellent season in Australia, will link up with his new teammates on a pre-season tour of the United Arab Emirates. Durham also expect to include Paul Collingwood and Stephen Harmison in a squad of
It was one of the most destructive single actions of the Second World War, and 60 years on is still the subject of fierce arguments over whether it was justified. Nick Morrison looks at the bombing of Dresden. IT was known as "Florence on the Elbe", a
HOME secretary Charles Clarke was confronted by an angry band of pro-hunt supporters in North Yorkshire yesterday. He was looking at the work of Thirsk Clock Caf, a youth club in the market town offering teenagers a meeting place and advice centre. But
CHILDREN have composed a song commemorating the brave actions of a once-forgotten Second World War hero. Youngsters at Middleton St George School, near Darlington, wrote the piece about Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski with the help of teacher and composer
FEARS of chaos on the streets of Tyneside proved unfounded as the first day of Labour's spring conference passed peacefully yesterday. A smaller-than-expected crowd of 1,500 Countryside Alliance demonstrators staged a noisy but trouble-free protest against
