EIGHTIES pop duo the Pet Shop Boys have announced they will give a free concert for 14,000 fans - in a North-East shipyard. The electronic music specialists will team up with the Northern Sinfonia orchestra to perform a live version of their soundtrack
ENGINEERING group Amec confirmed plans to split itself in two yesterday after a poor performance from its UK construction division depressed full-year results. The company, which employs about 400 people in Darlington, will look to complete the sale of
A YOUNG show dog has brought a Crufts prize back to the region for the second successive year. Louie, a two-year-old from Middlestone Moor, near Spennymoor, County Durham, was reserve best dog in the Bedlington terrier section in this year's event, in
MORE than 500 banking jobs are under threat - including 39 in the North-East - after Lloyds TSB announced plans to close five back office operations. The bank, which axed almost 1,000 jobs when it closed its Newcastle call centre in 2004, said more than
THE clock on the plasma screen said 10.30, I had just missed breakfast and the phone rang. 'Hello Paul, I'm calling from Sky Sports News, is there any chance I can quiz you for a few minutes?' said the chap at the other end of the phone, whose name I
'The word 'power' means they fight," explained my four-year-old grandson with schoolmasterly gravity. We were on the train coming north - he was spending a few days with us, all by himself - and I was finding out more than I ever wanted to know about
YOUNGSTERS at Beaumont Hill Technology College have been praised for their efforts to get more young people recycling. For the past eight months, a group of pupils has been encouraging children and staff at the school to recycle aluminium cans. So far
THE PARENTS of a North Yorkshire soldier heard today how he was probably knocked unconscious by a blow from a rifle butt before being fatally shot in the chest by an Iraqi mob. Lance Corporal Benjamin McGowan Hyde, 23, was one of six Royal Military Policemen
A NEW youth drop-in centre aimed at combating anti- social behaviour has received a another cash boost. The YMCA in Galgate, Barnard Castle, recently achieved its funding target to enable refurbishment of the premises. Now, a further £2,000 has been committed
A RURAL heritage centre which had to close when it ran out of money has been given a boost in its campaign to open again - by a commercial film director. George Lambelle was so impressed when he visited the project at Middleton-in-Teesdale, near Barnard
STAFF and young people at a secure unit are celebrating a smoke free year. The unit, at Aycliffe Young People's Centre, in Newton Aycliffe, introduced a no- smoking policy for all staff, visitors and young people in March while attempting to gain the
FUNDRAISERS have been digging deep to finance a sports tour of New Zealand by selling thousands of summer flower bulbs. More than £30,000 is needed to send 14 girls, 25 boys and six staff, from Barnard Castle School, on a three-week hockey and rugby tour
CHANGES to what was once a grammar school are to play a key role in improving community facilities. The Grammar School, in Wath, near Ripon, was created in 1691 and was closed in 1974. It is now used by a number of local groups. Now a single storey extension
SHOPPERS were being urged to get into the habit of buying goods from countries in the developing world in Middlesbrough yesterday. Jenny Medhurst donned a monk's habit at the Fairtrade stall at the Middlesbrough Community Environment Day, in Captain Cook
COUNCILLORS say they are "disgusted'' that plans to revamp the centre of a former pit village have not won full funding. The Esh Winning 2000 Partnership and Durham County and city councils have drawn up a £320,000 scheme to improve the centre of Esh
FOR most 16-year-olds at Laurence Jackson school, Thursday morning means a mixture of English, French and maths. For Paul Drinkhall, though, it will mark another significant step in his table tennis education. The Loftus-based teenager is the youngest
FOUR managers from leading voluntary organisations have received a national vocational qualification in management at level three or above. They work for Stockton Parents Support, Redcar and Cleveland VDA, Teesside and District Society for the Blind,
TINY cameras are to be hidden at flytipping hotspots to catch people who dump rubbish illegally. Hambleton Community Safety Partnership has taken delivery of the cameras, which are linked to a computer system. The cameras are the latest pieces of equipment
TRAVEL writers and broadcasters from the UK will spend two days sampling accommodation and attractions in Weardale, County Durham, in May. The tour was commissioned by Wear Valley District Council
A COUPLE who met through their membership of the Salvation Army yesterday celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Thomas and Freda Raine attended the Sherburn Hill and Newfield congregations respectively when they met in 1936. Mrs Raine, who lives
A YOUNGSTER made the mistake of asking an undercover police officer to buy them drink during an operation to tackle disorder outside a supermarket. The initiative was set up by Newcastle police after problems at the Co-op in Newburn Road, Throckley. Staff
THE new Archbishop of York will preside over his first consecration of a bishop. The Most Reverend Dr John Sentamu will install the new Bishop of Sherwood at a service in York Minster at 11am on Tuesday. The bishop-to-be, Canon Anthony Porter, was formerly
A COUNCILLOR is to lodge a complaint against his authority to the Local Government Ombudsman. Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Swainston said he was also going to refer Darlington Borough Council to the Audit Commission over its spending on publicity
TOSS a coin into the Trevi Fountain and it is said you will certainly return to Rome. After the greeting supporters of Middlesbrough Football Club received in the Italian capital, it is fair to assume it is the last place they would deposit their euros
A VILLAGE community association is preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a glimpse into its past and its future. Woodham Village Community Association will mark two decades of the group and community centre with a celebration event on Saturday
A FORMER policeman has been made the leader of a Freemasons' lodge. Ex-CID officer Keith Roberts, who has been a Freemason for 14 years, is the new Worshipful Master of the 130-year-old Handyside Lodge of Freemasons, in Saltburn. Mr Roberts was a detective
A MUSIC organisation is to stage its fourth anniversary show this weekend. About 25 acts will perform at the Lamplight Arts Centre, in Stanley, from 7pm on Sunday, in a showcase organised by music group talentSTAR. The bands, singers and dancers won their
PARENTS are being asked for their opinions about a new baby care facility to open in May. The baby room at the Green Lane Nursery, in Barnard Castle, will offer care for pre-nursery babies. Green Lane Nursery manager, Christine Bell, said the facility
MORE than 200 people attended the first public event organised by a Fairtrade forum. The Richmond group held a tasting at the town's Oxfam shop on Saturday. "It was a very successful day," said Gillian Howells, the acting co-ordinator of the newly-formed
COLLEGE students and staff got their walking boots on to raise funds to help a colleague on to the road to recovery following a road smash. Aaron McKean, 18, a student from the uniformed services course at Derwentside College, in Consett, was having a
WINDOWS will be filled with pictures of mothers as a shopping centre gears up for Mothering Sunday. Adams and BHS, in the Prince Bishops Centre, Durham, will showcase the art from school pupils across the district. The centre's Put Mum in the Picture
SCHOOL children will be VIPs when they re-open a village store following a £60,000 make-over. The Co-op, in Front Street, Sacriston, will close at 8pm tomorrow to be converted into the firm's Welcome format. It will re-open on Monday, with the official
NORTH EAST hopes of victory in Cheltenham's £230,000 World Hurdle rest squarely on the shoulders of Howard Johnson's No Refuge (3.15). The Graham and Andrea Wylie-owned gelding is bidding to supplement the sought-after three-miler to last year's SunAlliance
MIDDLESBROUGH'S players ensured that the club's trip to Rome will be remembered for all the right reasons after they dumped once-mighty Roma out of the UEFA Cup last night. After the ugly events of the previous night outside the Stadio Olimpico, Middlesbrough's
A WOMAN accused of supplying the heroin substitute methadone to a homeless man who died has walked free from court after the case against her collapsed. Claire Winter, 24, of Embledon Walk, Stockton, denied supplying Joseph Patrick James Smyth with the
TONY Blair was accused of "walking out" on the Labour Party last night after winning a Commons vote on his flagship Education Bill with Conservative support. Fifty-two Labour backbenchers rebelled against the Prime Minister's plans to create independent
BEN Clark surveyed the scene of Hartlepool's first defeat under caretaker boss Paul Stephenson and admitted he felt as if he had been 'kicked in the teeth'. Glanford Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Pool and Clark. Pool have not recorded an
BIODIESEL producer D1 Oils has opened its new global headquarters bringing almost 40 jobs to the region. The company was based in Stockton but has moved to Middlesbrough's Riverside Park site, where it will also manufacture up to 32,000 tonnes of biodiesel
MIDDLESBROUGH'S players ensured that the club's trip to Rome will be remembered for all the right reasons after they dumped once-mighty Roma out of the UEFA Cup last night. After the ugly events of the previous night outside the Stadio Olimpico, Middlesbrough's
A FORMER NHS worker wielded fire extinguishers during an attack on a senior official of a North Yorkshire primary care trust (PCT), a court heard yesterday. Harrogate magistrates were told how Kevin Millar, head of learning disabilities at Craven, Harrogate
ONE of the three North-East football fans stabbed when extremist hooligans went on the rampage in Rome is a man at the centre of one of the region's most notorious killings. The Northern Echo can reveal that a 39-year-old Middlesbrough fan who was the
A COUPLE yesterday admitted neglecting a pregnant cat, but despite already breaching a ban on keeping animals for life, they will escape jail. Alan and Marie Humphrey admitted keeping three cats at their Darlington home. RSPCA officers said they have
TEAMS of undercover underage "drinkers" have helped to slash illegal sales of booze to youngsters, a report claimed yesterday. Now the policy looks likely to be extended in the hope it will have similar effects on sales of aerosol sprays and cigarettes
I RECALL a number of frustrating telephone conversations with my sister-in-law many years ago. Then, I was single and child free. She was at home minding my turbo-charged, mischievous little nephew. In mid conversation, she would often break off briefly
DANNY Collins last night said a big thank-you to Mick McCarthy as he hailed his sacked former boss as the 'best manager he has played under'. Although two Premiership wins from 28 games under McCarthy's charge seems to determine otherwise, Collins believes
Volunteers are making a plea to railway enthusiasts to help them bring their very own steam engine home to the North-East. The Merlin is a small industrial engine that won the hearts of a group of steam enthusiasts in Shildon, County Durham, as they searched
JOHN Profumo's death stirs memories for Peter Freitag, that indefatigable man about Darlington, of the time that Christine Keeler and friends were his neighbours. Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies and others stayed in a house owned by Stephen Ward, their pimp
BIODIESEL producer D1 Oils has opened its new global headquarters bringing almost 40 jobs to the region. The company was based in Stockton but has moved to Middlesbrough's Riverside Park site, where it will also manufacture up to 32,000 tonnes of biodiesel
DETECTIVES hunting a child abductor who took a six-year-old from her bath have arrested three people on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Police last month appealed for help in tracing a mystery caller who rang the incident room and pubs
THE number of people out of work and claiming benefits has risen by its biggest amount since the economic slump in 1992, figures showed yesterday. The so-called claimant count jumped by 14,600 last month to 919,700, the biggest monthly rise since December
TROUBLED circuit board manufacturer Circatex has ceased trading after shedding 90 per cent of its workforce. The company, in South Shields, South Tyneside, went into administration in January, putting 210 jobs at risk. Yesterday, adminstrators at Ernst
A COUNCIL leader has issued a "back me or sack me" challenge to rebels who defeated controversial plans to close care homes. Durham County Council's leader, Ken Manton, is calling for a leadership election and is understood to have told councillors that
ONE of the three North-East football fans stabbed when extremist hooligans went on the rampage in Rome is a man at the centre of one of the region's most notorious killings. The Northern Echo can reveal that a 39-year-old Middlesbrough fan who was the
JOHN Profumo's death stirs memories for Peter Freitag, that indefatigable man about Darlington, of the time that Christine Keeler and friends were his neighbours. Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies and others stayed in a house owned by Stephen Ward, their pimp
MORE than nine out of ten North-East youngsters want to look back on their lives with pride. A new survey, commissioned by the Army, has examined the attitudes of 16 to 24 year-olds across the country. It showed that 92 per cent want to be proud of what
DANNY Collins last night said a big thank-you to Mick McCarthy as he hailed his sacked former boss as the 'best manager he has played under'. Although two Premiership wins from 28 games under McCarthy's charge seems to determine otherwise, Collins believes
Bishop Auckland could be the first North-East side to play at the new Wembley Stadium if another famous old amateur club gets its way. Bishops, who won the old FA Amateur Cup on ten occasions, are being lined up to play Corinthian Casuals in an exhibition
TONY Blair was accused of "walking out" on the Labour Party last night after winning a Commons vote on his flagship Education Bill with Conservative support. Fifty-two Labour backbenchers rebelled against the Prime Minister's plans to create independent
A GRIEF-STRICKEN mother has used a floral tribute to attack police investigating the race hate murder of her son. Barbara Yusuf-Porter left the flowers to her son, Lee Phipps, with a card reading: "To Lee from mam. Feel deeply let down by Northumbria
IN THE city where gladiators were renowned for doing battle at the Collosseum, proud manager Steve McClaren last night witnessed his Middlesbrough team turn in their very own gladiatorial display in the Stadio Olimpico. One of the finest successes in
PEOPLE living in Darlington are being invited to earn a little extra money by working as school crossing wardens in the town. The lack of lollipop women and men in Darlington is causing the borough council a problem. Yesterday, bosses appealed for more
PUPILS who will be studying in the new Education Village in Darlington after Easter have spent a day in their new school. Pupils from Springfield Primary, Haughton Community and Beaumont Hill Technology College have all visited the village this week.
MORE talks should take place between Darlington Borough Council and its local health trust. Marian Swift, chairman of the social affairs and health scrutiny committee, said that there had been a reluctance for anyone from the County Durham and Darlington
PLANS are being submitted to build 36 homes on a piece of waste ground in Darlington. The application, on the site of the former Co-op garage, in Parkgate, has been welcomed by a local councillor. Durham-based development company Dunelm Castle Homes is
RESIDENTS fighting to ensure a former school building is converted into a community facility are to approach English Heritage for help with their campaign. People living near the derelict Harrowgate Hill Infant School, in Darlington, have spoken of their
People living in a hilly rural district will have more chance of being able to use their mobile phones if a new transmission mast is allowed. At present, there are many blank spots in the area around Barnard Castle, where the mobiles can not pick any
A North-East teenager given just five years to live now has a chance to lead a normal life thanks to a pioneering medical procedure. Elizabeth Walker, 17, from Newcastle, suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as lupus - a disease that
TIME and money is running out for a village playgroup after a span of 30 years. With only two children attending some afternoon sessions of the Kirklevington Old School Playgroup, on Teesside, it is uncertain whether there will be enough money to pay
THE Angel of the North last night became the focus of a protest by animal rights activists against a multinational company's use of animal testing. The campaigning group Uncaged projected the slogan "Procter and Gamble test on animals" across the wings
MORE than 500 banking jobs are under threat - including 39 in the North-East - after Lloyds TSB announced plans to close five back office operations. The bank, which axed almost 1,000 jobs when it closed its Newcastle call centre in 2004, said more than
CONCERNS have been raised after it emerged a £600,000 community dance and drama studio has been built without disabled access. Details of the flaw have come to light just weeks before the facility at Richmond School is to be opened. It also emerged this
WHILE Arsene Wenger was understandably wounded by Alan Pardew's assertion that Arsenal's failure to field a single English player in last week's Champions League victory was detrimental to the future of English football, the Frenchman was undeniably wrong
POLICING is being taken to the heart of the community in a bid to tackle crime. Hartlepool is to be among the first areas in the country to pilot the Home Office's Neighbourhood Policing initiative, which aims to make people feel safer and more secure
TRAVELLERS have halted work on a £250m showpiece development. Construction of offices next to buildings such as the Baltic arts and Sage music centres, in Gateshead, has stopped since the travellers moved in. Gateshead Borough Council took legal action
AN animal charity is celebrating after rehoming its 50th and 51st dogs. The North Yorkshire branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust, based in Thirsk, is dedicated to finding new homes for ex-racing dogs. The 50th and 51st dogs were taken on by Christine
MORE than 2,000 people joined North-East dole queues in the three months to January, Government figures showed last night. Almost every week since the New Year, regional firms have been announcing job cuts, with redundancies reported in the past six months
NEW licensing laws have not led to an outbreak of disorder, a report has found. North Yorkshire Police say the later opening of pubs and clubs in the Harrogate area has not meant an increase of anti-social behaviour and violence, as many had feared. Part
A VISITOR trail is giving inviting tourists to see master craftsmen at work. The trail features tours of 11 hardwood furniture makers based in or around Thirsk. It includes makers in Thirsk, Topcliffe, Thirlby, Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe and Carlton
The date has been set for an annual fundraising walk for research into cancer and ME. The event, organised by Linda and Paul Nelson, is on Saturday, May 6 and starts at the village hall car park, at 10am. The nine-mile circular route follows the River
A NEW dial-a-bobby scheme has been launched allowing residents in West Auckland to leave messages for their local beat officers. Villagers can leave information or comments for PC Ian Nelson and PC Andy Hucker, who patrol the streets of West Auckland,
WRITERS of all ages are being given the chance to learn the art of short story writing. Darlington Arts Centre, in Vane Terrace, is to stage two free workshops for authors as part of its support for Orange New Voices, the national short story competition
MORE than 500 young people are investigating the environmental credentials of a green business development in Annfield Plain, near Stanley. Children from Stanley and Consett, as part of National Science Week, are this week visiting the Greenhouse to learn
EIGHTY Scouts and Guides took part in an outdoor competition to hone their skills. The annual outdoor Scout and Guide contest, run by Durham University Scout and Guide Group, took place at the weekend. Starting from Sunderland Bridge, the youngsters completed
FAILURE to ask a teenager for proof of age cost the owner of an off-licence more than £1,300. Jagter Sahota, licensee of the Premier Grocery Express, in Hartlepool's Owton Manor Lane, admitted two offences of selling alcohol to a person under the age
WARDENS who have made a difference to the streets of Middlesbrough had their hard work recognised. The team scooped an award for diversity, came second in the community engagement category and picked up four life-saving awards at a ceremony to mark the
ORGANISERS report "strong'' entries for the Middlesbrough Competitive Music Festival, which began last weekend and continues tomorrow and Saturday. Tomorrow there will be a competition for string instruments at the Middlesbrough Baptist Church, in Cambridge
SALTBURN, Marske and New Marske Parish Council has awarded its latest round of grants. Saltburn Tennis Club has been granted £600, Saltburn Methodist Church £500, Marske Community Parents and Toddlers £200 and Errington Primary School £250. To find out
HEALTH and Safety Commission chairman Bill Callaghan has revealed plans for a safety crackdown on working with asbestos. If the guidelines become law later this year, specialist contractors will have to be called in to remove asbestos in more cases. Mr
A CORONER has recorded an open verdict in the death of a pensioner knocked down while he crossed a road. Retired miner William Wright, 77, of Grasmere, South Moor, near Stanley, County Durham, suffered multiple injuries when a Land Rover Freelander struck
A NIGHT of rock to raise cash for cancer victims has been postponed. It was to be held on St Patrick's Day, Friday, at the Lamplight Arts Centre, in Stanley. Status Quo tribute band On The Level were to play alongside local bands Skinflint and Illusion
DAVID HODGSON last night congratulated Paul Simpson on his efforts at leading Carlisle United from the Conference to the top of League Two, before cheekily vowing to bring the Cumbrians down with a bang. Three of Carlisle's last nine league games have
More than 300 British soldiers were executed by firing squad for battlefield offences during the First World War. Lindsay Jennings hears how postumous pardons may finally be in sight. ABRAHAM Bevistein was only three years old when his family fled to
Newcastle striker Michael Owen has admitted the club will have to be patient as they attempt to drag themselves back into contention for major honours. The Magpies have not won a trophy since 1969 and will have to get past Barclays Premiership champions
MORE than 2,000 people joined North-East dole queues in the three months to January, Government figures showed last night. Almost every week since the New Year, regional firms have been announcing job cuts, with redundancies reported in the past six months
A FAMILY-OWNED business that diversified from delivering coal to collecting waste has seen its workforce triple in size. J&B Fuels was set up by Alan Jackson in Hartlepool 35 years ago, initially delivering coal to power stations in Yorkshire and
PASSIVE SMOKING: RE the smoking ban (HAS, Mar 3). The correspondent and his opinion on the risks to those who smoke are nothing new but will the so-called ban in all public places change the habits of those who smoke and help to save lives? As for his
DOZENS of animals were last night in RSPCA care following a major operation at a North-East sanctuary. Police and RSPCA inspectors spent yesterday loading the animals into vans after securing a search warrant for the site. Officers from Cleveland Police
BRICK maker Dyson Refractories will cease production tomorrow with the loss of about 50 jobs. The company announced three months ago that it was to close its County Durham factory, blaming overseas competition, rising energy prices and a drop in orders
TONY BLAIR yesterday avoided a call for him to meet the parents of a North Army recruit who died at Deepcut barracks. The Prime Minister was urged to issue an invitation to meet the parents of Private Geoff Gray, of Seaham, County Durham, and three other
MIDDLESBROUGH fans who were in Italy for their European cup tie with AS Roma were today praised by a senior police officer. Cleveland Police district commander, Superintendent Steve Swales, who was in the city for the match, said the fans behaved well
TONY Blair's flagship Education Bill may have passed its House of Commons test last night but the Prime Minister's authority has taken a significant battering. To have to rely on the support of the Conservatives because of a rebellion by 51 of his own
DURHAM'S Steve Harmison has been ruled out of England's third Test against India through injury. The fast bowler missed the tourists net session at the Wankhede Stadium to undergo an X-ray on his right shin which has troubled the 27-year-old since the
