AFTER a break of seven weeks the competitors in the SG Petch ANECCC Stage Rally Championship returned to the action on the SG Petch supported Tour of Hamsterley Rally. Reigning ANECCC champions Richard and Edwin Cook (Subaru Impreza) took maximum championship
POLICE arrested three men after reports of an assault in Sunderland. The incident happened around 3.45pm this afternoon on Silksworth Lane, close to the underpass with Essen Way. The victim received facial injuries that are not being classed as serious
Darlington and Durham Fire Brigade sent their new tactical response vehicle to put out a fire in a community wood in Haughton, Darlington recently. There have been several incidents of small fires being lit in the last month, but nobody has
DARLINGTON boss Simon Davey has lined up two Northern League clubs for pre-season friendlies. The Quakers will go to Billingham Synthonia, currently in the Northern League second division, on Saturday July 31, kick-off 3pm. Admission for the game will
TEN firefighters were required to tackle a large rubbish fire in Shildon. Around ten tonnes of scrap, metal, rubbish, and timber caught fire on land behind Waterloo Terrace and Auckland Terrace on Tuesday evening. Several worried residents in the town
BACK in January, the Memories blog was pursuing Nicholas Bragg, the Chartist who was born in Barnard Castle in 1813. He was sentenced to three months in prison in May 1840 for causing a (political) nuisance in Darlington Market Place, he was regarded
It is almost impossible to think of an issue where collaborative working couldn’t lead to a more effective response to improving people’s short and long term prospects. So why should it be any different when it comes to national government?
PLANS for a 250mph rail line from London to the North face an 18-month delay, as the new coalition government rethinks the project from scratch. New Transport Secretary Phil Hammond is expected to rip up Labour’s plans for an autumn consultation
DURHAM'S 23 game run without loss in the County Championship was ended with defeat to Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge this afternoon. Notts beat the reigning LDV County Champions by an innings and 62 runs. Durham were 279 all out chasing the
IT'S MY CIRCUS. Publisher: 2k Games. Platform: Wii. Price: £19.99. I BLAME It! for my long-held distrust of the circus ring. Stephen King's epic horror story features a monster which takes human form as a giant gibbering clown, complete with razor
TRIBUTES have been paid to Durham community stalwart Jeff Lodge who has died following an illness - weeks after he was granted freedom of the city. Mr Lodge, 76, a farmer, of Pity Me, had been on Framwellgate Moor Parish Council since 1967
A SHINING light emerged from a week of gloom for Durham when Ben Stokes became only the second 18-year-old to score a championship century for the county. The first was Nicky Peng against Middlesex at Riverside in 2001. Stokes, who is 19
BOB MAUGHAN is trying to trace a radio operator who he served with in Korea and Hong Kong. He was Albert Johnson, with whom he served in the 19th Field Regiment in the 1950s. He was from the Darlington area. Mr Maughan can be contacted on 01740-656943
A BITTER fight to extend a rural airfield has seen parish councillors being found guilty of breaking the law. A major scheme to extend Bagby Airfield, near Thirsk, is being looked into by Hambleton District Council. Local residents set up Action4Refusal
A MEMORIAL train named after a railway loving former bishop has run on the North York Moors Railway 32-years to the day after his death. The Eric Treacy steam engine, named after a former Bishop of Wakefield, ran on the tourist railway (NYMR) for the
LOCAL people are being invited to play a key role in shaping the future of their area. Ryedale District Council is setting up a Citizens Panel, which will be broadly representative of the community and made up of 1,100 residents. They will be asked
A JUDGE today refused a bail application by the man accused of murdering his postmistress wife at their village store. In a behind-closed-doors hearing, Robin Garbutt's bid to be released from prison while he awaits his expected trial was rejected.
Newcastle Falcons have signed Coventry prop James Hall on a one-year contract. Hall, 23, scored four tries in his 29 appearances for the Midlands club this season and represented England Students last term. Falcons head coach Alan Tait said: "James
A MEETING between two old friends has led to a major ecclesiastical discovery which has re-written the history books. The picture-postcard church in the North Yorkshire village of Scrayingham, between Malton and Stamford Bridge, was long believed
A SWIFT end was in sight when Durham lost two wickets in the first half hour this morning, but young Ben Stokes rode to the rescue, passing 30 for the second time in the match. With fellow left-hander Phil Mustard showing unusual restraint
I have to say I feel just a little bit queasy after reading this morning's front pages. It's a real Dave & Nick love fest worthy of a Mills and Boon book sale. "A special relationship" is the Torygraph's take on matters. "The happy couple at Number
CANNABIS plants worth up to £84,000 were discovered in a drugs farm which had been set up in a disused factory. Police found more than 84 mature plants inside the unit in Hunter Road, South West Industrial Estate, Peterlee, after being alerted by the
Wallsend’s Gavin Webster talks to Will Scott about trying to retain his integrity as a comedian and why he’s proud of his limited exposure on TV. ALEXEI Sayle once remarked how he lamented the fact that Michael Angelo and Leonardo Da Vinci
If film-makers want a man behaving badly, they call for Mark Strong. The big screen’s current favourite villain talks to Steve Pratt about North-East born director Ridley Scott’s take on the Robin Hood legend and horsing about on set. IFEEL the need
A TEENAGER has been charged with endangering an aircraft after he allegedly shone a laser at a police helicopter. A police spokesman said the Northumbria Police helicopter was flying over Easington Lane, near the County Durham boundary, when it noticed
AGED 13, Italia ‘90 was the first real World Cup I could really feel part of. I remember bits of Mexico ‘86, notably Maradona’s “hand of god”, but did not quite understand the some of the complex nature of the beautiful game. But when
Stars: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Danny Huston, Oscar Isaac, Mark Addy. Max Von Sydow, Kevin Durand, Alan Doyle, Scott Grimes, Matthew Macfadyen 140 mins ★★★★ DIRECTOR Ridley Scott has made
Actor Mark Addy talks to Steve Pratt about becoming the fighting churchman of Sherwood Forest in the latest Robin Hood. MARK Addy is happy to report that he wasn’t cast in Ridley Scott’s new version of Robin Hood through his acclaimed appearance
North Yorkshire’s SoundwavesandEscapades are off to the Live and Unsigned Festival while the Latin American colour of the VAMOS! Festival returns. Viv Hardwick and Helen Brown report. AFTER battling through an audition and two live heats in Newcastle
Villagers: Becoming A Jackal (Domino) I SAW Villagers (Conor J. O’Brien) on Live with Jools Holland and was captivated by his performance of Becoming a Jackal, the title track of the album. Thom Yorke and Paul Simon sprang to mind, but while
THERE’S a complete crosssection of the current UK folk music scene on display around the region this week, with something for every taste and persuasion. Highlights start tonight with multi-instrumentalists Lyra Celtica at Darlington Arts
WHAT’S ON: The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at The Sage Gateshead at 7.30pm tomorrow. Lars Vogt plays Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4. Box office: 0191-443-4661. REVIEWS: Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 (Naxos 8.572392) Vasily Petrenko and
WHAT’S ON: Tomorrow, Djangology, Travellers Rest, Cockerton, 01325-382676; Saturday, Neil Cowley’s Trio, Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt, 01642-729729. CD REVIEWS: Neil Cowley Trio/Radio Silence (NaimJazz NAIMCD147) This seems to be a golden period
HOW many times have you heard someone described as “the voice”? Some say “the voice of country music” is George Jones or Vern Gosden who died last year. I could suggest that it’s between Merle Haggard and Roger Miller although a whole host
Andy Welch chats to Tom Chaplin and Richard Hughes about the band’s new EP and a tour which takes in Dalby Forest. SUSSEX trio Keane can now lay claim to being one of the biggest bands in the world. But as the band’s singer Tom Chaplin and drummer
Mark Kalch tends to joke about his little-known life as an explorer as he talks to Viv Hardwick about being selected to give this season’s Royal Geographical Society lecture at Darlington. "Who the bloody hell is Mark Kalch? Never heard of
Sherlock Holmes (12) 131 mins Warner Home Video, DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £26.99) Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Mark Strong, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly HOLMES (Downey Jr) and trusty sidekick Watson (Law) stop Lord Blackwood (Strong
HOWDY partners, let’s saddle up and head way out East. That’s right – we’re not going to the Wild West but the Wild EastEnd to celebrate foxy Chelsea Fox’s birthday. What better than taking the bull by the horns, putting on jeans and cowboy hats
I SENT my husband a text last weekend. He didn’t reply. He told me later he found it too upsetting. He was with 14-year-old Patrick at a rugby tournament in Darlington. I had taken our youngest, seven-year-old Albert, and his friend out for the
As the nation went to the polls last week, Shildon was casting its vote for a lovely Irish lady. SHE HAS sung for Popes and for presidents, won the Eurovision Song Contest watched by 200 million television viewers, overflowed the Royal Albert
Location, Location, Location (C4); Watchdog (BBC1, 8pm); Autistic Superstars (BBC3, 9pm) HOUSE prices may have tumbled amid the economic recession but TV property gurus Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer have weathered the storm and are still offering
IN the male half of the football-mad North-East, the story of West Auckland’s incredible victory in the 1909 World Cup in Turin is a romantic a tale as the legendary Dixie Dean being reincarnated as a buxom blonde. The task for the prolific
THE diabolically talented Baghdaddies launched their latest album of berserk Balkan brass with another supreme live show. The much-loved Geordie quintet have earned a reputation as the region’s best party band after 15 years of gigs at pubs
RE your Comment column headed “The right outcome” (Echo, May 12) about the coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. To refer to the unelected Gordon Brown as a “trusted Chancellor” is a statement too far. The British economy
RIGHT-WING voices howled that this week’s dramatic political tug-of-war was proof that voting reform would be a disaster – but they could not be more wrong. The mere fact that Britain had never before experienced such extraordinary post-election
TRY as he might, BNP Yorkshire and North-East Lincolnshire MEP Andrew Brons (HAS, May 11) cannot hide the fact that his racist party was absolutely trounced in last week’s elections. The BNP confidently expected to win the parliamentary seat of
The road to No 10 may have been a long and tortuous journey for David Cameron but the really hard work is still ahead of him. Assistant editor Nigel Burton looks at what a coalition means for the North-East. DAVID CAMERON has no time to lose
NEWCASTLE Falcons head coach Alan Tait has pledged to continue scouring the local leagues after offering professional contracts to three North-Easterners who have been playing their rugby outside the Guinness Premiership. Centre James Fitzpatrick
JOHN Terry hopes to play in the FA Cup final on Saturday after a scan showed no broken bone in his right foot. The Chelsea skipper hurt his foot in training yesterday morning, leading to fears that he may have broken a metatarsal, but a scan
Athletic Madrid 2 Fulham 1 AET - score at 90 mins 1-1 DIEGO Forlan shattered Fulham’s Europa League dream with an extra-time winner to floor Roy Hodgson’s battlers. After rallying from the hammer blow of Forlan’s firsthalf opener, levelling through
MICHAEL Dods continued his sparkling start to the season as Kaptain Kirkup cruised to victory on the opening day of York’s Dante meeting. Dods, who trains at Denton, near Piercebridge, recorded a 190-1 double at Chester’s May meeting last
DARLINGTON are attempting to strengthen their defence by moving for released Hartlepool United defender Ben Clark. Clark was one of seven Pools players told they will become free agents once their existing contracts expire at the end of next
NEWCASTLE will move for Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies if Steven Taylor leaves St James’ Park this summer. Taylor’s future remains in doubt following a difficult two months that saw him suffer a broken jaw in an alleged training-ground incident
NACHO NOVO is weighing up an initial offer from Middlesbrough, but he wants to take his time before deciding where to move when his contract at Rangers expires. The 31-year-old striker has accepted he will not be staying at Ibrox and claims
BOLO ZENDEN is ready to commit to another year at the Stadium of Light, but has urged Sunderland manager Steve Bruce to use him more next season. Having played in more than half of the matches since he joined the club in October when his contract
KEVIN Pietersen will have just 20 hours to rest and reacclimatise in the Caribbean before he must switch back on for England in an ICC World Twenty20 semi-final. But captain Paul Collingwood has no qualms about compromised preparation or jet-lag
A REVIEW into the death of two-year-old Kyle Fisher does not go far enough, the partner of a woman wrongfully convicted of killing the toddler has claimed. Lee Spencer, who uncovered medical evidence that prompted the retrial of babysitter
A NURSE broke down in tears yesterday after he was cleared of attacking an Alzheimer’s sufferer he was looking after at a care home. Sebastian Neequaye wept after a jury returned a not guilty verdict following a two-day trial at Durham Crown
A GIRL who dotes on her pets has been left heartbroken after her rabbit was stolen from the family garden. Emily Walker was devastated on Saturday morning to discover the black and white bunny, called Newcastle, had been taken along with his
BLOCKBUSTER films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland have helped boost revenues at Cineworld. The group, which has 77 cinemas in the UK, including in Middlesbrough and Boldon, South Tyneside, reported strong trading during the 18 weeks
NORTH-EAST motor dealer Vertu saw profits soar last year, helped by the car scrappage scheme. The Newcastle-based company saw its profits before tax rise to £4.6m in the year ending February 28, up from only £70,000 the previous year. During
GREGGS’ entry into the early morning battleground has proved a success with millions of breakfast butties sold. Since starting to offer bacon and sausage sandwiches at 1,250 of its 1,400 stores in February, the Newcastle-based bakers has sold
TWO men involved in a robbery on a supermarket cash delivery van were yesterday jailed for a total of 17 years. The armed hold-up was carried out on a store opposite the prison from which Christopher Williams absconded weeks earlier. Teesside
IT is very early days, and it would be naive in the extreme to think it is going to be a bed of blue and yellow roses, but Britain’s new Government has made a promising beginning. The coalition has the look of a substantial partnership designed
Political Correspondent Robert Merrick reflects on the day coalition partners David Cameron and Nick Clegg faced the press together for the first time. IT was the day Britain appeared to have two prime ministers – a cosy couple, who completed
GETTING a “grip” on Britain’s military operations in Afghanistan is the top priority for William Hague, the country’s new Foreign Secretary. Arriving for his first day’s work at the Foreign Office, the Richmond MP said: “We are all concerned
THEY may be partners in a new coalition government on a national level, but the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats yesterday promised to have a hammer-and-tongs local battle in the last seat in Britain to elect an MP. The General Election
THE North-East’s biggest council chose its new chairman yesterday. Durham County Council chose Councillor Mac Williams as chairman and Councillor Dennis Morgan as vice-chairman. Coun Williams, 65, was born in Seaham Harbour and worked for the
A DJ who has presented a hospital radio station’s Friday night show for nearly half a century has been honoured for his service. Terry Clough, presenter and chairman at Durham Hospitals Radio (DHR), was awarded the Chairman’s Medal by outgoing
THE family of a late former council leader invoked his memory to plead with his successors to save seven care homes from closure yesterday. Former Durham County Council leader Albert Nugent’s widow, Margaret, and daughter, Carole Wood, joined an
TWO outdoor concerts have sold out more than a month before the bands are due to appear. Keane will perform in Dalby Forest, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, on June 25, while Simply Red will perform there the day after. Both will play before
A LINGERIE company boss who indecently assaulted a woman during a massage she won for taking part in a survey has a fetish for elderly women, a court heard yesterday. Dennis Watts visited women in their homes after he made phone calls to random
A MAN accused of killing two young jockeys by setting fire to the block of flats in which they were sleeping declined to give evidence at his trial yesterday. Father-of-one Peter Brown, 37, is accused of starting a blaze in a block of flats in
THERE is a billion-to-one chance that DNA evidence in the fingernails of a grandmother found strangled on her burning bed does not belong to the man accused of her murder. Gemma Escott, a forensic scientist, said the analysis of the clippings
BEAUTY queens transformed themselves into forces sweethearts as they launched a charity fundraising drive for Help For Heroes. The 24 finalists in Miss Sunderland 2010 were revealed at the launch of the competition yesterday at the Pullman
THE parents of a North-East soldier who was killed in Afghanistan are preparing for a 24-hour charity walk in memory of their son. Michelle and Gary Brownson, from Bishop Auckland, are taking part in the Lyke Wake Walk tomorrow, to raise money
A TEENAGER was last night arrested in connection with an assault which left a soldier, only hours back from Afghanistan, in a coma. The 19-year-old, from the Middlesbrough area, handed himself into police yesterday and is due to be questioned
WHEN Chris Rushworth struck with the first ball of the day yesterday and took two more wickets in the first 40 minutes it seemed Durham could get back into the match at Trent Bridge. Steve Harmison was also looking very dangerous and a turnaround
