TALKS aimed at averting a strike by fuel tanker drivers were adjourned tonight and will resume after Easter after "constructive" discussions. Leaders of the Unite union have spent the past two days meeting officials from six distribution firms to try
Gillford Park flung the promotion door open for their rivals when they threw away a three goal lead against Northallerton tonight. The Cumbrians led 4-1 going into the last twenty minutes, but Northallerton pulled off one of the great escapes
THE out of control culture of illegal phone-hacking by journalists working for the News of the World cannot be defended. Fishing expeditions by journalists hoping to pick up information relating to criminal inquiries or gossip about celebrities
ABOUT 18,000 native trees have been planted in the Yorkshire Dales over the winter months, as part of an initiative to create more woods. The tree planting is part of an on-going project to try and double the amount of woodland in the Yorkshire Dales
FOUR councils in North Yorkshire could gain as much as £4m from a new recycling contract. Northallerton-based waste management and recycling company, Yorwaste, has been awarded responsibility for collecting kerbside waste from across much of North Yorkshire
YOU can see the headline in The Soapland Sun – Cameron In Secret Love Tryst. No, not that Cameron, but the one in Emmerdale (ITV1) whose girlfriend has got herself pregnant by her ex-husband in a bid to produce a suitable bone marrow donor for
Rating: 4/5 SCANDINAVIAN thrillers, whether read or watched on TV or film, are all the rage. To a list that already includes Wallander, The Killing and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo can now be added Headhunters – a satisfyingly tortuous, bloody
POLICE are reminding residents to be on guard against spring time thieves. The warning follows three shed and garage break-ins at Edmondsley, south of Chester-le-Street. earlier this week. All took place in Jubilee Close between 10pm on Sunday
West Auckland and Dunston expect to start selling tickets next week for their big day out at Wembley in the FA Carlsberg Vase final on May 13th. The two clubs met FA officials yesterday at Wembley to discuss arrangements for the big day, and both will
STUDENTS have heard the harrowing tales of a Holocaust survivor. Joanna Millan was only three when her family was killed in the gas chambers during the Second World War, young people at The King's Academy, Coulby Newham, were told. Even the fact
A CLUB supporting people with learning disabilities has moved to a new home. The new Grenfell Club was officially opened by Councillor Olwyn Peters, Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, and Middlesbrough FC's Richie Smallwood. The club, now located
A COURT has heard how a drugs bust has left a family at war as two cousins blame each other for the trouble they are in. Jamie O'Hara says younger relative Christopher Healey, 23, roped him into selling cannabis to help pay his car insurance.
HARTLEPOOL has been shortlisted for a national tourism award for hosting the Tall Ships Races. Hartlepool Council has been named a finalist in the category of Best Event in the Year in 2010 in the Visit England Awards for Excellence. The winners
METAL detector enthusiast Terry Vickers’ first big find has turned out to be a gold Roman ring. The 52-year-old retired engineer, from Chilton, near Ferryhill, County Durham, found the object while surveying fields near Wheatley Hill.
A NORTH-East holidaymaker died after taking cocaine in his Spanish hotel room. Daniel Hymer, 35, of Shotley Bridge, near Consett, County Durham, was on a break near Barcelona last July with a Dutch friend. An inquest heard yesterday (ThurAp5) that
Fraud Squad (ITV1, 9pm) Land of the Lost Wolves (BBC1, 9pm) The Big Bang Theory (E4, 8.35pm) HE married Dawn French in The Vicar of Dibley, faced terrors too numerous and deadly to mention in Spooks, played the dastardly Guy of Gisborne in Robin
The use of Tasers by UK police forces, including Durham Police is on the increase as a less lethal option in violent confrontations. Stuart Arnold reports A MAN dressed in black enters the room armed with a baseball bat which he brandishes
HOW difficult can it be to give a gift away to a complete stranger? “This will take about ten minutes,” I told Roscoe and his brothers as we drove to the cafe at Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, on our way into town. “Oh mum, do we have to? All my
It’s mainline now. The Railroad to Wembley takes two Northern League teams to football’s central station PREVARICATION is pointless, no journalistic licence from stoking the suspense. You know the score already: the Railroad to Wembley will
IT is April already and another punishing Grand National is fast approaching. This race has proved time and time again to lead to many horse fatalities (34 horses were killed at the Aintree event between 2000 and 2011) yet it is allowed to continue
G CARR is correct in saying that some of the large insects about at present are in fact queen bumble bees looking for prospective nest sites (HAS, Apr 3). However, his comments on Chris Wardell’s claim (HAS, Mar 30) that he is incorrect in describing
AT a time when every penny is needed to save Darlington Football Club we seem to have a group of people (Darlington Supporters Trust) who seem hell-bent on hanging on to funds that were donated by myself and many thousands to keep DFC afloat (
AS Christopher Wardell pointed out the Government’s acute embarrassment over the recent pastygate saga I wonder if any readers have ever wondered about the following point. There is so much hype about healthy eating and drinking. Quite rightly
WHILE wholeheartedly agreeing that the irresponsible advice given by Cabinet Office minister Frances Maude helped instigate the petrol crisis last week, it seems to me that it is about time the public started to take some responsibility for their
I WRITE in praise of the excellent article by the Bishop of Durham (3 April) about the Echo’s Foundation for Jobs campaign (Echo, Mar 31). The apprenticeship and internship targets of the campaign are very important as they give young people the
With teenage pregnancies at their lowest rate for more than 40 years, a North-East academic is challenging the popular stereotype of the teenage mother. Health Editor Barry Nelson reports NORTH-EAST academic Dr Lisa Arai thinks it is time to
OTHER than terrorists, no one wants to see Britain’s national security put at risk. But there is a crucial balance to be found between David Cameron’s determination to plug “gaps” in national security and the need to protect civil liberties
POLICE are advsing people to be alert after a member of the public received a call from men falsely claiming to be from Durham Constabulary. The assailants called a householder in the Shildon area of County Durham, claiming to be from the force
A QUARTET of North-East rowers took a major step towards an appearance at this summer’s Olympic Games when they were named in the British squad for the opening World Cup regatta. Jess Eddie, Matt Wells, Kat Copeland and Rachel Gamble- Flint
A NORTH-EAST band are preparing to fly to America to record their first album. Alternative melodic rock band The Silence are hoping the trip will be their big break in the music industry. The group includes siblings Max Griffiths, 17
AN 8ft bun may not have been exactly what the average bird watcher expected to find on a trip to an RSPB centre yesterday. But there is no doubt the 105kg hot cross bun – officially the biggest created – made an positive impression at the RSPB
MORE than a third of privately owned houses in Darlington do not meet a decent standard of healthy and safe living, a new report has shown. The concern over the town’s private housing stock comes as Darlington Borough Council prepares a new
AN engineering company issued a sincere apology last night after being fined £8,000 for an accident which resulted in a lorry driver becoming impaled on a steel pole. The moment Jason Ripley came within inches of death is captured in this dramatic
A FORMER police officer told last night how he is haunted by nightmares after being scarred for life when his crazed girlfriend bit a chunk out of his face. Michael Pattinson says he wakes to see visions of Tracey Pattison’s face covered with
FLAMBOYANT singer Boy George posted online pictures of himself sporting a black eye after apparently getting caught up in a fracas in a North Yorkshire night spot. The former frontman of Culture Club was DJing at Club Amadeus, in Northallerton
WOMEN at a methodist chapel, inspired by recent incidents of guerrilla knitting, have picked up their needles to issue a timely reminder of Easter’s religious message. Following the Cleveland Clicker’s colourful creations that graced Saltburn
EVEN at £4.28 a game this season, it's been joked that the cost of a season ticket at Hartlepool United hasn't been value for money. In launching the club's initiative for the 2012/13 campaign, Neale Cooper has vowed to make it wholly entertaining.
WELSH superstar Sir Tom Jones is to perform on the green, green grass of Durham County Cricket Club’s stadium. The 71-year-old star has announced a two-hour openair concert on Saturday, July 14, at the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground
ALAN PARDEW believes the united dressing room at Newcastle is the main reason behind this season's success after he revealed the club is already a year ahead of schedule in their quest to be challenging for a place in Europe. The Magpies moved level
Spennymoor are aiming to win the Durham Challenge Cup for the first time in 15 years when they play Gateshead in the final at Eppleton on Friday morning. Moors dominated the competition in the mid nineties, winning it in four successive years between
THE widow of a soldier shot and killed in Afghanistan has vowed to honour his death by trekking across the Sahara desert for a military charity. Lance Corporal Jonathan McKinlay was killed while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand
A FILLING station manager was yesterday found guilty of the theft of nearly £85,000 taken from petrol sales over five years. But 63-year-old Avril Jennifer Henderson was told that even though such a crime “crosses the custody threshold”, she
A COUNCIL that closed tourist information centres to save money yesterday unveiled its replacement service for visitors. Durham County Council was widely criticised for axing the offices in Durham City and Barnard Castle. But with an expected
THOUSANDS of people woke to power cuts, blocked roads and several feet of snow yesterday, days after record high temperatures in the region. However, after yesterday’s chaotic start, forecasters believe the worst has passed and predict a warm
IF Hartlepool United sell 5,000 season tickets - adult prices are £155 - before Tuesday, July 31, then a draw, with a first prize of £15,000 will take place. Second prize is £3,000, with a third award of £2,000. However, the £15,000 will only be up
STOCK worth tens of thousands of pounds was discovered missing when an audit was carried out at a firm that had won a contract to fit out one of the UK’s new aircraft carriers. The scale of the crime emerged in court yesterday when plumbing supervisor
Darlington return to training today aware they can afford no more slip ups if they are to keep alive their faint hopes of survival. The gap to Conference safety stretched to 11 points on Tuesday thanks to Newport County's shock 2-1 win over York City
ONE of Matthew Bates' closest pals in football believes the Middlesbrough captain has already shown the mental strength to bounce back from serious injury - and will do it once more. Bates underwent surgery on his knee earlier this week in a bid to overcome
NICKLAS BENDTNER is enjoying a new lease of life at Sunderland but wants to put talk about his future on hold until after this summer's European Championships. The Denmark international, likely to be his country's biggest name in Euro 2012, still has
A DEVASTATED mother has appealed for burglars who stole jewellery bought for her stillborn baby girl to find their consciences. Sarah Bowman said she can not even face returning to her home in Crook, County Durham, after burglars broke in on
Morning Readers! I hope you've had an "egg"cellent week and you've been rewarded by the scales. I'm pleased to report I lost 2.5lb this week and although I took off the 1.5lb from last week, I also managed to get my 6 and a half stone mini target
