A POLICE watchdog has outlined how warnings that gunman Raoul Moat had threatened to harm his former partner while he was in prison were not acted upon by officers, according to reports tonight. Moat shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart
Battling Stokesley couldn’t break their league duck after 42 league games when they lost 7-2 at home to Consett last night. The first division’s bottom club have gone through the season without claiming a league win, although they went close
Our hero ‘Tupper’ has been giving us the benefit of his vast knowledge on subjects ranging from football to the internet, but once again, he doesn’t get it quite right! I’m indebted to Peter Warrior who overheard this little classic in the Middle
A CHARITY is launching a shopping scheme for elderly residents living in areas with poor transport links. Age UK North Yorkshire recently carried out a survey looking at the needs of residents living in areas of isolation, or with a lack of public transport
RESIDENTS of Ferryhill are invited to this year’s annual town meeting which will be held next week. Ferryhill Town Council will host the meeting at St Luke’s Parish Centre on Thursday May 3, 6pm to 8pm. The purpose of the meeting is to give groups a
A WAR veteran is using his skills honed on the Afghanistan frontline to help North-East businesses with information technology. After completing the last overseas deployment of his Army career in Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan, former Staff Sergeant Jamie
A FORMER airman who set up his own car washing service has thanked the Royal British Legion for a £13,000 development grant as his company celebrates its second birthday. Martyn Ross set up his company after being unable to find a job when he left the
HIGHWAYS chiefs and a landowner will be alerted to the potential danger posed by diseased roadside trees. Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle is acting after hearing how a hospice volunteer died when the overhanging bough of an infected Ash was blown down
A FAMILY fun day helped to raise more than £1,600 towards a dance academy’s summer show. About 200 people visited the fundraising event hosted by the Aycliffe Dance Academy, at the Bethany Centre, in Woodham, Newton Aycliffe, on Saturday. Visitors browsed
POLICE are investigating after a calf was found decapitated on a farm. The animal was found at the farm in Whickham, Gateshead this morning. Police believe the calf was killed between 8pm on Tuesday and 8am today at the farm near Derwent Walk. The
APPLICATION forms are still available for annual youth awards scheme. Established organisations and community groups are invited to apply for up to £2,000 to fund a project which will enhance the experience and skills of young people. Up to three
THIEVES drained a Citroen Xsara Picasso of fuel when it was parked in an alley behind Encombe Terrace, in Ferryhill, overnight on Saturday, April 21. The female owner had the car towed to a garage where she was informed two pipes had been cut. PC
PREPARATIONS for an annual summer gala are underway and those wanting to take part are encouraged to get in touch with organisers. Ferryhill 2000 committee and Ferryhill Town Council are planning the town gala which will take place on Saturday August
A DARLINGTON businessman has spoken about the upsetting impact of a fire at the carpet company he has run for more than 30 years. Ian Leafe, managing director of Fisher’s Carpets, in Union Street, said he hoped to continue trading after a fire at the
By Madeleine Darbyshire A SONG performed by schoolchildren to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee will help raise money for charity. The three minute and 13 second song was written by Stuie Ellerton and Wil Taylor of the Northern School
A LORRY driver has been arrested following a crash which left three members of the same family dead, including a one-year-old girl. Police said all three who died in the collision on the B1404 between Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham were in the same vehicle
Queen Victoria’s Last Love (C4, 9pm) Waterloo Road (BBC1, 8pm) Beautiful Minds (BBC4, 9pm) IT is unlikely to have escaped anyone’s attention that this year heralds the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Only one other monarch in our nation’
I HAVE noticed that more typos seem to be creeping into The Northern Echo over recent moths (sic). I know that printing a daily newspaper involves writing and proof-reading thousands of worms (sic), so mistooks (sic) are inevitable . I just hop
I READ The Northern Echo every day and I sometimes read the tabloids. I am sick to death of reading about Pippa Middleton. We had not heard of her until her sister married into the richest family in England! Why during this recession must
According to a recent survey, women are no longer marrying above themselves, says Sharon Griffiths WE went to a brilliant wedding last year: a consultant orthopaedic surgeon married a nurse. Very Mills and Boon. You can just picture it can’t
LAST week in this slot I voiced the possibly- seditious thought that British politicians, while often extolling democratic values, urging less enlightened nations to adopt them and offering help to enable them to do so, don’t really like democracy
I GREATLY admire the hard work put in by all involved in the struggle to save the Quakers but to remain at The Northern Echo Arena is simply futile. For Darlington to survive they must either return to Feethams or ground share at a stadium such
PETE WINSTANLEY suggests that Europe is not being “Islamified” (HAS, Apr 20). What planet is he living on? Prior to 1889 there were no mosques in Britain. There are now 1,500. The average six-yearold knows that 1,500 is a bigger number than zero
LIKE almost everyone else in the UK, I hope that Abu Qatada is deported to Jordan to face terrorism charges; as no cause in the world justifies terrorism. However, the way in which the Government has gone about it shows that it wants to get rid
AS an 83-year-old pensioner I would like to take issue with David Cameron over his recent statement during Prime Minister’s Question Time that pensioners are better off by more than £5 per week. Could someone explain to this arrogant man that
THE BBC sports programme Grandstand first went on the air on Saturday, October 11, 1958. Since then it has covered great sporting events such as the Grand National, the FA Cup final, the Boat Race, rugby league, professional boxing, motor racing
READING Echo Memories about the Black Horse of Tudhoe (Apr 18) arising from the village pond brought back memories. It was 1982 and I was returning home from work. My shift finished at midnight at Bishop Auckland Ambulance Station. As I drove
WHEN Britain had an empire and controlled much of the world, we were beaten by the Afghans with heavy losses of servicemen. The Russian Army spent ten years trying to subdue the Afghans and eventually had to pull out, again after heavy losses.
I AGREE with everything Keith Robson wrote about the Stirling bomber that crashed near Shildon (HAS, Apr 18). I was waiting at the St John’s bus stop with my mum when a Stirling bomber flew over us, narrowly missing the tower of St John’s Church
IT is encouraging news that the sale of Darlington Arts Centre is likely to be delayed while detailed consideration is given to a proposal for private sector investment. As we have made clear before, we consider the Arts Centre, in Vane Terrace
Standing the heat of any professional kitchen can be tough, but for Kevin Irvine, it is just another day in the office. Ashley Barnard reports THE man used to overseeing the feeding of more than 9,000 soldiers in makeshift kitchens in war zones has
CONE Donkey can be followed with a degree of confidence at Catterick in the Dine And View At Catterick Races Handicap. Bryan Smart’s filly was only just touched off here over six furlongs last time when attempting to make all, and was miles clear
A COMMUNITY company bidding to buy the Quakers have urged fans to show "patience and understanding" as the planned takeover of the club reaches another critical point. Darlington FC 1883 chairman Denis Pinnegar and lawyers are due to meet outgoing
A COUNCIL leader has outlined plans for a family rally and march in protest of proposals to downgrade maternity services at a hospital. Protestors want consultantled maternity and children’s services retained at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton
AN Olympic medal-winning cyclist will lead a field of up to 3,000 when a mass bike ride comes to the North-East this autumn. The Etape Pennines ride, said to be cycling’s equivalent of the Great North Run, will follow a 78-mile route around
A RESIDENTS’ parking scheme could be extended for a fourth time, just months after its third expansion. Last July, Durham County Council agreed to expand Durham City’s controlled parking zone (CPZ) to include areas of North End. The CPZ aims to restrict
A TEENAGER left fighting for his life after collapsing on the rugby pitch has shown “promising signs of recovery”. Friends and colleagues of Sam Windross, who is understood to be 19, said they had been relieved to learn yesterday that he was
DRIVERS have been invited to take up the challenge of testing their skills by driving with their eyes closed - for charity. Guide Dogs Blind Drive will be held at Nissan in Sunderland from 10am to 3pm on June 10. The event will help the charity to raise
POLICE are investigating after a taxi driver drove off with a passenger’s mobile phone following an argument over the fare. Just before midnight on Good Friday, April 8 the woman, in her 20s, was being dropped off by a taxi in Chester-le-Street
A HUNT was under way last night for a man who had made serious threats and was rumoured to be carrying a gun. Armed police raided homes in Middlesbrough on Monday evening to try to find the man, who was last night still at large. However, police
SUNDERLAND'S audience will have the chance to decide what films to watch next in the continuing series of outdoor movies being screened in its parks. Following the success of the outdoor screening of Grease at Herrington Country Park during last year's
MORE than 150 senior council executives pocketed pay and perks packages in excess of £100,000 in the North-East and North Yorkshire, figures reveal today. Right-wing pressure group The Taxpayers’ Alliance’s (TPA) sixth annual Town Hall Rich
STEPHANIE Murphy’s artistic talents won her a new television in an Easter egg painting competition. The ten-year-old Chester-le-Street Church of England Junior School Year Five pupil’s effort was judged the best out of more than 300.
IN my time, I've made a speech before the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, spoken to countless organisations, and compered numerous events. But last night's dress rehearsal for Titanic: The Musical at Darlington Civic Theatre will go down
AN 81-year-old found dead in his terraced house after he failed to turn up at his favourite club was murdered, police said today. Officers were called to an address in Leven Street, Gresham, Middlesbrough, just after 10.50pm on Monday where
THE UK is back in recession after a surprise 0.2 per cent contraction in the economy in the first quarter of the year, official figures revealed today. The decline in gross domestic product (GDP) was driven by the biggest fall in construction
Barnard Castle and Teesdale are rightly celebrating their links with Charles Dickens in the year that the 200th anniversary of his birth is celebrated. As the world probably knows, Dickens stayed at the King's Head Hotel in the centre of Barney
Tim Bresnan has come a long way since his days playing for the Sutherland District Club in Sydney during the winter of 2005/6. Bresnan, now a highly-rated international all-rounder, was a wet behind the ears 20-year-old still trying to improve his physical
DURHAM'S Ben Stokes has developed a back problem and is unlikely to bowl in the match against Surrey starting at the Oval tomorrow. He will play as a batsman, but with an extra seamer likely to be required Durham may have to take the unwanted
PLANS to turn a main line station into a regional hub for rail services have been unveiled. The plans to update Bank Top Station, in Darlington, have been drawn up by Network Rail as part of a scheme to improve journey times on the East Coast
SOME of world football’s biggest names are heading to the North-East after a mouthwatering draw for the Olympic tournament handed the region some dream teams. World champions Spain, perennial entertainers Brazil and South American maestros
A PERVERT who groped bus passengers was yesterday locked up and will be kicked out of Britain at the end of his sentence after being told by a judge: “You’re not welcome here.” Sex pest Prasath Selvarajah was caught after police released on-board
SUNDERLAND are looking to make progress on reducing their wage bill before manager Martin O'Neill can significantly restructure the squad he inherited when he took over in December. And with only one permanent member of the first team squad
ANDREW TAYLOR spent more than a decade at Middlesbrough, but wants his former club to have an 'absolute nightmare' when the race for the Championship's top six comes to a close this weekend. Taylor, who returned to South Wales yesterday after
A NORTH-East company has expanded into new premises after positioning itself in a niche market and benefitting from the buoyant onshore exploration sector. Petroleum Safety Services Limited (PSS) was set up in 2006 by Jonathan Foster to provide
HUNDREDS of tributes have been posted online for a schoolboy who died. Dominic Meacher, 13, was pronounced dead at The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, after paramedics were called to his home in Stanwick, near Richmond, North
DESERVING people miss out on an honour from the Queen because they live in the North, a parliamentary inquiry heard yesterday. The distribution of “gongs” – knighthoods, CBEs, OBEs and MBEs – favours the South, Scotland, Wales and Northern
A FAMILY awarded £1.1m in compensation after their lives were shattered in a Turkish terror atrocity were last night told they will get less than £30,000 after the Turkish government rejected their claim. Helyn Bennett, from Spennymoor,
A NEWLY refurbished business centre is opening its doors in an attempt to attract fledgling companies to take advantage of its flexible office scheme. The Evans Incubation Centre in Newton Aycliffe, which offers a wide variety of office space ranging
NEWCASTLE could be forced to start next season's European programme without strikers Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba. The Olympic football tournament clashes with the preliminary round of the Europa League, and it looks increasingly likely that Cisse and Ba
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Riverside Stadium will host Team GB's only warm-up game ahead of the Olympic football tournament, with Samba stars Brazil providing the opposition for the men's team. Hope Powell's Great Britain women's team will also take on Sweden in
PHARMACEUTICAL items produced in the North-East helped drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) return to sales growth in the first quarter. The results released yesterday, came after GSK dealt a blow to its manufacturing plant in Barnard Castle, County Durham
PHARMACEUTICAL items produced in the North-East helped drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) return to sales growth in the first quarter. The results released yesterday, came after GSK dealt a blow to its manufacturing plant in Barnard Castle, County Durham
PHARMACEUTICAL items produced in the North-East helped drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) return to sales growth in the first quarter. The results released yesterday, came after GSK dealt a blow to its manufacturing plant in Barnard Castle, County Durham
If Team Northumbria defeat Spennymoor in the semi final of the Brooks Mileson Northern League cup on Thursday night, then they face an incredible schedule of three cup finals in four days. The Northern League has announced tha the Ernest Armstrong Cup
