West Auckland manager Peter Dixon angrily sacked three of his players after their 4-1 league cup final defeat at Team Northumbria tonight. Midfielder Adam Nicholls, defender Darryl Hall and striker Steve Johnson were all told that they could leave the
AN ELDERLY man suffered a fractured leg and a head wound after his mobility scooter was in collision with a car in Darlington. The accident happened on Woodland Road at around 3.30pm today and involved a MINI car. The car driver, a woman in
Brooks Mileson Northern League cup final. Team Northumbria 4 West Auckland 1. West Auckland ended the season without a trophy after they were beaten 4-1 by second division champions Team Northumbria in the Brooks Mileson Northern League
THE Bishop of Durham has praised the North-East and its innovation, but called for more support for skills and the region’s construction industry. The Right Reverend Justin Welby used his maiden speech to the House of Lords today to call for more to
I first met the Rt Rev Justin Welby when he was moving into his house in Bishop Auckland last year to take up his post as Bishop of Durham. I distinctly remember what he said at the time: that it was his aim to place the Church at the heart
A CONSTRUCTION company which delivered 60,000sq m of container facilities to a working North-East port six weeks ahead of schedule has won an award. County Durham-based Hall Construction Services won the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North-East
DRASTIC measures have been taken to address the problem of the growing number of tethered and abandoned horses across the Cleveland area. The British Horse Society (BHS) organised a special session to geld 26 horses at a veterinary practice in Yarm
A STEEL stockholders in Teesside has been bought by a West Yorkshire company, safeguarding 25 jobs. Middlesbrough firm Parson & Crosland has been bought by the UK's largest independent steel stockholder, Barrett Steel of Bradford for an undisclosed
Councillor Lee Vasey comes to the end of her term as Mayor of Darlington this week. Tamasyn Guy-Jobson spoke to her about some of her most memorable experiences. In the past 12 months, Mayor Lee Vasey has attended 325 public engagements
AN elderly woman has had a quantity of cash and valuables stolen after being targeted by bogus officials. One of the suspects impersonated a water board official to gain access to the victim’s address on Phoenix Walk in Oxbridge, Stockton, on Monday
PEOPLE are being urged to go green by leaving the car at home and getting on their feet, bikes or public transport instead. The Local Motion project aims to promote sustainable travel across south Durham to reduce the environmental impact of getting
A HOSPICE has received more than £5,000 after a year of fundraising at a supermarket. Staff at Sainsbury’s Bishop Auckland collected £5,203.18 in aid of Butterwick Hospice Care which was presented to the charity last week. Last year customers voted
THE rebirth of Teesside's iron and steel-making industry is the heartwarming business story of the year that continues to produce nuggets of good news. This week, dockers at PD Ports are loading the biggest cargo of slab steel ever to leave Teesport
Lewis (ITV1, 8pm) Felicity Kendal’s Indian Shakespeare Quest (BBC2, 9pm) Secret Eaters (C4, 8pm) THE regular actors in Lewis shared screen time with some unusual performers as well as the usual famous guest stars in the new series. Laurence Fox
Penny Mallory was the first woman to compete in a World Rally car, helped hardened criminals turn their lives around and took up boxing at the age of 44. Next week she enters the North-East business arena by hosting a major conference for entrepreneurs
REGARDING my letter published yesterday. On spell checking the document prior to sending it I appear to have deleted a sentence. To clarify: the last paragraph should have read that James McClean would now benefit from the guidance of
WHERE has Christopher Wardell gone? His letters were once a daily feature of HAS, but he seems to have vanished. Has he been abducted by the aliens he talks about? Or has he worn out his computer keyboard or moved out of the circulation area?
I HAVE just watched a programme on television regarding illegal immigrants entering the country. The authorities acknowledge that the number getting through may never be known, despite apprehending a few, because “every lorry can’t be checked
THERE is an irony in what is happening at the mouth of the Tees. Land is laid out for futuristic green industries like wind turbine manufacture and biomass energy generation, and there are warehouses for supermarket chains to service the retail
SERIAL correspondent Robert Meggs seems to be the one thing we don’t need – yet another evangelical socialist. I can recall skimming through Jim Tague’s number-crunching of direct taxation (HAS, May 8). It was apparent that a surprisingly small
I HAD a stroke five years ago and was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital. The initial diagnosis was that I hadn’t suffered a stroke so they were sending me home. My son insisted they were wrong, which they were. After a few days I was sent
ISN’T it nice to read about all those officer of Darlington council who are receiving more than £100,000 per year (Echo, March 17)? I am sure they are worth every penny. Meanwhile, the same council has completely cancelled the bus service from
THE uniforms for Britain’s Armed Forces, like much of its weaponry, aircraft and naval vessels are made overseas. Council wheelie bins are made overseas, as are the memorabilia and tickets for the Olympic Games. Instead of telling bosses to stop
IT'S a shame that Dan Lobb and Kate Garraway are going to be replaced as presenters by Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones on the ITV breakfast show, Daybreak. To be honest, once Lorraine starts during the programme at 8.30am, I immediately switch
AS if any Foreign Secretary doesn’t have enough on his plate – virtually the world – William Hague, Britain’s present incumbent, has been chosen as the mouthpiece of a blunt domestic message from the Government to the people: work harder to pull
Many smaller NHS hospitals have closed their A&E departments in recent years, but where do you take a sick child at the weekend? One North-East father tells what happened after his three-year-old daughter collapsed WHAT should have been
THE family of a young teacher who died from a brain tumour are raising money for the hospital where she was treated. Emma Lawrenson, nee Harrison, who grew up in Teesdale, was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was 22. Although she fought the condition
A 51-YEAR-OLD man was left bleeding heavily on the ground after being attacked by two men who robbed him of his personal belongings in South Moor, Stanley. A police spokesman said the victim was confronted in Fern Avenue in South Moor, as he was walking
AIDAN O’BRIEN has any amount of fillies to choose from for the Oaks and Twirl can add her name to the list with victory in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York. This filly is a full sister to last year’s Irish 1000 Guineas winner Misty For Me
JASON GILLESPIE has backed Jonny Bairstow to make the most of his chance in the middle order of England’s Test team. Yorkshire’s first-team coach has hailed the 22 yearold right-hander a “wonderful talent” ahead of his expected debut against
SAVANNAH MARSHALL will fight for a place at the Olympic Games later today when she competes in the quarter-finals at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in China. But the Hartlepool middleweight will have to overcome hometown fighter Li Jinzi
MANCHESTER CITY boss Roberto Mancini hopes to be allowed to spend big this summer in pursuit of further success. Mancini wants to add the Champions League to this season’s Premier League title victory. City have spent heavily since their takeover
AUSTRALIAN Mitchell Starc is in line to make his Yorkshire debut in Sunday’s Clydesdale Bank 40 clash against Derbyshire at Headingley. The overseas left-arm fast bowler, 22, landed in England yesterday morning after being deported by the UK Border
Landscape Architect Martin Robinson, born and bred in Barnard Castle, recently completed over 1000km on a charity cycle ride from London to Cannes over 6 days. Cycle to Cannes, currently sponsored by Martin’s employers, Aedas Architects was the brainchild
A FOOD bank in Consett has been experiencing an unprecedented demand for food parcels as the recession continues to bite - prompting volunteers to appeal for more donations. Volunteers at Consett Food4U, based at the town’s Salvation Army Hall, are
THE Government was given some welcome good news on the jobs front today when unemployment fell nationally by 45,000 - but it jumped by 6,000 in the North-East. The jobless total was 2.6m in the quarter to March, the lowest since last summer
NEW manager; same old problems. It is only to be hoped that Roy Hodgson has a few more solutions than his predecessors as England boss. Unlike most England managers, Hodgson does not have the luxury of a bedding-in period. This afternoon, he
AN MP has praised efforts to amalgamate two secondary schools into a new academy. Pat Glass MP held talks last week with Kevin Reynolds, principal of the newly-formed Consett Academy. The school, formed by the merger of Consett Community Sports College
English Touring Opera’s production of Eugene Onegin, which visited the Gala Theatre last night, looked back beyond the romanticism of Tchaikovsky’s music to capture something of the ironic detachment of the original novel in verse by Russia’s greatest
NINE people have been arrested after a series of drugs raids early this morning. The action was the first stage in a major drugs crackdown in the Spennymoor and Ferryhill areas of County Durham. Properties in Chilton and St Helen Auckland
A NORTH-EAST nurse yesterday called on the Government to rethink its abolition of the NHS Direct helpline and its replacement with the new 111 urgent care line. Sue Stockdale, from Stockton, a nurse advisor for NHS Direct, based at North Tees
ECONOMIC uncertainty and a double dip recession has left many law firms struggling, but one North-East practice has bucked the trend and managed to create 14 new jobs. In the last six months, Punch Robson Solicitors have expanded their workforce by
NEWCASTLE Falcons have continued their recruitment drive by signing Italy international Carlo del Fava. Despite not yet knowing what league they will be playing in next season, Falcons are determined to press on with their squad restructuring
RIO Ferdinand is set to be the biggest casualty of Roy Hodgson's first selection as England manager. Ferdinand will be excluded from the 23-man European Championships squad that is announced this afternoon, but John Terry is expected to be awarded a
LAWYERS acting for a subpostmaster jailed for the murder of his wife have revealed new evidence they say makes the conviction unsafe. Robin Garbutt’s legal team yesterday produced documents at the Court of Appeal which they say cast doubt on
DARLINGTON Borough Council has divided the town with plans to replace bin bags with wheelie bins. The Northern Echo highlights opposing views on the plans FOR: Darlington borough councillor Nick Wallis, cabinet member with responsibility for
POLICE yesterday revealed the extent of the search to find an eight-year-old boy who was swept away by a river swollen by days of heavy rain. The body of Ian Bell was found nine days after he fell into the River Wear near his home in Sunnybrow
POLICE made several arrests after a countywide crackdown on metal thefts. The two-day operation was carried out by North Yorkshire Police, who patrolled major roads and visited local scrap dealers. More than 50 police officers were involved in
THE row over an ousted council boss has finally come to a conclusion – but has sparked a dispute between neighbouring authorities. Peter Simpson, the former chief executive of Hambleton District Council, were sent home on gardening leave in
TRIBUTES have been paid to a pensioner who died in a house blaze, as firefighters said the amount of items hoarded at the property hampered their rescue attempt. Ann Bradshaw, 65, and her son, Ian, 37, were rescued from their home in Honister
A LIVE-IN carer who stole valuable heirlooms from wealthy families and sold them to a second-hand dealer when she returned home to the North-East at weekends is facing jail. Barbara Garvey, 60, from Darlington, was a trusted and respected housekeeper
KEIREN Westwood has spelled out his determination to reclaim the number one spot at Sunderland - and revealed how a sickness bug ruined his season. After moving to Wearside last summer, Westwood looked to have established himself in the Black
JONAS Gutierrez admits Newcastle United face a summer of uncertainty as their Premier League rivals target a number of their key players. But having helped the Magpies secure their highest finish for eight years, the Argentinian midfielder
MIDDLESBROUGH youngster Ben Gibson is hoping to complete a memorable Wembley double this weekend. Gibson has spent the last three months on loan at Blue Square Bet Premier York City and was part of the side that lifted the FA Trophy with a
West Auckland are hoping to end their season with a trophy when they go to Team Northumbria in the final of the Brooks Mileson Northern League cup tonight. West manager Peter Dixon, who has seen his side pipped for the title on the last day of the
A CONTROVERSY-HIT police chief constable left his role yesterday after five years in office. Grahame Maxwell, chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, handed over to his former deputy, Tim Madgwick, who has been appointed temporary chief constable
A DEVOTED couple who were happily married for more than 60 years have died within days of each other. Teresa Lavin met her husband, Valentine, in 1947 when he moved to Darlington from County Mayo, in Ireland, and the pair were inseparable ever
TRIBUTES have been paid to the managing director of a livestock mart who died after an incident involving a bolt gun. Stephen Aitken was described by his colleagues as a respected auctioneer, whose hard-work and enthusiasm helped to build Darlington
A sub-postmaster convicted of killing his wife took his bid to clear his name to the Court of Appeal in London yesterday. Joe Willis reports FRIENDS and family of convicted killer Robin Garbutt remained upbeat as they left court yesterday.
AN inheritance feud ended in tragedy when a man pinned his brother to a shopping centre bench and triggered a fatal heart attack, a court heard yesterday. Brothers Anthony and Michael Marshall met to discuss the will of their late brother,
