Labour tonight accused the Government of inventing a £38 billion black hole in the defence budget to justify sweeping cuts to the military. Shadow defence minister Kevan Jones claimed the coalition used the financial ''myth'' as a reason for redundancies
THIEVES made off with jewellery worth thousands of pounds after a homeowner was distracted by a man offering gardening services. Police have warned people not to let strangers into their homes without checking their credentials after the burglary in
A PENSIONER was led to safety from his smoke filled kitchen this afternoon after a microwave was left on the hob of an electric cooker. Two fire crews from Stockton attended the cottage, off The Green in Norton, at 4.28pm. They gave the man oxygen
JOE Graham has signed a one-year contract extension with Newcastle Falcons ahead of the new campaign. The 25-year-old hooker made 22 senior appearances last season, scoring two tries. Having been raised in Carlisle, Graham moved to Tynedale for the
MARTIN Ward has been forced to pull out of next month's 'Summer Rumble 2' show at the Stadium of Light. County Durham bantamweight Ward was due to fight Liverpool's Mike Robinson for the vacant English title as the headline attraction on July 15. However
A NEW campaign for an elected "government of the North" was launched at Westminster today - demanding the same powers as London, or even Scotland. And it immediately announced it had signed up Labour's new policy chief as a patron, in a bid to get the
A dance school from Darlington enjoyed a successful trip to the World Freestyle Championships at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. The Joanne Lowe School of Dance came away with a world champion in the freestyle solo section - Ellie Hughes won
NORTH-EAST comedian Sarah Millican has been announced as the guest headliner at the opening night of a comedy festival in the region. She will perform at the gala opening night of Darlington Comedy Festival, at the town’s Civic Theatre next
BALANCE is continuing its campaign to protect children and young people from alcohol, as new figures have revealed that the North-East has the highest rate of under-18s in specialist alcohol treatment in England – twice the national rate. Work carried
OVER the past few weeks five new treatments have been made available to cancer patients in the North-East. At its recent meetings, the North of England Cancer Drug Approvals Group (NECDAG) agreed to applications from cancer doctors for treatments
ACOUGH that lasts for three weeks or longer is the focus of a new campaign – backed by Ricky Gervais and Lynda Bellingham – to increase awareness of the key symptoms of lung cancer and improve earlier diagnosis. New data has revealed only
EFFORTS to get patients into the dentist’s chair are beginning to succeed thanks to innovative projects by local health officials. More than 1.6 million people in the North-East now have access to an NHS dentist thanks to a national funding
JUDGING by the comments from patients of the Shildon Health Centre, recent refurbishment work on the building has been highly successful, with one person describing the centre as ‘light and welcoming’ and another saying the work has ‘brought
A COMMUNITY came together in the classroom to celebrate a school’s centenary. Friends old and new attended Reid Street School, in Darlington, to mark the 100th anniversary of an institution which remains at the heart of the community. Celebrations
LOCAL cancer patient Greg Hart is living proof that the speedy diagnosis and treatment of difficulty swallowing and a sore throat can save your life. The 68-year-old, from Newton Aycliffe, said: “I had difficulty swallowing and a sore throat
NHS County Durham and Darlington and their partners are calling on all families to take small steps to safety this Child Safety Week. “Many accidents that kill, injure or disable children don’t need to happen,” said Katrina Phillips, Chief
AN IMPROVEMENT to the current cervical screening test will mean that women who now present with borderline or low grade cervical abnormalities will be tested for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as part of their routine cervical screening sample
THE Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield (DDES) Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – one of three CCGs in County Durham and Darlington working towards full authorisation to take over responsibility for commissioning health care from Primary Care
VINTAGE vehicles gathered for a rally at a North-East castle on Sunday. The 14th Raby Classic Vehicle Show took place at Raby Castle, in Staindrop, County Durham, with more than 300 classic cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, vintage tractors and motorbikes
THE closing date for a competition to find Darlington’s best gardeners has been postponed because of the slow start to summer. Organisers of the Darlington in Bloom competition are concerned that the recent wet weather, which has delayed the seasonal
A BARN was burnt out, three allotments were damaged and a primary school targeted during an overnight crime spree in Staindrop. Police are investigating a spate of incidents which occurred in the village sometime between late Friday and the early
COUNCIL officers will consult with residents after a number of people raised concerns about areas of long grass that have been allowed to grow to encourage bio-diversity in parts of Darlington. Residents in Pendleton Road, in the North Road area of
WORLD-renowned opera star Sir Thomas Allen was officially installed as Durham University chancellor today, saying he was both hugely humbled and immensely proud at the accolade. The 67-year-old, from Seaham Harbour, County Durham, received the chancellor
CHANCELLOR George Osborne has scrapped August's planned 3p rise in fuel duty and frozen the tax for the rest of the year. The £500m boost to motorists can be paid as a result of departmental savings across Whitehall, the Treasury said.
Line of Duty (BBC2, 9pm) Love Your Garden (ITV1, 8pm) Gordon Behind Bars (Channel 4, 9pm) APPARENTLY, this drama is so good it even convinced Lennie James to put aside his misgivings about playing yet another police officer. The actor, who has
RESCUE experts today joined police yesterday to scour the countryside after a 64-year-old woman disappeared from her home. Veronica Margaret Esarte-Sarries was reported missing from her home at Carlton, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, at 9.50am yesterday
Wensleydale School has gone from being in special measures to one of the most improved in the country in three years. Joe Willis speaks to the man who has overseen the success, head teacher Phil Benaiges EVERYONE remembers a good teacher – even teachers
I READ with dismay that there are proposed parking charges at Hardwick Hall park, Sedgefield (Echo, June 18). I know costs have to be met, but surely car parking charges will only put people off visiting the park. There is a Park Run every Saturday
The unexpected delights of postponing a holiday in order not to disappoint the Women’s Institute AN unaccustomed place in the order of proceedings, it is necessary first to propose a vote of thanks to the Women’s Institute ladies around Kirkby
I FULLY agree with Darlington funeral director Bryan Shepherd (HAS, June 22) about the resurfacing of the A68 West Auckland Road between Darlington and Heighington. The dual carriageway between the A1 roundabout and the Swanhouse roundabout has
IT seems a pity that the silly and historically illiterate net-based behaviour of some Hartlepool fans will mean that the possible naming of the new Quakers as “Locomotive Darlington” will now probably be ruled out of play (Echo, June 23). A pity
IT was so pleasing to see the great numbers of people, both old and young, out in their local communities enjoying the Olympic Torch Relay and its associated ballyhoo. While in no way taking anything away from the many runners who carried the
WAS there ever a more ineffectual leader of our country than the present incumbent? If it were not humiliating enough to witness the Prime Minister blathering on about when he last bought a Cornish pasty, we are now treated to his latest perspective
EDUCATION Secretary Michael Gove wants to change the examinations system (Echo, June 22), but examinations should not be in the form that enables the Government to use the results to create league tables that do not reflect the true abilities
IN response to Labour Councillor Charlie Kay (HAS, June 20), no sensible person would support any councillor of any party who was clearly abusing the system. Individual examples of poor standards are not restricted to any one political party.
WHEN walking across what I consider to be the now soulless Durham market square, I noticed that most of the paving is grey, factory-sawn granite. The streets off the square have been relaid in the original, reclaimed, warmlooking York sandstone
SURELY David Cameron deserves the accolade for being the worst prime minister of the past hundred years. He faces some stiff opposition. Let’s start at the beginning: David Lloyd George governed by bribery. Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain
FOR every athlete whose Olympic dream comes true, there are always many more who do not make it to the pinnacle of sport. When it is due to a lack of ability to compete with the world’s best, that disappointment has to be taken on the chin. But
Thanks to the diamond jubilee and the Olympics, there is much to celebrate about being British this year. But just how patriotic are we? Diana Pilkington reports THE big jubilee weekend may be done and dusted, but much of the Union flag bunting that
AN ART exhibition celebrating Durham Miners’ Gala opens this weekend. The Big Meetings show, by photographer Julian Germain, features images of bands, speeches and villagers and explores the stories behind the event itself. Attended by more than 100,000
A FORMER police detective has admitted murdering his partner, a policewoman whose body was found in a shallow woodland grave. Peter Foster had previously pleaded not guilty to killing Detective Constable Heather Cooper, 33, from York, who was
While the rental market is increasingly buoyant, according to new research, the latest statistics also show that the cost of home ownership is far less over a person’s lifetime than renting a house. These facts could help to debunk the myth that home
Along with Durham Chief Constable Jon Stoddart and Darlington council leader Bill Dixon, I signed the White Ribbon pledge this morning. The White Ribbon campaign is a global initiative to reduce the level of violence against women - and Darlington
A WOMAN has been taken to hospital after a rush-hour crash between two cars this morning. The accident happened at around 8.20am on the B6279 at Lingfield in Darlington. Two appliances from Darlington Fire Station attended the scene, along with a specialist
HEATHER Watson made Centre Court her stage as she thrashed experienced Czech Iveta Benesova for her first Wimbledon win. The 20-year-old from Guernsey had to wait until last evening to see where her match would be played, and had little time
IT was a case of job done for Novak Djokovic as the defending champion began his Wimbledon campaign with a comfortable first-round win. After his victory over Rafael Nadal in the final a year ago, the Serbian had the honour of being the first
FIVE-TIME Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is not willing to say goodbye to the big stage just yet despite suffering a first-round exit at SW19. The 32-year-old was adamant her time as a leading force in the game is not over when reviewing her
ROY Hodgson admits Wayne Rooney failed to live up to expectations as England crashed out of Euro 2012 but insists the fitness of the striker was not an issue. Head coach Hodgson was aware of the pressure on Rooney to perform at his best after
STEVEN Gerrard cannot explain why England exhibited such a miserable ability to retain possession during their Euro 2012 quarter-final with Italy. Roy Hodgson’s starting line-up contained eight players who have won either the Premier League
ANNUAL profits at Carpetright slumped to £4m but the retailer offered some comfort over its recent sales performance. The group, which has 490 stores in the UK, has seen its profits take a downward spiral from £17m last year and £62m in 2008. Its like-for-like
Catterick Young Farmers are staging a vintage tractor run for charity on Sunday 1st July. The run starts from Ravensworth Village Hall. Entrants will assemble at 10:00 for a 10:30 start. Lunch will be at The Farmers Arms, Muker where pre-ordered
The advent of smartphones and tablet computers means communicating via the internet while on the move has never been easier. But is the region’s 3G network keeping pace? Joe Willis discovers not HUNDREDS of thousands of people watched the Olympic
Opera North's survey of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle continued at The Sage Gateshead with a marathon performance of the Die Walküre, a year after the introductory Das Rheingold. Weighing in at about six hours, with two intervals included, the work
HOUSE repossessions in parts of the region are running at more than three times the national average, research has shown. Fifteen homes in every 10,000 across the UK are taken back by mortgage lenders, a study by chartered surveyors e.surv
THE condition of many military homes is condemned as “unacceptable” by a committee of MPs today – after upgrade work was shelved for three years. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is accused of opting for “false economy” after halting improvements to save
A PRODUCTION company has secured funding to film nine Hollywood-backed movies – with a joint budget of more than £200m – across the North-East and North Yorkshire. It is hoped locations including York, Newcastle, Durham City, the Tees Valley and North
A BLITZ on metal theft, which has been plaguing the region’s railways, is already paying dividends with a 69 per cent drop in such crimes, police have revealed. British Transport Police said that recorded metal thefts in their North-Eastern region had
A FUNERAL director blamed a dying man for driving his hire car in a desperate bid to dodge penalty points on his licence. Community leader Haji Jaber even continued with his “stupid” lie after photographs showed a woman behind the wheel.
AN Olympic torchbearer who ran the relay in bare feet to highlight third world poverty has given his torch to children in a Kenyan slum. John McBride, 48, said he hopes the donation, which he delivered in person, will act as a symbol of hope
THE widow of a popular headteacher who died last week said that he told her he loved her each day in the period leading up to his death. Susan Morgan, wife of executive head of Conyers School in Yarm John Morgan, said she did not want to hide the fact
HEALTH officials have confirmed that concerns about inadequate smear tests at a North-East GP practice go back at least five years. At the weekend The Northern Echo revealed that about 1,000 women in the Newton Aycliffe area were being invited to have
A PILOT from North Yorkshire killed in a crash on a snow-covered Scottish mountain 60 years ago is to be honoured with a memorial. John Brian Lightfoot was 22 when he died as his Gloster Meteor Jet, on a training mission from RAF Leuchars, went down
A MAN angered by a tribunal decision to cut his mother’s funeral fund telephoned a court and vowed to shoot a judge. Kenneth Boxall could be jailed after being convicted of making a threat to kill following a three-day trial at Teesside Crown Court.
A COUNCIL has apologised after promising library staff, already facing reduced working hours, a major pay rise - only to withdraw the offer a few days later. Durham County Council bosses wrote to library staff, thought to number more than 100, telling
BRITAIN was facing an Olympic embarrassment last night after a North-East water polo star vowed to move to Australia because of “broken promises and unfair treatment”. Only a month before the London Games, Scott Carpenter says he would rather
DURHAM suffered a midsummer murder last night as they were totally outplayed by Lancashire in the Friends Life t20 game at Old Trafford. On a glorious Manchester evening they subsided tamely to 121 all out and the hosts cantered home by eight wickets
SOUTHAMPTON have emerged as rivals to Blackburn Rovers for the capture of out-of-favour Newcastle striker Leon Best. Best began his professional career with the Saints in 2004, and Nigel Adkins is hoping to lure him back to the south coast after his
ELLIS Short is confident Sunderland's pioneering partnership with the Invest In Africa initiative will help establish the club as a permanent fixture in the top half of the Premier League. The Black Cats yesterday confirmed Invest In Africa
From modest beginnings in the Republic of Ireland, oil and gas explorer Tullow has become a serious player in one of the world's most cutthroat industries, Business Editor Andy Richardson looks at the rise of the firm behind Invest in Africa, Sunderland
A SOFTWARE company have taken a new approach to recruitment by appointing their first-ever apprentices. Bond Solutions, which specialises in customer relationship management software, have added apprentices Faye Maw and Hannah Potter to their
SOUTH SHIELDS' Angie Winstanley-Smith will be part of the first British women's water polo team to compete at an Olympic Games next month. Winstanley-Smith was part of a 13-strong squad that was selected yesterday ahead of Britain's women's
A BUSINESS relocation firm has completed an unusual assignment - helping to move some of the rarest and most significant book collections in the country. Harrow Green was appointed by Durham University to move the Cosin's, Maltby and Winterbottom
HUNDREDS of small and medium sized North-East companies could benefit from a £1.8m fund set up to help investment in today's testing economic climate. North East Enterprise Agency NBSL is administering the North East Business Support Fund, which has
A REGENERATION company has confirmed it applied to the Regional Growth Fund for £10m to help fund a 400-property development, creating 270 jobs. Carlton & Co, based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, submitted the bid for the project, which
