GUS POYET thinks Sunderland will have to beat the best ‘overall team’ in Europe in order to become the first to defeat a Jose Mourinho-led Chelsea three times inside 12 months.The Blues are already six points clear at the top of the Premier League after
ALAN PARDEW wants new players in January but he will not be rushing into lining up any deals at this stage because Newcastle want a post-Christmas bargain.The Magpies, ideally, would still like to add a new striker and a defender at least for the second
IN many respects Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce have endured similar years having shrugged off heavy pressure from fans to step down to keep their reputation firmly intact. And as Newcastle United look to make it seven wins in a row at West Ham United
CHRISTMAS cheer has been spread by a little girl badly hurt in an accident earlier this year. Ten-year-old Abbie Keers flicked the switch on an impressive light display in Stanley this evening. Displays, like those seen at the popular Lumiere light
SHOTGUN wielding robbers raided a Darlington petrol station last night, forcing the lone member of staff to hand over cash - and her own car. The balaclava clad thieves – one carrying a shotgun and the other waving a long knife – struck at the
THERE are a lot of promises wrapped up in this week’s handover of the East Coast rail franchise to a private consortium led by Stagecoach and Virgin. The Government says we will see a “transformation” of the service, with £140m investment, 65 new
GREEN-FINGERED youngsters have been working together to improve their community.Pupils from St Stephen’s Primary School in Willington and Sunnybrow Primary School have planted thousands of bulbs to ensure the parish is bright and colourful next spring.Funding
ED Miliband reacted to David Cameron’s immigration speech by labelling the Prime Minister a “busted flush” who makes “false promises”.The Labour Leader, who was visiting the Nissan factory in Sunderland, said the country needed a better plan to stem the
OPTIONS for safety improvements at a junction which was the scene of a fatality earlier this year include its complete closure.Dolores Mary Hubbert died following the collision at the junction of the A690 at East Rainton, near the Durham/Sunderland county
AN interactive display exploring the creative process behind a unique railway opera was launched today (Friday, November 28)The display, at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham, gives a greater insight in to the making of
WE stopped counting Craig’s lead at about 150 points as my boss’s parting words swam around my mind: “you have to win,” he warned; “the honour of The Northern Echo is on your shoulders; ask yourself how many points you get for the word ‘sack.’”My thoughts
CROWDS surged through the doors of stores across the region as Black Friday shoppers hunted for bargains on what has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year.Scores of shops opened at midnight to take full advantage of the day, which originated
A PENSIONER was left terrified when two men forced their way into her home in Middlesbrough and stole money. The 79-year-old woman was knocked to the floor as her home in Stratford Crescent, Middlesbrough, when they burst in at 1.20pm on Thursday, November
A REPORT has revealed that a North-East police force used anti-terror legislation in an attempt to trace a journalist’s source. Cleveland Police is the fifth UK police force believed to have obtained telecoms data as part of a search for a media
A CIGAR belonging to Winston Churchill will be among the highlights of an auction in the North-East next week. The cellophane-wrapped El Dinamico Habana cigar is reputed to have been given to the seller’s father by the wartime Prime Minister in the late
CHRISTMAS shoppers in Durham are able to view exciting plans for the multi million pound regeneration of the city centre.The Gates Shopping Centre in Durham has put the proposals on public display as part of a special seasonal exhibition.The plans for
A GIANT of North-East comedy explained he was inspired by real life people he met in his youth in the region to create his nationally famous comic characters. TV comedian Bob Mortimer paid tribute to his roots on a visit to his home town of Middlesbrough
AN ARTIST will be selling gift cards, postcards and signed prints from his original paintings in aid of several of his chosen charities. Colin Richardson of Spennymoor, County Durham, will display his work at Durham Town Hall from 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday
A CONVICTED sex offender "groomed and preyed upon" a woman he met on a lonely hearts website and talked her into helping satisfy his lust for children. Stephen Boyd kept his sordid past a secret from unsuspecting Catherine Hendriks and persuaded
THE chairman of NHS England is to become the new chancellor of the University of York.He will be taking over from the chairman of the FA – and former director-general of the BBC – Greg Dyke, who has held the office since 2004.The chancellor is the formal
A COMMUNITY event to celebrate the start of the Christmas period is being held in Consett next week.The festive fun in Blackhill and Consett Park on Wednesday from 3pm to 6pm includes a free session to make your own decorations, music, theatre, Frosty
A TEAM of volunteers drafting a plan for the future of Sedgefield have dismissed a developer’s survey about what the community needs. Earlier this week, ESRG, a UK investment company that hopes to build 461 homes on sites in Beacon Lane and Salters
DURHAM’S taxi drivers have spoken out against a decision to close part of a busy city centre street on weekend nights to tackle congestion. They were responding to an experimental traffic regulation order closing a stretch of Claypath between Millennium
THE funeral carriage of illustrious former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill is just a lick of paint away from its former glory.Staff, volunteers and trainees at Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon, in County Durham, this week reached
A POLICE officer who supported a victim of domestic violence has been honoured with a national award.PC Amanda Holland triumphed in the Person Who Changed my Life category at the national Wow! Awards in London earlier this week.The customer service awards
DAVID Mellor is an unpleasant person. His foul-mouthed rant at a taxi driver revealed him to be an arrogant, pompous, rude, offensive snob. If that wasn’t enough, his threats to use his radio show to name and shame the cabbie proved he was also
A FELL rescue group has been given a refreshing boost by a brewery.Members of Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team gathered at The Farmers Arms in Muker to receive a donation of £1,706 from the Yorkshire Dales Brewery. Over the summer, mountain rescue branded
A WOMAN whose sister was killed by a drink-driver has spoken of her devastation at the launch of the Cleveland and Durham Christmas drink and drug drive campaign. Jacqueline Dowdall, from Coxhoe in County Durham, was killed on the A1(M) in Durham
DOGS on death row are being given a chance after the launch of a new rescue group in North Yorkshire.The new group is officially being launched at a Save Yorkshire Dog’s Santa Christmas Fair which is being held in Masham Town Hall on Sunday December 7
HOSPICE supporters took on an extreme obstacle course to raise money.More than 60 people crossed tough terrain, scrambled over straw bales, scaled climbing walls and crawled under nets and through tunnels in the Battle It challenge at Hamsterley Forest
FASHION maverick Steve Cochrane, who turned to a career in retail after failing as a punk musician, has been honoured with a civic award to mark Psyche’s contribution to Middlesbrough.The designer store on Linthorpe Road now hangs alongside Style Lab
PUPILS from Rydal Academy are getting an extra special escort to school as part of an initiative to get children more active.The youngsters walked to school with Rebels and Outlaws for the second of ten themed MEGA Friday months. Schools across Darlington
LOW paid council staff are on the verge of having their wages boosted as plans are finalised to introduce the living wage.Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s personnel and general purposes committee approved these measures at a meeting earlier this
A DOZEN horses found illegally tethered on council land have been seized and removed.The animals were taken from land in the Osbaldwick area of York and have been taken to secure stabling.They must now be claimed within 14 days by the owner coming forward
TALENTED sportsmen and women are being given a boost in the shape of Elite Sports Scholarships worth thousands of pounds.The programme is being awarded to individuals who possess outstanding sports ability - to strengthen the success already achieved
A SOUTH Stockton couple have told of their trauma after being evicted from their home, despite having a required mortgage payment at the ready.Paul Normington, 51, and Christine Fearns, 48, lost their home on Simonside Grove, Ingleby Barwick after falling
FORMER Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn has called on the next Government to end low pay as part of a package of policies to combat poverty and improve social mobility. The former Darlington MP, who was a senior member of Tony Blair’s cabinet in the
The Hennessy Gold Cup is one of the biggest betting races of the year and 19 go to post for Newbury’s flagship jumps race of the year and it is another fascinating renewal. No five-year-old has won the race in its 57-year history but rules are
RABY Castle will be starting its festive season on Sunday (November 30) with the Taste of Teesdale Christmas market.Freshly cut Christmas trees will be on sale at the event, from 10am until 4pm, which is organised by the Barnard Castle Farmers Market.About
THE health of residents’ feet has become the focus of a new campaign announced by a North-East pharmacy.As winter finally kicks in, The Pharmacy, in Rockliffe Court, Hurworth Place, Darlington, is launching a foot health awareness service, designed to
A HISTORIC North-East pier reopened today after an £850,000 overhaul to repair storm damage.Weather permitting, members of the public can now access the 600metre long pier, which is 111-years-old and Grade II listed, was closed to the public on Sunday
The Martin Lewis Money Show (ITV, 8pm) FINANCIAL journalist Martin Lewis has been frequenting our screens for years now, giving insider tips on how we can further tighten our purse-strings during these hard-up times... although I have to be honest
DRUG users have been warned to be extra careful and on the alert after high purity heroin was found to be in circulation.Police seized a quantity of the drug during an operation in Scarborough – and found it to be three or four times stronger than usual
ANGRY councillors and residents claim a “toxic mound” of waste has been dumped close to homes and a school and they can get no answers about when or how it is going to be moved.Parish councillors at Leeming Bar have challenged the developers and Hambleton
SOME Christmas sparkle came to Northallerton with a fundraising floral evening which raised several hundred pounds for charity.Northallerton and District Flower Club held a sell-out Christmas flower arranging demonstration at The Forum in Northallerton
A TWO-YEAR building project to expand the capacity of a Darlington school is now officially complete.Staff and pupils at the Federation of Mowden Schools on Conyers Avenue attended a special assembly today (Friday, November 28) to mark the official opening
A PATIENT at a psychiatric hospital who set fire to his room after downing a bottle of vodka has been jailed for two years.Martin Ransom simply lay on his bed as 5ft flames surrounded him and choking smoke made it almost impossible for him to breathe.Ransom's
A NEW east Durham venue is giving visitors an early Christmas present – with a free event full of seasonal spirit.Seaham Town Hall, at Station Road, has recently undergone a £1m development which includes the creation of rooms suitable for everything
VILLAGERS hope to secure £350,000 of Big Lottery Funding to refurbish their community hall.Staindrop councillors and residents are backing the A Hall for All campaign, led by the Scarth Hall Memorial Hall management committee which has plans to refurbish
EVEN if you’re big Chelsea fan, you’ve got to feel for Jack Wilshere.Another ankle injury this week this is likely to keep him absent for the best part of the rest of the season.It was only about three months ago when I wrote in this same column that
YOUNG football stars are celebrating after winning a league title.The talented students at Hummersknott Academy, in Darlington, were victorious in the town's under 15 boys football league.The team played against a number of the town’s secondary schools
A £1MILLION project to improve three Darlington parks has begun. Volunteers from EE took part in a volunteering day at South Park as part of the launch of Re-thinking Parks. Seven volunteers planted a Rose Garden and other areas of the park with shrubs
COMMPELLING evidence that Reeth enjoyed a prosperous medieval past has been unearthed.Almost 2,000 items were found during Swaledale Big Dig - a summer-long community archaeology project.Residents and teams of enthusiasts dug 27 one metre square test
THE regions' reputation as a centre for shipbuilding will be revived this weekend when a Middlesbrough-built vessel is launched on the Tees. The launch of Jalna Construction’s 14 metre-long industrial boat will be the culmination of two years of
Mark Tallentire takes baby steps towards joining family dining at The New Board Inn, Esh Winning BECOMING a parent changes everything – even one’s approach to eating out. “What’s it like for kids?” is a question I had rarely, if ever, considered
West Auckland manager Anth Smith says that his team can now concentrate on their main target of winning the league when they face Consett today. West were one of the favourites to win the FA Vase until they were beaten last week, and Smith said
Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley wants his players to be consistent for a full 90 minutes in today’s third qualifying round tie with Chasetown. Ainsley is concerned that his players haven’t fired on all cylinders in their last two matches, and
AFTER the famine the feast. Durham fans were starved of attractive grounds to visit this year, but next season they can sample the delights of Worcester, Arundel and Scarborough. Another popular venue, Taunton, comes first as it stages the opening
BLACK Friday queues formed outside stores across the region with many retailers opening at midnight to take full advantage of what has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year. In Darlington, queues for video game retailer Game stretched
England have turned to Billy Twelvetrees to help solve their perennial midfield conundrum after forgiving the high-profile blunder in New Zealand that plunged his Test future into doubt.Twelvetrees will line-up inside Brad Barritt for tomorrow's autumn
GATESHEAD potter Elliot Slessor insists he is edging closer to a breakthrough after his first-round exit at the UK Snooker Championship on Thursday night. The 20-year-old, in his second season on the professional tour, was beaten 6-4 in a late-night
Former Darlington striker John Campbell yesterday returned to professional football by signing a short-term deal with Oxford United.The 26-year-old has been a regular scorer this season for Jarrow Roofing in the Ebac Northern League, hitting 24 goals
A DRIVER who blamed his excitable bull terrier for sitting on the accelerator during a high-speed police pursuit was yesterday jailed for 13 months. Judge Christopher Prince dismissed Jordan Winn’s account as “utterly ludicrous”, and said it was
THE popular view of most professional sportsmen and women is a well-established one. Well paid, privileged to be doing something they love and boasting a profile that affords them the status of a celebrity, those of us who take pleasure in watching
AITOR KARANKA admits it was tough to freeze Jason Steele out of the first-team picture at Middlesbrough last season, but claims subsequent events have proved it was the right decision. Steele’s only appearance in Karanka’s first 31 matches as
NEWCASTLE UNITED’S recent winning run has transformed lots of things at St James’ Park, with the club’s January transfer policy perhaps at the top of the list. A month ago, with the Magpies struggling in the relegation zone, a repeat of 2013’s
AFTER a constructive transfer summit at the Academy of Light, Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has outlined a wish to make quick-fire additions to his Sunderland squad as soon as the window opens in January.Poyet wants to add a couple of new signings after the
ALAN PARDEW thinks Andy Carroll will play for Newcastle United again one day – even if the move to St James’ Park does not materialise during the next transfer window.Carroll returned to action in a West Ham shirt this month after overcoming the ankle
LABOUR MPs in the region broke ranks to demand lower passenger duty at North airports after Scotland was given the power to cut the tax in a move that was labelled a "slap in the face for North-East business."They went further than official
WHILE summing up the inquest into Captain Holloway’s death, coroner Andrew Tweddle, broke down in tear as he recalled his own son’s death. Mr Tweddle’s son, Aidan Tweddle, died hours after his car left the road and hit trees on the A167 dual carriageway
ROLL UP, roll up for a remarkable revelation – the world’s first lion tamer hailed from the North-East. In 1878, a Darlington-born 12-year-old took to the circus arena to replace an injured animal trainer in his family’s show. Within years,
THE former manager of a Co-operative store defrauded her employer of 22 years of nearly £20,000 in an attempt to pay off spiralling debts, a court heard. Marie Welch manipulated the figures and failed to keep proper banking records while employed
The UK's current drugs policy is turning dealers into role models on the streets of County Durham, says Durham Constabulary Chief Constable Mike Barton IN 2008 when I arrived in Durham as the Assistant Chief Constable there were 43 organised crime
THE most popular apprenticeship 100 years ago was in dressmaking, compared with health and social care today, a new study has shown. Trades including carpentry, millinery, tailoring and drapery were also in the top 10 in 1914, while growth sectors
