A MAN armed with a machete walked into a tanning salon in North Shields tonight (Friday, January 9) and demanded cash - before making off. No-one was hurt during the armed robbery - which happened at 7.45pm at the Sun Lounge on Verne Road - but
The A1(M) has reopened in both directions after two lorries were blown over on the road in North Yorkshire. Both incidents happened last night - on the northbound carriageway close to Junction 50 near Thirsk while the second blocked the southbound
THERE are many questions to be answered at the end of this horrific week in which so many lives have been lost at the hands of terrorists in France. How much did the authorities know about those involved in the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical
A MAN has been charged in connection with an incident in which the bomb disposal squad was called to his home in Cramlington, Northumberland, on Thursday (January 8).Owen Thomas Dodds, 36, of Ridley Street, has been charged with importing offensive weapons
A MEETING will take place next week to discuss removing fees for traders using a lay-by near Crook.Members of Durham County Council’s General Licensing and Registration Committee will meet on Thursday, January 15, to discuss the Collier Wood lay-by on
FACED with the prospect of spending three-quarters of a town’s future budget on children in care and an ageing population suffering from dementia, a brainstorming session has been held to come up with income-generating ideas.At a round-table meeting Middlesbrough
TWO women are facing prison sentences for staging sham marriages at a North-East register office so illegal immigrants could stay in the UK. Zdenka Sudikova, 22, and her friend Katerina Gabaravo, 27, were found guilty today (Friday, January 9)
MIDDLESBOUGH have completed the loan signing of Tomas Kalas – and the Chelsea full-back could go straight into the starting line-up for tomorrow’s game at Reading. Kalas, who has made two senior appearances for Chelsea, has been training with Boro
A CLINIC is among the first in the UK to be officially accredited as safe and qualified to carry out non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as dermal fillers.Sue Stevens Aesthetics, based in Bishop Auckland, has become the first clinic in County Durham
ONE of the world’s best known and most inspirational sportswomen will be centre stage for the first in a series of free talks at a North-East university.Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who has won 11 Paralympic gold medals since her debut in Seoul Olympics
DOUBTS have emerged that a small earthquake reported in the Yorkshire Dales earlier this week was genuine.Rather than detecting a sudden release of energy in the earth's crust, it has been suggested that seismic sensors may have picked up a blast from
A FLAGSHIP training provider has enhanced its reputation as a leading centre of excellence after receiving an industry accreditation award.Darlington College has become a Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) ‘Centre of Merit’ in recognition
A LABOUR group is "at war with itself" according a key member of the party who has been de-selected as a councillor and expects to be suspended from the party altogether. Councillor Steve Goldswain, a Labour cabinet member at Redcar and Cleveland
SUNDERLAND have confirmed that development players Connor Oliver and David Ferguson have joined Championship side Blackpool on a permanent deal. Midfielder Oliver, 20, enjoyed a loan spell with Hartlepool United last season, while defender Ferguson
COACH visitors to Darlington are being advised that work to widen the pavement by the National Express stand starts on Monday.National Express Coaches will continue to stop alongside the Dolphin Centre, opposite the town hall, but other coaches will pick
The FA Cup reverse at Leicester means Newcastle have now lost five of their last seven in all competitions, so conventional thinking would suggest that the managerless Magpies could probably do without a trip to a Chelsea team with a 100 per cent record
A SOLDIERS charity is joining forces with a North Yorkshire assault course company in order to bolster the charity’s profile with people taking part in activities at the site.ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, which provides much-needed support to soldiers, veterans
HIGH end fashion was up for grabs at a catwalk show with a twist today (Friday, January 9).Lifeline Community Action’s Helping Hands team joined forces with Tricia Stewart from One Point to stage a fashion show at Trimdon Village Hall.The event saw models
DETECTIVES have warned internet users to be on their guard after three men were blackmailed over social media by a woman. The woman, who claimed to be called Cathy Wong, befriended the men, who are all students in York, on Facebook and asked them to video
A HEADTEACHER has appealed to motorists- particularly parents and carers of pupils- to be more considerate when parking at or near the school.Bad parking at Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College, on Merrington Road, Ferryhill, has caused safety concerns
A TEENAGER has pleaded guilty to 17 offences including aggravated vehicle taking, vehicle theft, criminal damage and assault.Luke Michael Boniface appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court in County Durham today (Friday, January 9) via a video link
A NEW book on the 1984-5 Miners’ Strike is out soon. From a Rock to a Hard Place was written by Beverley Trounce, a librarian and archivist whose father was a miner and spent the strike in the coal-mining area of Nottinghamshire. The book covers
WITNESSES are being sought after hundreds of pounds worth of damage was caused to a car which was crashed into on a Darlington junction.At about 7.45pm on Tuesday (January 6) a dark coloured car, possibly a Vauxhall Astra or similar, was on Larchfield
HEAVY overnight winds caused major rush hour disruption on road and rail in the region today (Friday January 9).Gusts of up to 70mph battered the North-East, and North Yorkshire causing damage and disrupting the journey to work.The biggest hold-up was
A POLICE officer suspended as part of an investigation into the supply of Class A drugs was today (Friday, January 9) committed to crown court.Northumbria Police officer Gary Steven Christie appeared at Peterlee Magistrates Court accused of misconduct
A TEESSIDE library has been relaunched as part of a council’s programme to improve library services across the borough.The mayor of Stockton, Councillor Barbara Inman, officially reopened Norton library on Wednesday January 7, as part of Stockton-on-Tees
A SPECIAL school in North Yorkshire has welcomed Richmond MP William Hague to open new classrooms.Mowbray School, based in Bedale, invited Mr Hague to open two new classrooms and a classroom extension, which will provide an extra 96sqm of teaching space.It
THE first sanctuary of its kind is opening for older victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse to help women as old as 80 escape their attackers. Redcar-based EVA Women’s Aid (Emerging from Violence and Abuse) is opening the property specifically
PEOPLE who attended a New Year’s Eve event at a skate park may be able to help police investigating a vicious assault.A 25-year-old man remains critically injured in hospital after being assaulted in Sunderland in the early hours of New Year’s Day.He
A THUG who threatened to murder the owner of a fish and chip shop and torch his business unless he handed over protection money has been jailed three-and-a-half years. John Watson demanded £1,000 up-front and then £20 a week to make sure no harm
PLANS are afoot to create a memorial garden in a Darlington cul-de-sac that was once home to two World War I soldiers who died in battle.Darlington Central Ward councillor Malcolm Wright wants to create a garden in homage to Privates Wilfrid Lancaster
THE North-East deserves “a lot more investment” and would do “very well indeed” if given the resources handed to other parts of the country, the Archbishop of Canterbury said today (Thursday, January 9).The Most Reverend Justin Welby, until 2013 the Bishop
A CHURCH will begin a course which aims to help people better understand who God is from this weekend. The Identity course is being repeated at St Paul's Church, on Whitworth Terrace, Spennymoor, following two successful runs there in 2014.
CHILDREN angered by vandals who damaged their wildlife and reading areas have aired their feelings to the culprits directly by writing open letters. Pupils at Thornley Primary School, near Peterlee, east Durham, went on their Christmas break on
THE three terrorists behind the bloody spate of terror attacks in France have been killed after police stormed both scenes. Charlie Hebdo killer brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi were shot after reportedly emerging from their bolt hole firing at
EYECATCHING posters warning thieves they are being watched are being put up in villages as part of a police campaign.The striking posters were unveiled in Lanchester on Friday (January 9) in a warning to thieves who target countryside properties.They
A CLOTHES bank is opening its doors this weekend to provide outfits for people in need. Teesside Socialist Clothing Bank is holding its first event today (Saturday) from 11am until 2pm at The John Paul Centre on Grange Road in Middlesbrough.Lawrie Coombs
PRIMARY schools in a town are to receive a £1,000 prize for their work in improving the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.The four schools – St Edwards, Acklam Whin, Sacred Heart and Captain Cook in Middlesbrough have been honoured in the national Pupil
CIVIC leaders have called for urgent action to regenerate a key town centre site after hearing Tesco has pulled out of a multi million investment plan.Councillors in Stanley say land in the Clifford Road area has become ‘an eyesore’ and is in dire need
A MOBILE phone operator at the centre of a takeover bid says it has welcomed a record number of customers.EE says it added 5.7 million people to its 4G network, which delivers instant internet roaming, in 2014.It means the firm now has 7.7 million 4G
A MUSICAL society is set to celebrate its 80th birthday with a smash musical production.The Durham University Opera Group, one of the university’s oldest society’s, is to put their own semi-professional spin on Cole Porter’s classic musical Anything Goes
A CYCLIST is fighting for his life after being hit by a lorry near Harrogate town centre. The 58-year-old cyclist, sustained serious head injuries in the collision with a black and red Volvo lorry on Otley Road, between Arthurs Avenue and West
A CYCLIST is fighting for his life after being hit by a lorry near Harrogate town centre.The 58-year-old cyclist, sustained serious head injuries in the collision with a black and red Volvo lorry on Otley Road, between Arthurs Avenue and West End Avenue
IT has been strangely quiet over the holidays. Our house is full, we have all five boys, often along with assorted friends and girlfriends, at home. But I find myself longing for just a little more noise. “There haven’t been any fights or rows
A CHARITY is looking for singers and musicians to join a group being formed to help people with dementia.Dementia Foward, which provides support, home visits, wellbeing activities, social events and education programmes, across North Yorkshire said it
A TINY environmental charity was able to look after more of the region’s waterways thanks to a huge amount of voluntary support last year. The Wear Rivers Trust, based at Low Barns Nature Reserve at Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland, has just four
NEW statistics show an increase in the number of patients waiting more than four hours to be admitted to hospital as North-East A&E units struggled to cope last week.The latest NHS England figures, for the week ending Sunday, January 4, show that every
A FORMER headteacher who taught generations of the same families in his home town has passed away peacefully, at the age of 93. Jack Grieveson often found himself teaching the children and grandchildren of former pupils at Rosa Street Primary School
A HOUSEBUILDER says strong customer demand is fuelling an increasingly healthy market.MJ Gleeson has revealed it sold 321 homes in the six-month period to December 31, a 24 per cent rise on the previous year’s total of 258.It added its forward order book
A FUNDRAISING group has given more than £1,500 to help a hospice train counsellors to support patients with life-limiting illnesses in Hambleton and Richmondshire.Thirsk Rotary Club said it had donated £700 of funds raised at its fireworks event on Thirsk
A NURSERY is building links with its community after visiting local producers to make their own treats for a family party event.Incy Wincy’s Nursery in Bedale organised the event to celebrate its town and get children involved with groups and businesses.A
A PAEDOPHILE who aged 17 duped aviation bosses in a scam likened to the blockbuster movie Catch Me If You Can, has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for breaching a ban on him contacting children. While living a secret Walter Mitty-style life
A TEESSIDE MP has taken up the cause of two pensioners left in "a scrum" of a thousand people outside a closed railway station during what he describes as "chaotic delays" during the holiday period. Tom Blenkinsop, Labour MP for Middlesbrough South
GUS POYET has ruled out a loan move for Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo during this month's transfer window. The Black Cats head coach is hoping to strengthen his side's attacking resources before the end of the month, and had been linked with a possible
ENERGY Secretary Ed Davey claimed he was winning the war to cut high energy bills, with some “fantastic deals” now available. Labour gained popularity when it pledged a 20-month price freeze, but the Energy Secretary accused Ed Miliband of doing
WIND farms can be “incredibly popular” and Tory opposition is pushing up energy bills, a Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister has argued. Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, vowed his party would continue to back onshore farms as part of a “dramatic increase
CORONERS have been praised for clearing a backlog of more than 400 inquests by a mayor who called the old service "inefficient and ineffective".Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon presented a Mayor’s Award to Acting Senior Coroner Clare Bailey, Assistant
A FILM actor has invited his agent, responsible for managing the careers of several television stars, to try and find new young talent in Stockton.Acting workshops are being held on Sunday, February 1, for seven to 11-year olds and 12 to 18-year-olds
A RUGBY club has created a life members board to honour those who have dedicated their time and skills to the club.Northallerton Rugby Club invited chairman of Hambleton District Council Cllr John Prest to unveil a plaque at their base in Northallerton
WORK to resurface the hard shoulder and improve the central reservation barrier on the A1 (M) near Durham City will begin next week. From Monday (January 12), a 4.2 mile section of the between Junctions 62 and 63 – Durham City and Chester-le-Street -
A LIBRARY service has received fresh hope of survival in the face of drastic spending cuts, after it receiving permission to team up with a tourist information centre.Libraries across North Yorkshire face being run by volunteers – or closure – as part
A THEATRE is celebrating another year of pantomime success after the curtain went down on its annual Christmas performance.Durham Gala Theatre’s slapstick production of the children’s classic Aladdin attracted thousands of spectators, with almost 28,000
THE Stroke Association is holding a fun run for people who have resolved to be healthier and fitter this year.Both 5km and 10km routes will be available at the charity’s Resolution Run on Sunday, March 8, at Herrington Country Park, Sunderland.Janet Price
THE region’s biggest police force arrested 127 people during its December drink-driving crackdown. The 94 men and 33 women were held by Northumbria officers for driving while over the limit, being unfit to drive through drink, and failing to provide
PAYDAY lender The Money Shop is considering the closure of up to 200 of its 500 branches. As many as 350 staff could be made redundant out of a total of around 3,000 employed by Money Shop. Tighter regulation has hit profits across the payday
A WOMAN has to pay £550 in fines and costs for allowing another driver to use her disabled parking badge to park for free in London . Karen Heslop, 44, of Hillside, Chester-le-Street, pleaded guilty to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 offence
TIME is running out to nominate your school, your teacher or your classmate for The Northern Echo Schools Awards 2015.For the second year running we are looking for the best-performing and most outstanding schools, classes and individuals from across
A LEADING architects’ practice has strengthened its team further as it tackles some of the region’s most dynamic projects. Mark Morley has joined Niven Architects, a Darlington-based family firm. He follows the appointment of senior consultant
A CELEBRATION to mark the successful outcome of a court case landed the defendant back in the dock.Darren John Cummins held a party at his bail address after escaping an immediate prison sentence, at Durham Crown Court, in July.He was given a six-month
A MOTHER-OF-TWO has spoken of horror after high winds tore off part of the gable end of her house - showering the pavement with bricks shortly before she would have been taking her son to school this morning (Friday, January 9). Victoria Hulley
There’s an excellent card at Warwick this afternoon and, although I am in danger of following the horse off a cliff, I must give Upepito (1.20) another chance for Venetia Williams in the Handicap Chase over the minimum trip. The selection ran his best
A NEW McDonald’s restaurant is set to open in Darlington early next month.The restaurant is being built on land previously used as a car park for the B&M store, in Meynell Road, near Morrison’s supermarket, close to the junction with Whessoe Road.It is
AN INNOVATIVE work placement scheme which has transformed the lives of two care home residents in Darlington has received a national award.The scheme, run by Danshell services in Darlington, helps adults with learning difficulties to attend work placements
NORTH-EAST steelworkers are taking their fight to Westminster in a bid to win increased sector support.Union officials based at SSI UK, in Redcar, and Tata Steel, which has plants near Redcar and Skinningrove, east Cleveland, are due to visit Parliament
THE developer behind plans for a 925-home estate asked a council to consider lending it £5m of public money, it has emerged.Executives of North Yorkshire and Darlington housing association Broadacres, which owns 75 per cent of developer Mulberry Homes
West Auckland are looking for another manager following the resignation of Andy Toman. The former Darlington and Hartlepool midfielder took over as interim manager from Anth Smith a month ago when the former Gateshead boss quit and eventually went
Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley wants his players to bounce back against high flying Northwich Victoria at the Brewery Field on Saturday. Moors’ seven game unbeaten run in the league came to a dismal end at Scarborough last Saturday, but Ainsley
Newton Aycliffe manager Peter Dixon has set his side a target of five wins from their remaining matches to ensure safety from relegation ahead of their away derby at Shildon. Dixon has been in charge for Aycliffe for two months, and they pulled
TWO people have been killed in a second hostage situation in Paris, after the hunt for the Charlie Hebdo gunmen developed into a siege. Said and Cherif Kouachi are holed up in an industrial estate with a hostage in the town of Dammartin-en-Goele
THE Archbishop of Canterbury said "this is a moment for courage" and that we must not give in to fear in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The Most Rev Justin Welby, former Bishop of Durham, said France had survived "worse than this before
I THOUGHT I knew most things about Elvis until I watched a documentary about him called Elvis by the Presleys on Channel 5 the other night. Not only did it show what a legend he was, but how generous a man he was. He bought all his 12 bodyguards
I WITNESSED another accident outside the Manor House Hotel on the small roundabout, in Front Street, West Auckland, on New Year's Eve. Fortunately, none of the occupants were seriously hurt. However, it won't be long before someone is killed
DO any of your readers know why there are no east winds blowing in winter, they are always from the west or south west. Before global warming happened, the wind always got round to the east-north east in January, bringing snow and blizzards and
A FORMER paratrooper turned official war artist has helped inspire students to create their own works of art.Derek Eland spoke to year eight students at Hummersknott Academy, in Darlington, about his work in Afghanistan.The Cumbrian-based artist set up
A CHARITY has launched its first depot store in the region in Stanley town centre.People queued outside the new Salvation Army shop, in Clifford Road, ahead of the opening on Thursday (January 8).The organisation has transformed the former decorating
PLANS have been unveiled to relocate a north Durham post office with longer hours and Sunday opening.The Post Office is proposing to move Burnhope Post Office from its present location at 3 Pavillion Place to Helen’s Top Shop in Holmeside Lane – 240m
THE January transfer window is supposed to offer managers a chance to reshuffle their packs midway through a hectic campaign. For Newcastle United supporters, however, these four weeks have become synonymous with dread and panic. The month has
GREATER Manchester Police have reportedly abandoned plans to axe 25 firearms officers in the wake of the shootings in Paris. The Manchester Evening News said senior GMP figures insisted no decision had been made yet but it understood a U-turn would
DEAN RICHARDS insists he has no intention of leaving Newcastle Falcons despite his current contract being due to expire at the end of the season. In his two-and-a-half years at Kingston Park, Richards has guided Falcons to promotion from the Championship
A NORTH-EAST Nessie spotter is in the running to win a £2,000 cash prize for his image of the elusive creature. Andrew Dixon, from Darlington, made waves with Nessie fans across the world when he spotted what appeared to be a shadowy form with
MORE than 100 NHS jobs at the new Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital are up for grabs. The new hospital will open in Cramlington, Northumberland, this summer. Applications for the jobs for domestic, catering, portering and security
QUAKERS fans have been asked to complete a survey to help shape the club's preparations for returning home next season. Supporters are being urged to reveal how they are likely to travel to Blackwell Meadows when Darlington FC starts playing its
ONE of the brothers suspected of carrying out the Paris massacre was mentored by an al Qaida terrorist with links to London's Finsbury Park mosque. And a former undercover spy said the terror at Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people died was "the legacy
A GROUP of core al Qaida terrorists in Syria is planning "mass casualty attacks" against the west, the head of MI5 has warned, in a stark reminder that the threat to the UK continues to stretch beyond Islamic State (IS). As dramatic events surrounding
THE brothers believed to have massacred 12 people in Paris were poverty-stricken orphans set on the path to terrorism by a radical preacher. Cherif Kouachi, 32, was a pizza delivery man and would-be rapper before he was reportedly persuaded by
HEAVY overnight windstorms caused major disruption on road and rail at rush hour this morning. Gusts of up to 70 miles per hour led to problems with debris and tree branches being blown across highways, while the gable end of a house was blown
After scoring his second league goal of the season last weekend, striker David Dowson is likely to retain his place in the Darlington attack tomorrow when Martin Gray’s promotion-chasers head to Padiham.Dowson has found first-team opportunities hard to
SCORES of armed police are surrounding the Charlie Hebdo massacre gunmen after they seized a hostage and holed up in town north east of Paris. Fresh drama as gunman takes hostages at Paris supermarket Paris shootings suspect was
By Michael Ramsay Sunderland If ever there is an example of how just one year can almost wreck a player’s reputation in football, look no further than former Basle starlet Mohamed Salah. Poached by Jose Mourinho in an £11million deal last January
Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson selects his top ten sporting bets for 2015 AUSTRALIA TO WIN THE CRICKET WORLD CUP (5-2) The first big global sporting event of the year starts in the middle of next month, with Australia and New Zealand jointly
SANTIAGO VERGINI has already made up his mind that he would love to be at Sunderland next season – and is determined to have his wish granted. The Argentine defender is on a season-long loan at the Stadium of Light and feels comfortable and desperate
RONNIE MOORE has made some of his Hartlepool United players available for transfer; but he’s not expecting much interest.While he works against the grain to try and land new signings this month, the Pools boss is also looking to move on some of his squad.Moore
ALAN Pardew insists his turbulent relationship with Newcastle fans had no bearing on his move to Crystal Palace but said it was the right time - both for him and the Magpies - to leave the club.Supporters on Tyneside called for Pardew to be sacked when
A NORTH-EAST town is braced for its third set of job cuts in as many months after it emerged last night that a milk bottle factory is facing closure. Consultation has started with the 50 people employed at Nampak Plastics plant in Consett, County
JOHN CARVER wants the Newcastle United job on a full-time basis but insists he will not make decisions just to please the boardroom.The Magpies’ caretaker manager, who could have goalkeeper Tim Krul back for the trip to Chelsea on Saturday, has been told
“I’m 65 now and have been a published cartoonist since I was 32 – I have done the Cluff cartoon in the Echo for about 25 years now and Private Eye longer than that. Prior to that I worked in a council planning department in Middlesbrough for five years
A TROUBLED free school says it has terminated the contract of its headteacher on performance grounds. However, Peter Cantley insists he has not accepted the move and legally remains headteacher of Durham Free School (DFS). The clash is the
SPENDING eight hours in Darlington Memorial Hospital’s A&E department on Wednesday night provided me with an invaluable insight into what is driving the current surge in demand.It also suggested what needs to be done to ease the annual winter crisis in
A WOMAN has raised more than £3,000 for a North-East hospice after setting herself the challenge of completing a seven-day trek in Tanzania.Sheila Blenkin, 48, will set off on January 29, to take part in the Lemosho Trail, with Action Challenge, which
MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Aitor Karanka insists there is a world of difference between the team that lost to Reading in August and the one that will walk out at the Madjeski Stadium tomorrow. Boro suffered one of only five league defeats so far
A FIRM exploring Roman lead mines for zinc has reiterated the project’s huge potential. Minco says tests across its Northern Pennine Orefield are yielding significant deposits, which could deliver millions of tonnes of zinc. The firm has now
THERE was widespread sorrow in the dales when George Stout died aged 31 on Christmas Day in 1918, just over two years after having his left arm blown off during the First World War.His death was a devastating blow for his wife and three young children
