HERO neighbours used ladders and a garden hose to fight the flames after a lightning strike set fire to a house. A bolt of lightning struck the house during a storm over the village of Bearpark, near Durham City, at around 7pm tonight and set fire
WHEN Andy Murray appointed Amelie Mauresmo as his coach last June, it’s fair to say the decision wasn’t greeted with universal approval. But as Murray marches into the second week of Wimbledon 13 months on, former British No.1 Tim Henman is adamant
VILLAGERS fear the merger of two village schools will exacerbate parking, traffic and road safety problems on their street. Residents of Park House Gardens, in Sherburn Village, near Durham City also feel they were overlooked when Durham County
JUST two families in Middlesbrough are registered as being private foster parents - and many more could be missing out on valuable support. Middlesbrough Council said carers in the town looking after children for more than 28 days could get extra
VISITORS at a North-East visitor attraction have enjoyed free brass band music today. (Sunday, July 5) Durham County Brass Band Association Contest was held at in the grounds of the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery. The museum’s commercial
AN annual country show has been held over the weekend. The 63rd Lanchester Agricultural Society Show was staged at Newhouses Farm, on the A691 near Lanchester in County Durham, today. (Sunday, July 5) To see a picture gallery click here
A WOMAN in her 30s was airlifted to hospital after road accident in East Cleveland yesterday (SATURDAY). The driver was understood to have lost control on a bend and crashed into a van on the Liverton Road in Liverton just after 9.20am on Saturday
BOAT lovers took to the River Tees to compete in an annual charity race in Stockton. Teams battled it out for victory in the event, in aid of autism charity Daisy Chain. The weather was warm after a cloudy start, and many of the teams took
TWO young girls were approached by a stranger in a car in Knaresborough on Saturday. Police are appealing for witnesses after the suspicious incident, which saw the two 12-year-old girls approached by a female motorist as they walked in The Spinney
A FESTIVAL featuring more than 45 scarecrows has been staged to raise funds to revamp a village church, part of which dates to the 12th Century. The event in Appleton Wiske, between Darlington and Northallerton, this weekend is this year raising
HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a Lancaster bomber pilot who went on to become a council chief executive following his death at the age of 93. Harry Rogers, who lived in Darlington, began his local government career in the treasurer’s office
TWO men have reportedly been arrested after stripping off and trying to swim in a river.The pair, thought to be in their 20s, went into the River Ouse at King's Staithe landings in York city centre at around 8pm on Saturday.Volunteers from York Rescue
A TRIO of young athletes have won the chance to represent the county in their field.Darlington youngsters Maddison Wells, 12, Adam Brown, 14, and Layla Bell, 15 all achieved the qualifying standards at the recent Northern Schools Inter-County Championships.This
A TEAM of cyclists is getting in the saddle to tackle the mammoth 874-mile journey from Lands End to John o' Groats.The group of students, from Hummersknott Cycling Club, in Darlington, range in age from 12 to 18-years-old and have been training for the
THEIR faces swept by sand, the best landsailors in the country raced across the beach on Redcar at the weekend to claim victory. The British Landsailing Championship Regatta returned to Redcar for the third year running, with spectators able to
SUPPORTERS of a far-right group marched through the streets of a North-east town yesterday (SATURDAY) in a planned demonstration.About 150 supporters of the North East Infidels, formerly the North East English Defence League, held a protest in Stockton
A NATIONAL park authority has voted to lobby the government over changes to policy on social and affordable housing over fears for the future of rural communities. After a proposal by North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council
A SPECIAL service is taking place in recognition of a church preschool that is closing after four decades in the town.As previously reported in The Northern Echo, the decision was made late last year to close Elm Ridge pre-school at the end of the 2015
CHURCHES in Darlington past and present are the focus of a new book to be launched at two special events in the town this week. Local historian Colin Wilkinson will be available to talk about what inspired him and sign copies of his book ‘A History
A man is celebrating after being named world hot dog-eating champion. Matt Stonie ate 62 wiener hot dogs in 10 minutes to claim the crown on Coney Island. Joey Chestnut, who has won the title eight years in a row, was two hot dogs behind the winner
THE millionth finisher of the Great North Run and North-East fundraiser Katie Cutler fired the starting pistol at one of the region's biggest road races.Tracey Cramond, from Darlington, was joined by Katie Cutler, the 22-year-old Gateshead beautician
BUDDING politicians are set to fight it out to represent their constituency’s young people at the UK Youth Parliament elections this month. The ballot takes place on Tuesday, July 7 to elect Redcar and Cleveland’s Member of the UK Youth Parliament
A SECOND win in eight days gave rise to hope of salvation for Gateshead Fell who had previously seemed doomed to almost certain relegation, whilst at the other end of the table a first defeat of the summer saw Chester-le-Street deposed as league leaders.The
A MAXIMUM points haul from an emphatic display against former leaders Durham City enabled table-topping Esh Winning to put some clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack in the Durham Cricket League.City have fallen away badly since heading
A COMMUNITY rallied round to provide a day to remember for a young boy who is battling cancer. Hundreds flocked to a summer fete held on Cockerton Green to raise money for Darlington six-year-old Mark Hammond who was diagnosed with a rare type
SPECTATORS arrived in their hundreds yesterday (Saturday, July 4) to celebrate the diamond jubilee of a town’s gala. Spennymoor’s roads were temporarily closed to make way for the all-singing and dancing parade as cheerful onlookers waved flags
A SPECIAL service to pay tribute to dozens of airmen killed in an area dubbed the 'aircraft graveyard' has been ‘brought home’. The 19th annual Aviation Day took place in Galgate, Barnard Castle, for the first time after the original location in
JOHN HARTSON thinks Sunderland new-boy Adam Matthews has only moved to Sunderland because he was not guaranteed first team football at Celtic. Hartson, the former Bhoys striker, is surprised by his fellow Welshman’s decision to swap Parkhead and
A YOUNG man who tried to steal from a library charity box and a veterans’ club terrorised a recently widowed pensioner by breaking into her bungalow. Dale Kay, whose criminal record of 48 previous convictions for 85 offences includes breaking into
MORE residents in Teesdale are to benefit from super fast broadband after the service was extended in the area. A drop-in session attended by BT engineers was held in Staindrop's Scarth Hall on Friday (July 3) to allow villagers to learn more about
STAINDROP Carnival will get underway this week. The event, which almost folded through a lack of volunteers last year, is back on track after an appeal for committee members. The carnival will kick off with their annual netball tournament at
BISHOP Middleham came alive with an assortment of wonderful creations as the village held its ninth annual scarecrow festival. A record entry of 47 scarecrows made their appearance around the village as residents decked their lawns with their handmade
A BLOSSOMING dance group has achieved a 100 per cent exam pass rate for its pupils. The Rhythm and Shoes Dance Academy, based at Ravensworth School in Richmond, is run by Darlington Operatic Society member Hazel Richmond and her daughter Louise
A GYPSY folk and roll band are set to top the bill at a two-day family-oriented festival in a national park. Holy Moly and The Crackers, whose influences range from Woody Guthrie to Romani music, will kick-off ParkFest with a sparkling outdoor
A SCHOOL is celebrating success on the badminton court. Year 7 boys from The Wensleydale School in Leyburn have been crowned area champions after beating St Francis Xavier School, in Richmond, as well as Thirsk and Bedale schools. The year
AN Olympic athlete called in to Richmond Primary School to inspire the next generation of sporting stars. Rebekah Wilson, a member of Team GB who competed in the bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics, visited the school to meet the children, take
By Kevin Luff Darlington’s preparations for the new season got off to a low-key start at Durham City, with a 1-0 defeat. A first-half goal from James Fairley proved the difference, after he latched onto a through ball and slotted past Pete
YOUNG people in north Durham have been helping brighten up their community. Pupils from Catchgate Primary School, near Stanley, have been planting flowers in boxes at Catchgate police section office. Police have also been presented with planter
ENGLAND boss Mark Sampson was full of praise for his players' fighting spirit as they beat Germany 1-0 after extra-time to finish third in the Women's World Cup. The Lionesses suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals as Laura Bassett's stoppage-time
FIVE years since gunman Raoul Moat ran amok, the family of the police officer he shot and blinded are still waiting for justice, his grieving twin brother said. On July 4 2010 Pc David Rathband was finishing his shift in a marked patrol car when
A JUNIOR football club has been presented with a new bright kit. The orange strips for the Consett Pirates U13 side was donated by the B&Q store in the town. The team plays in the Russell Foster Tyne and Wear U13 Premier League and is based
ORGANISATIONS which provide care and support services are being invited to register for free with a new website. The Locate website at www.durhamlocate.org.uk is a directory of services which promote wellbeing and offer information, advice and
FEARS were growing for a missing teenager last night after a summer's day swim turned to tragedy sparking a full-scale emergency. Police, fire crews, paramedics and the air ambulance were deployed to the River Wear at Witton Park, near Bishop Auckland
