Archive

  • Driver who caused horrific Spennymoor crash behind bars

    A YOUNG driver who crashed into a parked car, leaving its passenger fighting for her life, is behind bars. Matthew Dale, 20, lost control of his turbo-charged Vauxhall Corsa and crashed into a Citroen C3 parked outside the Grand Electric Hall pub

  • The truth about Harold Wilson

    JIM TAGUE (HAS, July 26) yet again fails to let the truth get in the way of a good story. Under Harold Wilson living standards went up. It’s worth noting that Wilson kept us out of Vietnam during this period, a noteworthy achievement conveniently

  • No end to the chaos in Calais

    French police are losing the battle to prevent migrants attempting to enter the UK. As the summer holiday season getaway begins Nigel Burton wonders if France is becoming a holiday no-go area THE scale of the crisis facing police at Calais was

  • Durham Miners' Gala

    A GROUP from the Jim Connell Society travelled from County Neath to the 131st Durham Miners' Gala recently and we were not disappointed. We were picked up in Newcastle on Friday morning and taken to the Miners Hall in Red Hills where we met up

  • Rain man

    THE year 1976 was a glorious summer. The nation still had access to televised cricket and the wonderful West Indians toured with the Test Matches being played out on parched grounds. I was a manager in a garment manufacturing factory, a job for

  • MRI scanner costs

    I HAVE heard a report of a most alarming nature and I would like to ask a series of questions. Am I right in thinking the MRI Scanner in Darlington Memorial Hospital is owned by a private company? Is it true the NHS pays between £800 to £2,000

  • Angel's not so bad

    CHRIS FOOTE-WOOD needs to get a life. The creation of the Angel of the North is not, in my opinion, a hymn to one man’s ego. The Angel celebrates the fact that Christianity in the North-East of England shaped our religious beliefs throughout

  • Independence Day

    REGARDING Alex Salmon’s prediction that a “second Scottish independence vote is now inevitable” (Ech, July 27). As a one-time hard-line British Unionist I hope he is correct. However, I think there is now a more compelling argument to have

  • Good riddance

    TO me, the lesson from the Lord Sewell story (Echo, July 27) is that everyone should be accountable. I part company from The Northern Echo editorial when it wants to exclude the press. The recent inquiry into the press showed how inadequate

  • CAB birthday

    TO celebrate 75 years – actually, it is 76 now – of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, we have been commissioned to produce a publication on its history in County Durham and would like to flesh this out with real experiences. CAB was founded on the day

  • Fabbrini plays in Boro win at Barnsley

    Barnsley 0 Middlesbrough 4MIDDLESBROUGH manager Aitor Karanka believes his side are showing signs of being ready for the season ahead after second-half doubles for both Kike and the excellent Albert Adomah saw off League One Barnsley.Middlesbrough were

  • Durham have no answer to five-goal City

    MANCHESTER CITY laid down a marker in their quest to retain the FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup, ruthlessly putting Durham to the sword in a 5–0 victory at the Academy Stadium. City were four up by half-time, as Durham simply had no answer for the home side

  • Roche on target as Cats make it six wins in a row

    STEPHANIE Roche bagged her first Sunderland goal as the hosts won their sixth straight game in all competitions with a 5-2 FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup victory over Everton. Roche’s first goal for the FA WSL 1 leaders was well worth the wait as

  • Yorkshire fall just short against Surrey

    YORKSHIRE VIKINGS were beaten for the first time in this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup after a nail-biting finish against Surrey.Set 266 to win at the Oval, the Vikings fell just six runs short of their victory target as they slumped to 259 for seven

  • Stroke services at James Cook highly rated by national audit

    EIGHT out of ten patients are reaching the stroke unit at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, within four hours of arrival, compared to five out of ten nationally.The data, released by the Royal Collage of Physicians’ Sentinel Stroke National

  • Labour leadership contender backs County Durham health scheme

    LABOUR leadership contender Andy Burnham was in the region today (Wednesday, July 29) to support a health initiative.The Shadow Health Secretary visited Shildon, County Durham, to learn more about the Health Express programme.It oversees a number of initiatives

  • Mitrovic set for Magpies debut

    ALEKSANDAR Mitrovic will start his first game for Newcastle United in tonight’s friendly at York City. The £14m Serbian striker officially started training with the Magpies squad on Monday and has been thrust straight in to the starting line-up

  • Team News: Lens makes first Sunderland start at Doncaster

    JEREMAIN LENS will make his first appearance in a Sunderland shirt in this evening's pre-season friendly at Doncaster Rovers. The Holland international, who completed an £8m move from Dynamo Kiev earlier in the summer, has been named in the starting

  • Durham enjoy a record run chase with win at Somerset

    DURHAM pulled off their biggest run chase in one-day cricket with the greatest of ease when they continued their defence of the Royal London Cup with a seven-wicket win at Taunton yesterday.One-day captain Mark Stoneman and Phil Mustard capitalised on

  • Kicking out the racists

    IN the context of world football, English clubs have taken a strong stand against racism – and yet it remains prevalent, from the Premier League to the grass roots of the game. Despite the high-profile campaigning of the "Show Racism The Red Card

  • Hunwick says farewell to local legend Tom

    VILLAGERS said farewell to a popular pensioner who saved their working men’s club from closure and was always there for those in need.Tom Ward was described as a “local legend” during a poignant funeral service at St Paul’s Church in his home village

  • VE Day celebrations in Darlington

    VE Day celebrations will be marked with a series of events in Darlington this summer.This year, the town's annual summer market will have a theme of VE Celebrations and the 1940s Experience.The event will run from Thursday, August 13 until Sunday, August

  • County fills in 320,000 potholes

    MORE than £10m has been spent on repairing potholes in Britain’s biggest county in the past 12 months. Figures real the county council spent the money on repairing a total of 320,000 potholes over the year. Last year, the authority was awarded

  • HOMECOMING: X Factor star Joe McElderry

    JOE McElderry is doing a hometown gig this weekend (Sunday, August 2).The X Factor winner will perform at South Tyneside Festival 2015 in Bents Park, South Shields on Sunday.He will be joined by fellow X Factor star Lola Saunders, who is from nearby East

  • Homes plan is rejected

    PLANS to build a new homes development in North Yorkshire have been rejected.Ryedale’s planning committee voted unanimously against the 79-home development proposed for land by Langton Road in Norton, near Malton.Gladman Development’s plan would have

  • More than 100 arrested during summer drink-drive crackdown

    MORE than 100 drivers were arrested during a month-long crackdown on drink driving.A summer campaign against drink and drug driving was launched across the country on June 1 which resulted in more than 5,000 arrests across the country.In the Durham and

  • Unions warn over Nestlé pension scheme

    UNIONS have urged a chocolate bar maker to freeze any changes to a pension scheme, fearing workers could lose thousands of pounds in retirement cash.Unite and GMB have challenged Nestlé’s proposals, which would affect all 7,600 members of its UK pension

  • Teenager's close shave raises funds for charity

    A GENEROUS teenager’s close shave has raised around £100 for a national cancer charity.Anton Hodgson dyed his hair bright pink before getting it shaved off to raise money for Cancer Research UK in memory of his great-grandfather, who lost his fight again

  • Jury sent out in college plot trial

    THE jury in the trial of a teenager accused of plotting a massacre at his former college has been sent out to consider verdicts.Liam Lyburd, 19, learned how to make pipe bombs and assembled a Glock semi-automatic handgun from parts he bought off the internet

  • Thompson clinches county crown, plus other North-East golf news

    RHYS Thompson bounced back from the disappointment of losing in last year’s final of the Durham County Matchplay Championship to clinch the trophy 12 months later.The 19-year-old from Boldon lost in the final to Seaham’s David Patterson at the 20th after

  • IRA blast survivor guilty of £131,000 benefit fraud

    THE life of a proud former soldier who survived an IRA bomb blast is in tatters after he was convicted of benefit fraud totalling £131,000. David Sutherland completed six military tours of Northern Ireland and survived the bombing of Sandes Soldiers

  • Arts sessions to help the vulnerable in Darlington

    YOUNG Darlington residents with complex health needs are being offered the chance to take part in a creative project to increase their self-esteemThe project, funded by the NHS Darlington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), is aimed at residents under

  • Darlington world record challenges leave a sour taste

    COMPETITORS young and old showed their zest for life during a world record attempt held in Darlington today (Wednesday, July 29). A series of challenges were staged in the town’s market square for World Record Wednesday. Contenders took part

  • Tail with a yappy ending

    Daisy, the collie-cross, has finally found a loving home after being rejected 12 times. And, what's more, she's won the "waggiest tail" contest at a show in Darlington. Full story

  • Movie time in Spennymoor

    THE big screen experience is being taken to residents’ doorsteps this summer.In a project funded by Spennymoor Area Action Partnership and provided by Leisureworks, a mobile cinema scheme is touring community venues in the Spennymoor area with two family

  • Exotic creatures to descend on a Darlington shopping centre

    A HOST of exotic creatures will be making their way to Darlington when the Cornmill Shopping Centre’s safari themed pet zoo comes to town on Monday (August 3).Safari Snakes and More, the second in the series of Cornmill’s three Summer Fun Pet Zoos hosted

  • Desperate plea for return of stolen Falklands War medals

    A DESPERATE plea has been made for the return of a set of Falklands War medals stolen in a house burglary. It happened between 4.30pm on Friday, July 24, and 9.30am on Sunday, July 26, when burglars got into a house on Ewart Street, South Shields

  • Proton Beam Therapy centre to open in the region

    ENGLAND’S first Proton Beam Therapy cancer treatment centre is to be built in the North-East. Proton Partners International have announced plans to build the centre on the Earth Balance site near Bedlington in Northumberland, capable of treating

  • Delightful double for Richmond men

    RICHMOND Golf Club is proud of the achievements of its men’s team after a brilliant league double.There have been a number of notable successes for Richmond over the years, but the current crop has built on previous achievements by winning the Yorkshire

  • Ferryhill's summer fair set to take place this weekend

    FERRYHILL’S summer fair is set to get underway this weekend.The event will be held at Dean Bank Park on Sunday, August 2, from 11am until 4pm.Arena events will include New Generations Dancers, line dancing, a pipe band and a dog show.Characters from Frozen

  • New 48-home development approved

    PLANS for a new housing development has been approved on the outskirts of a village near Northallerton, which will include nearly 40 per cent affordable housing.Proposals to build a new 48-home development at Morton-on-Swale were recently approved by

  • Glaxo targets new HIV and cancer treatments to maintain growth

    A DRUGS firm is plotting new cancer and HIV treatments to strengthen its major healthcare divisions.GlaxoSmithKline says it has nearly 40 vaccines in development to fight serious illnesses.The company, which employs about 1,000 people in Barnard Castle

  • Somerset v Durham (Royal London Cup, innings break)

    BRILLIANT bowling by John Hastings just about kept Durham afloat after Somerset chose to bat in the Royal London Cup tie at Taunton. Hastings took five for 41 in his ten overs as the hosts posted 327 for eight thanks to a century by Tom Cooper

  • Iconic aircraft to take to the air

    A SECOND World War Spitfire will pay tribute to veterans next month at a major outdoor musical event.The iconic aircraft will perform its own aerial ballet at this year’s Castle Howard Proms Spectacular near Malton in North Yorkshire on August 22.The

  • Community revolution as locals take control of village halls

    IT was way back in 2011 when Durham County Council, facing budget cuts of £125m, embarked upon a major review of its 120 community centres, village halls and communal halls. Four years on, what is believed to be the largest “asset transfer” programme

  • Dales hike for holiday home owners

    SOME 64 walkers pulled on their hiking boots to raise more than £4,200 for two charities.Holiday home owners at the Chantry Country and Leisure Park at West Witton trekked to Penn Hill to raise cash for the park’s chosen charities.The walk, which took

  • Judges to visit city and assess Britain In Bloom bid

    JUDGES will visit in Durham next week to cast their eyes over the city’s bid for horticultural glory. Britain in Bloom judges Jim Goodwin and Teresa Potter will visit the city on Wednesday (Aug 5) to assess Durham’s bid in the national competition

  • Rain rain go away say show organisers

    PERSISTENT rain has failed to dampen the spirits of the organisers of one of the region's favourite village events who insist the 107th Osmotherley Show will go on.The show has been cancelled three times since 2000, once through foot and mouth and twice

  • Students give up 300 hours

    YOUNG volunteers have been recognised for devoting more than 7,000 hours of their free time to community activities.The 44 students from Ripon Grammar School have committed a total of 300 days between them to coaching sports, helping disabled riders,

  • Bishop Auckland secondary school helps new pupils settle in

    CHILDREN starting a secondary school in September are being treated to a special course to help them settle in more easily. About 70 pupils beginning Bishop Barrington School, Bishop Auckland in the autumn will take part in a special programme of activities

  • Fuel bank helps 1,000 in three months

    ORGANISERS of a fuel bank are celebrating helping their 1,000th recipient.The County Durham Fuel Bank issues credits of £49 for gas and electricity meters to those in need.Since it started in April, it has helped 674 adults and 350 children in the county.One

  • Demand sees rents increase

    ACCORDING to one of the area’s leading commercial property agents, increased take up and demand could see rents for smaller industrial units in Teesside top £5psf in the next 12 months. Stephen Brown, senior partner at Dodds Brown LLP, an independent

  • North-East the last bastion of True Labour

    IT’S a truth that needs to be faced. The North-East, perhaps in company with South Wales, is the last bastion of True Labour, usually called Old Labour. Whether ‘New Labour’ deserves the name ‘Labour’ at all is a separate matter.The contest for the Labour

  • Cameron urges Asian investors to pump cash into the North

    DAVID Cameron has urged investors from south-east Asia to pump money into the North of England. The Prime Minister called for foreign investors to "look at Britain in a new way" by considering opportunities in the "Northern Powerhouse" rather than

  • ATHLETICS: Quakers Running Club Report w/e 26 July

    AN ANNIVERSARY run, first place trophies, running through the night and triathlons were just some of the things on the schedule last week in a hectic seven days for Quakers. Midweek had seen the club’s 20th anniversary run with a re-running of the

  • Review: Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI KX-3 (Price, as tested, £35,845)

    On the road: IT’S been around since 2002 and this latest Sorento is the third generation. However, it is the first in a new push by the Korean company to make inroads into its rivals’ territory. Kia wants to not only match competitors for technology

  • Tackling the hidden problem of holiday hunger

    As thousands of children across the region begin their summer break, for many it will mean the prospect of holiday hunger. Gavin Engelbrecht reports.THE SOUND of children’s laughter echoing around the small community centre rings with unrestrained happiness

  • Profits jump at Newcastle Building Society

    PROFITS at Newcastle Building Society are almost double last year's figure, the lender has reported this morning in its half-year results. Profit before tax of £1.5m for the six months ended June 30 compared to £800,000 for the same period in 2014. Operating

  • UPDATED: Bacon and eggs give Greggs breakfast boost

    THE British breakfast staples of bacon and eggs have helped a North-East baker increase sales, with buoyant bosses not ruling out expansion into new countries. Greggs says its popularity with early morning commuters, keen to tuck into its rolls

  • Ashington want to carry on where they left off

    Ashington assistant manager Ian Skinner says that the Colliers want to start next season where they left off. The appointment of Steve Harmison as manager with Skinner as his assistant lifted Ashington at a crucial stage of the season, and they

  • More to come from Tykes insists skipper

    Yorkshire Vikings skipper Andrew Gale believes that his side is still playing to only 70 per cent of its potential in limited-overs competitions.Gale’s men beat Derbyshire Falcons by seven runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system in Monday’s rain-delayed

  • Growth plans for County Durham garden centre

    TWO garden centre entrepreneurs from County Durham have created 46 jobs and expanded their business. Trevor Graham and Emma Taylor bought Lanchester Garden Centre in 2010 following its closure three years earlier, and now have plans to add educational

  • Support offered to people with mental health issues

    A NEW initiative has been launched to help people with their mental health and wellbeing. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has secured £71,000 from the Skills Funding Agency to provide learning opportunities to those who suffer from mild to

  • Cleat firm's joy at Australian contract

    A CABLE cleat maker, founded by an RAF bomber pilot, has reinforced its global reputation with work for an Australian power provider.Ellis has sent cleats to Ausgrid for an underground tunnel on Sydney’s North Shore.The company’s equipment is designed

  • Burnopfield medical firm precisely what doctor ordered

    ANDREW Scaife takes a pause, stopping himself just in time.Sitting in a boardroom, fingers poised over a keyboard ready to flick through a slideshow, he’s extolling the virtues of the North-East as a world-leading area for unlicensed medicines.He is,

  • Convenience market helps Consett ready meal maker

    A RISING clamour for convenience foods has helped a North-East supplier increase revenues amid a challenging grocery market.Greencore Group, which runs a factory in Consett, County Durham, says a growing appetite for its sandwiches and chilled meals has

  • Civil engineer welcomes first truck in £3.4m deal

    A CIVIL engineering company has received its first new vehicle as part of a £3.4m deal.The Owen Pugh Group has taken delivery of a Mercedes Benz truck, with three more vehicles due to arrive every week over the next three months.The order, which represents

  • Risks of delaying starting your pension savings

    IT’S easy to convince yourself there are better things to do with your money today than planning for say, 30 years’ time. So starting a pension savings plan may not be top of your priorities. However, you may be surprised how much of a difference

  • NECC Column: Feeling proud of the region

    WE’RE well and truly into the second half of our 200th anniversary year and it’s been both a time of celebration and a time to reflect, writes James Ramsbotham, North East Chamber of Commerce chief executive. As we continue to champion the needs

  • Pupils become bio-scientists for the day

    SCHOOL pupils became bio-scientists for a day ahead of the opening of a major new facility for companies in the sector. The 100 students made plastic from potatoes and biofuels as part of their involvement in Foundation for Jobs first annual bio-science

  • Paul goes back to apprentice roots to build company

    A FORMER apprentice aims to use his experience of building a career to strengthen a construction firm after taking on a senior role.Paul Hammerton is the new managing director at Walter Thompson, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.Mr Hammerton started

  • Durham set their targets in cup defence

    DURHAM go into a run of three tough Royal London Cup ties in five days knowing that two wins would set them up for a tilt at a home quarter-final.Their final three games are all against division two clubs in an easier group than the one from which they

  • Moore to send a strong squad to Dunston

    RONNIE Moore planned to send a young side to face Dunston this evening. But such are the defensive problems within his squad, the Hartlepool United manager will be fielding a strong side. Pools have shipped nine goals in two pre-season friendlies, losing

  • Engineering pupils hoover up award

    AN innovative design for an in-car vacuum cleaner has led to a North-East school winning national acclaim.More than 1000 young people from across the region took part in Work Discovery Week – five days of activities which brought together students from

  • The bomb that changed the world

    The Day They Dropped The Bomb (ITV, 10.40pm) 'THERE was a soldier on the ground suffering from burns. I thought, ‘There’s someone on the ground!’ and ran towards him. He noticed me and said, half groaning, ‘We’ve been hit by a new type of bomb.

  • Wijnaldum wants to remain in crucial 'number ten' role

    GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM has urged Newcastle United head coach Steve McClaren to continue playing him in the pivotal ‘number ten’ role if he is to get the best out of him next season. Like the Echo's new Newcastle Utd Facebook page Wijnaldum, who

  • Lucky escape as car leaves road and ends up in ditch

    POLICE say the occupants of this car escaped injury after an accident this morning. The crash happened on Hurworth Burn Road, near Trimdon Village. "Please be careful, the roads are very wet. Fortunately no injuries," a member of the Durham

  • Well done Darlington

    I just wanted to say a very big “well done” to Darlington Borough Council staff who have been involved in the planting of the wild flower meadow by the traffic lights at the junction of Haughton and McMullen Road. It’s simply stunning. Let’s have more