A LORRY lost its roof after colliding with a North-East railway bridge, ten years ago this week.

The heavy goods vehicle's roof appeared to have peeled back and eventually detached from the lorry, leaving debris in the road, after it collided with the 13.8m bridge, in Neasham Road, Darlington.

The road was closed for two-and-a-half hours following the incident, while trains on the Darlington to Middlesbrough line slowed to 5mph while structural checks were carried out on the bridge.

The lorry driver was unhurt and the bridge suffered only superficial scrapes.

A witness, who did not want to be named, said: "I saw the truck hit the bridge and I was waiting for it to stop, but it just carried on. The roof just seemed to peel back.

"It sounded like a train crash."

In 2004, a lorry hit the bridge less than 24 hours after £760,000 was spent strengthening the structure.

The Northern Echo revealed how drug addicted prisoners had been handed £50,000 in compensation because they were forced to go "cold turkey" in the region's jails.

They received thousands of pounds because they had not consented to having their drugs supply cut off – even though they were in prison.

Thirteen inmates won payouts following a test case that found they were eligible for damages.

The highest compensation paid was £11,421 at Holme House, in Stockton, followed by £11,241 at Durham Prison.

The payouts were described as disgraceful by the head of the Prison Officers' Association.

A judge approved damages where drugs used to control the symptoms of withdrawal – including the heroin substitute methadone – were taken away, ruling that it amounted to an assault and breach of human rights.

The Government had initially contested the claims, but said it agreed reluctantly to pay-up to minimise costs to the public.

Meanwhile, a bodybuilder was given a whole life sentence for stabbing his wife to death – after being released from a life sentence for the murder of a workmate.

Police used baton rounds to subdue 6ft 7in Douglas Gary Vinter, who stabbed his wife to death after kidnapping her and holding her hostage at his mother's house in Normanby, near Middlesbrough.

The family of Vinter's first victim, Carl Edon, asked why he had been set free to kill again.

Teesside Crown Court was told how Vinter, 38, moved in with mother-of-four Anne White shortly after leaving prison in August 2005.

Also, that week, a love story which spanned more than 70 years was celebrated.

Cecil and Annie Ord were married after the outbreak of the Second World War, when Mr Ord broke his back in two places when his tank hit a ditch and his seat collapsed.

The couple, who celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary met when Mr Ord worked in Newman's grocer's shop in West Cornforth and Mrs Ord was a clippie with Wilkinson's coaches.

And it was claimed that Elvis Presley made a secret visit to England 50 years previously.

The King took in the sights of London, including the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, in 1958 with singer Tommy Steele.

Fans had always thought that the nearest Elvis came to setting foot on English soil was a brief stopover at Prestwick Airport in Scotland, in 1960, on his way home from his army base in Germany.

But the truth was unveiled on the radio by theatre producer Bill Kenwright, 62, a friend of former teen idol Steele.