FIVE years ago this week, Spennymoor Town FC received a heroes’ welcome when they returned victorious from Wembley with the FA Vase trophy.

Thousands joined in a victory parade, many sporting team shirts as the players passed in a vintage open-top bus.

The bus wound its way through Spennymoor and neighbouring villages before depositing its VIP passengers at the town hall for a red carpet reception.

"I scored at Wembley and this has just capped it all for me," said striker Gavin Cogdon, who grabbed the opener in the 2-1 win over Tunbridge Wells.

"I wasn't expecting anything like this. It is superb and shows what we achieved and what it means to everyone."

Meanwhile, police investigated the suspected murder of an 80-year-old grandmother found dead in her flat.

Sybil Sibthorpe was found with "significant" head injuries in the garden of the property in Haughton Road, Darlington.

She was understood to be the landlady of the property where she died, an end-of-terrace next to the Haughton Road throughabout.

Her husband, William Sibthorpe, 77, described Mrs Sibthorpe as a loving wife, mother and grandmother who was loved by all who knew her.

Her killer, Lee Grainger, 41, of Elmfield Street, Darlington, later admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after a court heard he had a personality disorder and was also impaired by "substantial and serious" head injuries suffered in an accident.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 and a half years.

Also that week, tributes flooded in for a “gentleman” bus driver who went the extra mile for passengers.

Tommy Spoors died in a nursing home aged 85 and had spent more than 20 years driving to isolated villages in Weardale, County Durham.

Retiring at the age of 82, Mr Spoors became famous for his unscheduled stops to pick up prescriptions and "bits of shopping" for pensioners and visiting caravanners.

Roland Gibson, Mr Spoors' boss at Weardale Motors, said: "It was when I spotted a bus standing outside the chemists that I discovered what Tommy was really doing to help people in the dale.

"It was a privilege to have had him as a driver for such a long time."

Celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Darlington Covered Market were launched by traders.

Stallholders from Darlington's Covered Market dressed in period outfits to recreate a picture found in council archives, showing market life more than 100 years ago.

The market building, with its landmark clock tower, opened in 1863 and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed the Natural History Museum in London.

Peter Bulmer, owner of The Waterhouse Kitchen, named after the architect, said: "The building is iconic of Darlington, it represents Darlington. We want people to come in and look at the building because it is what makes the town."

And a terrified pensioner in Darlington woke to find a trouser-less intruder in her home, and had to lock herself in an outside toilet as she feared she would be attacked.

The bungling burglar was so drunk he kept falling over when his trousers slid down during the raid.