NORTH-EAST firms are generally optimistic about the future, despite a fall in output and an increase in unemployment. And the region's exporters are confident that orders will increase, despite a fall in export orders, according to an industrial trends
PRIME Minister's wife Cherie Booth may be coming under fire in Britain for wading into politics, but across the pond attention is focused on First Ladies of a different kind. The wives of America's Presidential candidates are currently under intense scrutiny
A PLANNING inspector has rejected controversial housing proposals which would have effectively linked Peterlee and Easington Village. He is recommending that the scheme be dropped from Easington District Council's local plan, because it will eat up attractive
CARE home workers in Darlington were claiming a "significant victory" last night after the council agreed that they are entitled to anti-social hours pay. Darlington Borough Council informed care home workers in the town last year that they were no longer
BARNARD CASTLE. - Wed. Fwd:2 calves, 1,184 sheep. Bull calves to £118. Lambs std to 78.2p av 74.8p; med to 83.3p av 78.6p; heavy to 77.2p av 76.5p, Cast ewes: Mule to 332; Cont to £33; Suff to £28.50; Leics to £31; horned to £11. DARLINGTON. Mon. - Forward
Q: CAN you tell me something about the history of Barcelona and Catalonia? - K Young, Peterlee. A: BARCELONA is the second city of Spain after Madrid and the capital of the Catalonia region, which has a distinct language and identity. Many Catalans have
FIFTEEN years ago, Krimo Bouabda opened his first restaurant - in a former tobacconist's shop on Seaton Carew seafront - with just £250 and, he says, a lot of enthusiasm. Like Krimo it worked: Saturdays booked 16 weeks in advance, food guides mildly incredulous
AN improvement package for a Hartlepool leisure centre looks likely to be approved by councillors. A report to the community services and safety board of Hartlepool Borough Council, which meets on Friday, recommends that a £52,000 facelift for the Mill
THE first organic milk doorstep delivery service in the Darlington area is proving a roaring success. Dairy farmer Gordon Tweddle spent two-and-a-half years converting his farm at Archdeacon Newton, near Darlington, to full organic production. At the
William Hague used to drink up to 14 pints of beer a day when he was a teenager, he claims. In an interview for GQ magazine, Mr Hague said he drank while delivering supplies to working men's clubs in South Yorkshire for his father's business, Hague's
HARTLEPOOL United were today set to boost their squad by signing an experienced striker. Although manager Chris Turner refused to disclose the player, it is believed to be former Newcastle United player Tony Lormor. The 29-year-old frontman is expected
A SERIES of free courses to help people back into work will be on offer to Middlesbrough residents this autumn. The Grove Hill 2000 Resource Centre is offering lessons in aromatherapy, sewing, photography, sign language and much more. There are also computer
A TEENAGER died yesterday as he swam in a river with friends. The 15-year-old was dragged unconscious by firefighters from the Tees at Cleasby, near Darlington. Paramedics who arrived at the scene tried to resuscitate him, but he died shortly afterwards
SUSPENDED supercop Ray Mallon has made a formal complaint direct to the Home Secretary that senior officers have conspired to pervert the course of justice. The detective superintendent has turned the tables by asking solicitors to write to Jack Straw
SOLDIERS at Europe's largest military base could be among thousands to welcome plans for unmarried couples to be given Army accommodation for the first time. Ministry of Defence chiefs are considering taking the controversial step after complaints from
AN urgent investigation is under way after a pane of glass fell from a Newcastle bus station roof, shattering yards from passengers. Haymarket bus station has been closed indefinitely and bus services re-routed to temporary stops after the incident on
A POSTMAN has been sentenced to 200 hours community service after being caught with hundreds of undelivered letters and greeting cards at his home. Michael Christopher Barlow, 24, pleaded guilty to four charges of stealing mail and two of delaying the
THREE men who were refused entry into a Newcastle nightclub may hold the key to an attack that left a young clubber fighting for his life. The 22-year-old victim's life is still hanging in the balance after he was hit on the head by a house brick thrown
HUNDREDS of rail travellers were faced with chaos yesterday after the third bomb scare in four days paralysed one of the region's stations. Trains carrying passengers on the East Coast mainline were forced to bypass Darlington for nearly three hours after
A GRANDMOTHER was ordered to remain in a courtroom yesterday as a punishment. Joan Meredith, 78, was told to find a comfortable seat where she would have to spend the rest of the day. She was before the court for refusing to pay a fine imposed after a
HOSPITAL bosses have been given a further £4m to buy medical equipment for a long-awaited development. The extra funding from the NHS Executive Regional Office means that a total of £7m can be spent kitting out wards, theatres and clinics at the new Bishop
THE nightmare continues for Durham's England A player Michael Gough, who is out of what could prove to be the relegation decider against Kent today. After missing the first half of a season in which he hoped to make a big impression, the 20-year-old Hartlepool
A YOUNG speedway rider was seriously injured when he was involved in a road accident in Germany just hours after representing Britain in an international fixture. Grant MacDonald, 20, who rides for Newcastle Diamonds, had been taking part in the World
A nightclub will open on Newcastle Quayside tonight. But the 1,000 capacity Sea Club, which has a 2am licence, will open in the face of opposition from some residents. Newcastle now attracts an estimated 80,000 revellers each weekend and the city centre
A LEADING charity for deaf people has been given a £123,000 National Lottery grant to help set up a drop-in centre in Gateshead. The cash will enable Hearing Concern to set up a resource centre where deaf and hard of hearing people can call in for advice
THE countryside around Leyburn is the subject of three walks launched this week. Details of each are available in leaflets produced by Richmondshire District Council. The first features a seven-mile circular, taking in Preston-under-Scar and Wensley.
A BURGLAR was discovered hiding in the boot of a car in a garage he had broken into, a court was told. William Sowerby used a metal pole to smash his way through the roof of the commercial garage in Pilgrim Street, Hartlepool, in June. Yesterday, Sowerby
THE POUND THE continuing revelations from Downing Street have brought clarity to the political picture and given us a clearer view of the man behind the mask; they have shown Tony Blair to be a weak and synthetic Prime Minister who is trying to hoodwink
PEST control officers in Darlington have been inundated with calls asking them to deal with insects, and are urging people to be patient. A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said: "It's mainly ants and wasps and we call these nuisance, rather than
A hospice shop in Saltburn is proving to be a great success only two weeks after it opened. The shop, in Milton Street, is the first to be set up by the Edward Guy Foundation, the Teesside charity set up to help people with major illnesses. The charity
IT SEEMS, on the face of it, like the final ace in the pack for the band of protestors opposed to Darlington Football Club's expansion plans. If in doubt, play the human rights trump card. The protestors, the Neasham Road Action Group (NRAG), have fought
BISHOP Auckland Golf Club's third annual charity tournament raised a total of £2,600 to help hospice patients. Mark Romaines, managing director of the tournament sponsors MDR Roofing, is pictured, right, with the golf club captain Ian Thomson, centre,
SIX people were arrested yesterday on suspicion of burglary and robbery after police raided houses in Hartlepool. More than 15 officers, from the Crime Intelligence Unit, CID and community policing teams raided five houses in the town centre and Owton
A MULTI-MILLION luxury hotel development in a city centre is to include a museum on the site of the original Stephenson railway sheds. Newcastle developer Closegate will submit plans to Newcastle City Council later this month for a £30m, 250-bedroom,
POLICE in Stockton are warning elderly residents to be on their guard against bogus water company officials operating in the district. The majority of calls have been made between 4.30pm and 7pm. Cash has been stolen, along with watches, purses, briefcases
BASF has announced sales in the first six months of the year have grown to £465m compared to £437m in the same period last year. And the German company revealed that figure owed a great deal to a significant development in sales from its plastics &
THE status of trendy motorised scooters is about to go on trial - quite literally. The issue of whether the motorised scooter can be classified as "a vehicle" will be decided in crown court after a North-East enthusiast was charged for using one on a
CANOEING enthusiast John Taylor is planning to head for the hills for his latest charity challenge. John, of No Place, near Stanley, aims to sail his Canadian canoe in a lake 2,365 ft above sea level. The former landlord of the Beamish Mary Inn at No
PAEDOPHILE riots in Portsmouth: it makes me think of witch hunts in Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th Century. But what is the meaning of all this hysterical violence? It goes without saying that sexual abuse of children is vile and depraved and that those
CUDDLY mascots may be a familiar sight at university graduation ceremonies - but graduate Simon Ellison found himself accompanied by a more lively companion at his own. Simon, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, was joined by nine-week-old King Charles
Around Palmerston Park, Dumfries home of Queen of the South and the only League ground in Britain named after a Prime Minister invasion bells have been ringing. The English are back. Once they'd have lit beacons along the Solway Firth. Now there were
THE Newcastle Building Society's investment in technology is paying dividends. The society's Internet account, NewcastleNet Savings, launched in mid-June, attracted £25m by the end of that month. The account now has total balances of more than £160m.
WALKERS are being offered the chance to see the changing face of East Durham tonight. Simon Nott, community liaison officer for the Turning The Tide project which is regenerating the area's coastline, will be the guide on the three-and-a-half mile walk
STAR-STRUCK youngsters are being urged to enter Sunderland's Summer Showcase 2000 talent competition. Sunderland City Council leisure department is looking for budding singers, dancers, groups, comedians and magicians to sign up for the event. The acts
SO what exactly was William Hague trying to prove with his revelations about his hard-drinking past? The Tory leader used to drink 14 pints a day when he was a teenager - so forget any notion you may have had that he was a studious young man with his
A MODEL police officer faces an uncertain future after being fined for possession of cannabis with a street value of less than 50p. Arthur Swaine earned a national reputation for his pioneering work changing drinking habits in York, where he was instrumental
IN-FORM Peter's Imp has a terrific opportunity to complete a sparkling three-timer at Newcastle this afternoon. Alan Berry placed his useful handicapper to collect a small race at Warwick prior to a far more prestigious victory in the Lady Riders Diamond
AN accident investigation is under way after three teenagers were injured in a fairground accident last night. Police are attempting to piece together the circumstances of the accident, at the Headland Carnival in Hartlepool. Witnesses reported seeing
A BUSINESSMAN who runs a North-East ticket office has condemned rail firms for planning to limit cheap ticket machines to larger stations. Alex Nelson, who runs the independent office at Chester-le-Street Station, County Durham, said their cheap, advanced
TWO shops had their windows broken after a Sunday afternoon pub disturbance spilled out on to a town centre street. Police were called to High Street, in Willington, County Durham, where there was fighting outside the Lion and Unicorn. Damage at the Cutting
A POLICE officer was struck on the head with a shoe after a woman was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. Emma Louise Hudson, 21, of Brinkburn Road, Darlington, was thrown out of the Mardi Gras nightclub in Gladstone Street, Darlington, early on
A DEVASTATED father last night led calls for action to prevent a repeat of a tragedy in which his son died after swimming in the River Tees. Malcolm Glen's 15-year-old son, Christopher, got into trouble while playing with friends downstream from the popular
A man who died in a five vehicle collision on Friday has been identified as 48-year-old Roger Geoffrey Flower. Mr Flower, of Captain Cook's Close, Staithes, North Yorkshire, is the third person to have died on the notorious A171 Whitby to Guisborough
A POLICE officer will not face criminal charges after the deaths of a young brother and sister who were travelling in the back of a police car when it was involved in an accident, police said yesterday. Neza, four, and two-year-old Claudette Price died
GRUMPY old Eeyore would never have approved - but a group of his relatives are living the high-life in a luxury holiday camp for donkeys. Youngsters from the region are learning how to care for donkeys at a week-long camp near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
THE closure of a flood-ravaged bridge has cost traders £500,000 a month, and losses are continuing to mount. Richmond Business and Tourism Association highlighted the massive losses yesterday as it stepped up its campaign for a temporary bridge to be
A HEARTBROKEN father has spoken of his anguish after his seven-year-old son died following an accident at a North-East swimming pool. Anthony Armstrong was pulled unconscious from the wave pool at the Wet 'n' Wild waterpark in North Shields, North Tyneside
SUNDERLAND striker Danny Dichio and exciting young midfielder Paul Thirlwell have signed new contracts binding them to the club for the next four years. London-born Dichio, who joined the club from Sampdoria for £750,000 in January 1998, has been kept
POLICE are hunting a gunman who carried out a drive-by shooting on Tyneside. A man was seen firing a shotgun at two men from a car which was being driven along Wooler Crescent, Gateshead, at high speed. A local man has told police that he was stood talking
A CAF that mixes Mexican and Mediterranean recipes is tickling tastes buds in Stanley after winning backing from the Prince's Trust. Sharon Chatton and Jim Coulson have set up their Meximed cafe and takeaway in Front Street with a £3,000 loan from the
A BISHOP Auckland driver whose car went weaving across a road and mounted the pavement, has been disqualified from driving for two years. Gordon Andrew Heseltine, 39, of Tintern Road in St Helen Auckland, was almost three times over the legal limit for
ELDERLY residents in an east Cleveland village are angry that a seven-year saga over their windows has not been resolved Last month, pensioners living in council properties in Shepherd Court and Fenton Street, Boosbeck, sent a petition to Ian Sim, director
DARLINGTON Football Club has assured supporters that construction of its multi-million pound new stadium will go ahead as planned. It follows claims that construction of the stadium will violate the human rights of people living next door. The Northern
A FORMER jockey who sold on bootleg alcohol and tobacco was jailed for nine months yesterday. The tobacco and alcohol that Peter Ennis bought from a man he met at a market over two years starting in July 1997 was liable to have almost £24,000 in duty
AN historic Darlington school is seeking permission to expand. Councillors are being asked to give listed building consent for extensions to form new classroom, stores, head teacher's room and kitchen at Rise Carr Primary, in Eldon Street. As part of
A NORTH-EAST cover band has been given a starring role in a television documentary. After Midnight, from Newcastle, will be featured in the Tyne Tees Television series Cover their Tracks, which examines the tribute band phenomenon. The band's front man
DURHAM University has opened its doors to show A-level students from ordinary backgrounds that it is not the exclusive preserve of former public school pupils. One hundred pupils from schools across the North-East and Yorkshire - areas with low numbers
A TEENAGE student has died in hospital after falling from a railway bridge. A man who went to his aid told yesterday how he saved the teenager from being run over by a train after he fell from a footbridge on to rail lines at Eaglescliffe, Tees-side at
A FORMER deputy headteacher who won an unfair dismissal case after claiming he was mistreated by his boss has called on the Government to outlaw bullying in the workplace. Geoff Hetherington, 49, spoke out after an industrial tribunal ordered Darlington
ONE of the North-East's most senior legal officials has resigned after being accused of committing a roadside act of gross indecency. Married father-of-two Kelvin Jones - who runs three magistrates courts in County Durham - was charged after being arrested
