THREE people arrested after a street battle in Middlesbrough have been released by police. A 22-year-old man, a 16-year-old youth and a 25-year-old woman have been given police bail, pending inquiries. A man was taken to hospital with serious facial injuries
MORE bobbies should be put on the beat to restore public confidence in an under-fire force, according to officials. Councillor Russell Hart, vice-chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, claims the taxpayers of Teesside would not mind paying a proposed
New Marske Harriers The presentation of awards for track and field and road racing took place at New Marske Sports Club. In front of a capacity crowd Ken Churchill, javelin gold medallist at the (Paralympics) handed out awards to the track and field athletes
COUNCILLORS fear money will not be available for traffic calming measures once a major supermarket opens on the outskirts of Durham. Tesco has submitted revised proposals for the store, on the former Hugh Mackay carpet factory at Dragonville, which won
DURHAM and Cleveland's over 45 veterans men's team have proved themselves one of the top four counties in the country after reaching the premier division play-offs in the inter-county championships for the first time. Brian Graham, Dave Lumsdon, Tom Taylor
MULTI-millionaire George Reynolds has put his giant chipboard company up for sale, The Northern Echo can reveal. In a surprise move, the owner of Darlington Football Club revealed exclusively to The Northern Echo that he has decided to sell his manufacturing
THE bells of an East Cleveland church clock are ringing out again after eight years of silence. The clock at St Emmanuel's in Saltburn had to be switched off following complaints that the pealing of the bells every 15 minutes was keeping people in the
ON-line fine food shoppers can look forward to an expanded Christmas hamper service from a popular gourmet store. Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton created their own web site three years ago, enabling customers to order a selection of gourmet food without
Newton Aycliffe Youth Centre The Under-9s won the Chester-Le-Street 2000 League this week with only three quarters of the programme completed. Two wins and the first draw of the season clinched it for the Aycliffe lads. In the first game they played the
HEIGHINGTON Show is no more after more than a century. The show committee met in the village hall for the annual meeting. Although the meeting was well advertised, only two women of the village other than the committee attended, and so with no more support
A MAJOR revamp of early years schooling has been agreed after a review of services provided in York. Proposals will be discussed by the city council's executive, after consultation with parents around the Westfield, Clifton, Haxby, and Wiggington areas
CONTINGENCY plans have been set up in case more heavy rain falls in Cleveland over Christmas. Five operational centres have been designated, each with a store of 2,000 sandbags. Plant and equipment will also be on standby, ready to move within a couple
GUISBOROUGH Town's match at Easington Colliery seemed destined to end goalless, but with only ten minutes remaining Easington sub Jonathan Mould scored with his first touch of the ball. Mould's second goal came inside the last minute, resulting in Guisborough's
IN YEARS to come Mike Stephen will have been outgrown by his ambition. It has always been his wish to see a tree planted for every child living in Redcar and Cleveland Council's district. This week he helped youngsters to sow the first batch of a total
A DARLINGTON company has been named one of the country's top ten "Euro-businesses." Amdega Ltd was presented with an export oscar at the Barclays Business in Europe Awards. Two years ago it only had one person looking after exports but a major shake-up
A DRIVE to boost interest in cricket at schools is being mounted by development staff at Durham County Cricket Club and helping to spearhead the initiative, which aims to set up coaching clinics throughout the county, will be Durham fast bowler Neil Killeen
Football: In the Wensleydale League Hawes United moved to the top of the league in style, scoring a goal at the rate of just over one every four minutes. They hammered luckless bottom team Redmire 22-0, leading 10-0 at half-time, Stuart Dinsdale netting
BARNARD CASTLE. - Tues. Fwd: 230 store cattle, 75 feeding bulls. Feeding bulls. - Simm to £515 G Bird & Sons; £410 J T Wilson; Char to £510 G Bird & Sons; £495 J W Dent & Sons; £432, £415 D G & P D Ayre; £405, £375 F & I Coulthard;
DESPITE a two-month period of inactivity since claiming the Mintex National Championship, Scorton rally driver Steve Petch was hoping to get back to winning ways in last weekend's Grizedale Stages Rally in the Lake District. But sadly for him and his
THE Shadow Agriculture Minister, Mr Tim Yeo, criticised the government's attitude to farming in Britain on a visit to the Prime Minister's constituency last week. Mr Yeo spoke at a meeting organised by County Durham farmers at Mr Graham Smith's Cowley
GUISBOROUGH Mayor Councillor Brian Whiteley is inviting the public to a carol concert at the Methodist Church, Guisborough, on Tuesday, December 19 at 7.30pm. The carols will be accompanied by the Salvation Army band.
BIN collections should be back to normal across east Cleveland next week, after the suspension of industrial action. As revealed in The Northern Echo this week, Redcar MP Mo Mowlam has helped create a truce between Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
A NORTH YORKSHIRE scheme - set up to curb the cowboys heading for the region to take advantage of homeowners affected by the floods - has been hailed a success. The county's trading standards team asked local firms willing to take on repair work in the
Sir, - I was saddened to hear of the report which criticised the efforts of Richmondshire District Council in relation to tourism, particularly since it appeared over-critical without being helpful (D&S, Nov 24). One of the main points made was that
Ashley Air Products Over-40s League premier League champions Billingham Wanderers drew 1-1 away to Bates Cottages in a hard fought game. Midway through the first-half Colin Watson pulled a muscle and 'Bilko' Wilkinson substituted and scored with first
George Reynolds has put his giant chipboard company up for sale. In a surprise move, the multi-millionaire owner of Darlington Football Club revealed exclusively to The Northern Echo that he has decided to sell his manufacturing plant in Shildon, County
POLICE investigating the suspicious death of a man whose body was found on a railway line have discovered he spent the afternoon in his local cinema. Peter Evans, 47, was found on a stretch of track at the rear of The Royal Vaults pub, Church Street,
by Robin Twizell RMD Agriculture CEREAL markets have remained steady, albeit a little nervous at times. The strength of the euro and the problems with crops in various parts of the world has helped improve values. Oilseed values have improved a little
IN the town where I was born - somewhere, shall we say, on the Darlington to Bishop Auckland railway line - Christmas wasn't so much traditional as cast in Elgin marble. Carols were forbidden in St John's church until late on Christmas Eve, transgressors
OUR Market Town Revival campaign report today's highlights the concerns in Hawes about the need to retain public and private services. It is an ever-present worry whether local or national government or corporate Britain will pull the plug on some local
AN equestrian artist's work so impressed an unknown South African couple that she was given an all expenses paid trip out to paint their pets. Miss Jo Campin, of High Coniscliffe, is back from Constantia on the Western Cape where she and her partner,
A farmers' market and craft fair were highlights of pre-Christmas festivities in Bishop Auckland last night. Primary school children joined a procession through the town which featured bagpipes and Father Christmas. In the Market Place, local farmers
Durham League Middlesbough Mavericks moved top of Division One with an 87-71 home derby win over Norton. After an even start, Wayne Bailey and Ian Viveash combined to give Mavericks the edge in the second quarter. The period had started at 19-14 to the
Braes of Derwent South PC. - Tomorrow: Indoor hunter trial, Holmside Park, novice, intermediate and open classes. BSPS Area 3. - Dec 10: 9am Xmas show, Toad Hall, Thirsk. Jan 7: 9am Yafforth. Telephone 01642 452439/723542. Cleveland Hunt PC. - Dec 10:
MEMBERS of the two Rotary clubs in Ripon are working to bring some Christmas cheer to flood victims. They have joined other clubs in making a donation to a scheme run by Yorkshire Rotary district to help people whose lives were disrupted by flooding last
A JOINT venture to raise £60,000 to restore Richmond's obelisk is to be explored. Richmondshire district planning committee agreed to approach the town council to explore the possibility of a partnership to attract grant aid for the scheme. The 18th century
SO laid back that he should be carried off on a stretcher, Paul Dalton plays for Gateshead at Swindon Town tomorrow, FA Cup second round. Had things been different, had Middlesbrough not been the place he always had to come back for, he could have been
IF you take your granny to the shops or bring up a child with Down's Syndrome, then you might not realise it, but you are officially a carer. That is the message which the Durham and Chester-le-Street Carers' Project is desperate to get across to the
A SHEEP breeder fears his prized pedigree flock will have to be sold off if councillors turn down an extension plan for his Cleveland home. Mr John King wants to convert part of Hobdale House at Skelton Green so his son can live there and help him care
WICKED magicians, Widow Twanky and characters from every imaginable fairy tale are to make an appearance at a special pantomime. Once Upon a Story claims to be one of the best shows you'll see this year and has been staged by youngsters from Evenwood
FIRST team coach Terry Venables arrived at the Boro's training ground this week with a positive message: "Let's work together and get it right." He is due at training today as the build-up reaches a peak ahead of Saturday's vital Wear-Tees derby at the
Yorkshire and North-East, Thursday. - Ex-farm in bags: Cara and similar £80-£110 a tonne. Estima, Nadine, Marfona, Wilja and other whites, £80-£100, best quality £100-£110. Maris Piper and Fambo £90-£120, up to £130. Washed whites up to £130. Bulk: Cara
TALENTED disabled and able-bodied performers are preparing to stage their Christmas show. The Making Music Project has been running in the Gilesgate area of Durham for four years, bringing together young people aged 12 to 13, some of whom have learning
COMMUNITIES in East Cleveland will get a helping hand with the delivery of Christmas cards this year thanks to local scouts. Collection boxes are available until Saturday, December 16, and delivery costs just 10 pence per item. The scouts guarantee Christmas
STANLEY the sturgeon is the luckiest fish alive after surviving being caught by a heron and dropped in a back garden. The flying fish is believed to have been lifted out of a pond by a hungry heron which flew high over trees before losing its grip and
A MAN who claimed he was wrongly jailed for the nightclub murder of a teenage girl 11 years ago, has failed in a last-ditch Appeal Court bid to clear his name. Stephen Craven, 31, was jailed for life in 1990 after a jury convicted him of murdering 19-
THE face of Redcar's High Street is set to change thanks to the town's Rotary Club. The club has proposed that a new four metre high clock should be installed on the plinth site at Redcar's pedestrianised High Street, opposite Bath Street. The plinth
A convicted bigamist who narrowly avoided a prison sentence last night vowed: "I'll never marry again." Robert Hutchings, 53, said after being given a 15-month suspended prison sentence: ''I will not be getting married again. No chance.'' The father-of-six
A TEESSIDE firm is set to complete a record year by launching another recruitment drive, after seeing its workforce triple in 11 months. Pearson-Harper will begin 2001 by moving to larger premises in Billingham to cater for the increasing numbers, with
Midfield player Simon Kasonali is poised to become Marske United's appearance record holder - taking over from chairman John Hodgson who turned out 476 times over a 21-year period. The 28-year-old Kasonali, a one-club player coming through the junior
FOLLOW the form and you won't go too far wrong, at least in the case of jockeys. The men of the moment are Adrian Maguire, Tony Dobbin and Russ Garritty - plus any of Mary Reveley's gang. Maguire took a Market Rasen treble last Thursday, two legs being
A MASTER magician is keeping a few tricks up his sleeve after being chosen for a top competition. Mike Smith, a professional magician of Sandringham Road, Redcar, is one of only eight in the United Kingdom to be selected for the British Magical Close
Newcastle are considering an 11th-hour loan move for Blackburn's frozen-out striker Egil Ostenstad. Boss Bobby Robson is desperate to find a replacement for injured Alan Shearer at Arsenal tomorrow. Norwegian international Ostenstad is viewed as a possible
SUNDERLAND players have banned talk of Europe at this year's Christmas party - 12 months after coming a cropper. Striker Niall Quinn revealed: "We mentioned Europe last year and went on a 12-match disaster. "We were two minutes away from going top of
William Hague has acknowledged that he is not a regular Sunday churchgoer but rather worships God in less formal surroundings, and in particular as he walks through the Yorkshire Dales. The Tory leader, who has promised that a Tory government would give
YOUNGSTERS who have benefited from a community project have joined forces to protest against its closure. Users of the Marc, or Middlesbrough Activity and Resource Centre project, united for a demonstration outside its base, in Bedford Street, on Wednesday
A FORMER Venture Scout leader and a foster father for social services used the Internet and mobile telephones to contact two teenage girls he later abducted, it was alleged at Cheltenham Magistrates Court yesterday. Police have launched a nationwide search
COUNCILLORS have pledged to consult the public further on proposals to knock-down Billingham Forum. At a meeting of Stockton Borough Council's cabinet yesterday, councillors supported the Billingham Regeneration Partnership Board's proposals to redevelop
Energy Minister Helen Liddell unveiled the country's first offshore wind farm yesterday. The two turbines, each with the capacity to power 3,000 average households, are the largest to be erected offshore in the world. The £4m project, which was completed
A MANAGER at a North-East home for child offenders carried out a series of sex attacks on women after late night drinking sessions, a court heard yesterday. Married Christopher Winstanley Smith, a team manager at the Aycliffe Young People's Centre, in
WHEREVER you looked before the Queen arrived in the region yesterday you could see faces filled with tension and excitement. For staff at each of the four main venues, all their preparation was to make sure that the Queen knew just what the North-East
Tony Blair's bid to scrap NHS watchdogs was condemned yesterday in his own North-East region as a "cynical attempt" to stifle bad publicity ahead of the General Election. Jack Tobin, chairman of the South Durham and Weardale Community Health Council (
THERE are three special memories in one of the newest features at Leeming and Londonderry primary school. Children who already have a sundial provided by the parents' support group can now study the weather in another traditional way through a weathervane
DARLINGTON & Stockton Times' reporter Miss Alison Lewis won two major awards in passing her national journalism examination. Miss Lewis, who works in our Thirsk office, passed her National Council for the Training of Journalists' national certificate
CRIME-busters in County Durham have produced two stickers to help residents deal with bogus callers. The Sedgefield Burglary Action Group, formed under the crime and disorder partnership, aims to raise public awareness of the problem. Stickers are being
CAN you Adam and Eve it? A famous East Ender coming to coach the Boro. Tel Boy won't find an Albert Square in Middlesbrough, but he will find an Albert Road if he has time to explore beyond the confines of the Riverside and the training ground. There's
CASH aid from Brussels has created 26 jobs and helped restore miles of hedgerows and dry stone walls in the North Yorkshire countryside. Latest information on the EU's Objective 5b projects in the county shows that £810,138 is being spent on environmental
A VILLAGE near Northallerton yesterday won more time in which to have its ambitious leisure plans considered by councillors. There had been fears that a scheme by Brompton Parish Council for a new £125,000 building, incorporating a sports centre and changing
A COLLEGE is hoping to offer a Christmas lifeline to unemployed people in a bid to improve their chances of finding work. Northallerton College is to provide free computer training as part of a Government funded scheme called IT's for You. Staff at the
THOUSANDS of pounds have been pledged for improvements to a North Yorkshire road, which has claimed five lives this year. The A61 between Harrogate and Ripon is renowned for its twists and turns, and limited opportunities to overtake, and frustration
CIU League Ferryhill and Crook Belle Vue dominated the collection of darts section trophies at the Presentation Evening. Ferryhill were the league champions with awards going to P Nixon, T Nixon, G Taylor, D Hull, D Bestford, R Brown, K Nicholson, L Richardson
Sir, - Mr Lawn (D&S letters, Dec 1) would do well to remember that children's moral sense is often sharper and less sentimental than that of many grown-ups. If I were one of his children or pupils, for example, I would be curious to know why meat-eaters
Worthington CIU Winter League There were good wins for two popular players returning to league play after illness. John Griffin of Fishburn A came back after a three months absence through illness to show that he had not lost his touch by helping his
A WIILDLIFE campaigner admitted this week he had cut dozens of snares and handed them in at a police station to invite prosecution. John Gill told Newcastle Crown Court he believed the snares to be illegal, because they were self-locking, and he had wanted
PARENTS of children involved in substance misuse and anti-social behaviour are being urged to take advantage of a new service. The service, On Track Family Support in Darlington, is a support group for parents of children and young people. It offers parents
A VETERAN councillor has landed himself in hot water - after throwing a bowl of tepid water over a toddler. The Crown Prosecuction Service is to decide whether there are grounds to prosecute Chris Abbott, leader of the Liberal Democrat group of councillors
BIN collections should be back to normal across East Cleveland next week, following the suspension of industrial action. Following the truce between Redcar and Cleveland Council and its cleansing staff, it is hoped that bin collections will now return
Darlington's Andrew Leighton, Mark Simpson, Claire Wilson and Joanne Meads are heading for the south coast for the national junior trials after winning their way through the Northern equivalent last Sunday. Leighton and Simpson qualified in the Under-
COUNCIL chiefs keen to promote a greener future are inviting schools to learn more about helping to protect the environment. Hartlepool Borough Council wants to encourage more visits to its Environmental Education Centre, at the town's civic amenity site
THIEVES have 'cleaned out' a fitness shop that opened just six months ago. A gang smashed their way into Bodyzone fitness club at Guisborough and stole every article of clothing in the shop. The thieves used the centre's own wheelie bins to trundle £3,500
POLICE believe two robberies in County Durham where a masked raider threatened the young shop assistants with a crowbar could be linked. In both incidents, in Shildon and Fishburn, a balaclava-clad man burst into the stores and demanded money from the
ANGER over Darlington council's apparent disinterest in rural areas erupted in Neasham over the village's willow trees. Monday's meeting of the parish council heard that it was months since it asked if the borough would cut down the willows on its village
IT'S not every boy who has had his bedroom painted by a professional artist - but eight-year-old Thomas Thorgood has had his room turned into a shrine to his heroes in an eight-month labour of love. Artist John Todd, who specialises in painting murals
A MOTORIST told an inquest he had no recollection of the road accident in which his wife was killed during a holiday in France. Ruth Money, 58, of Pity Me, near Durham, was a passenger in a people carrier driven by her husband, Derrick, on an autoroute
A man who kept a menagerie of animals in squalid conditions has been told he could be facing a jail term. When RSPCA inspectors raided Christopher Neill's filthy semi-detached house, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, they found two border collies,
WORK starts today shoring up cliffs in Scarborough, which sent tons of earth sliding on to footpaths during November's heavy rain. The resort's Castle Holms area has been identified as the priority, and contractors will spend the next few weeks sinking
TWO WENSLEYDALE dairy farmers dominated the major prizes in this year's Yorkshire County Milk recording herd competition. Mr Chris Iveson of Myers Farm, Wensley, achieved a 15 year ambition in taking the overall supreme title. And he was thrilled when
FIRST prize in this annual sponsored exhibition, now in its third year, went to one of the smallest works entered. Alan Dyson's White Scar and Quarry, Swaledale, North Yorkshire, might easily be overlooked amid the many much larger landscape paintings
THIEVES who carry out smash and grab raids on cars are being targeted by police in East Cleveland. Crooks looking for easy pickings such as Christmas presents, briefcases and handbags left on car seats, are to be picked up themselves by dedicated police
REGIONAL development agency One NorthEast has unveiled its action plan for reviving the area in the next three years. The move is the latest step in the agency's ten-year programme for economic revival in the region, and will concentrate on the key priorities
A DARLINGTON company director is threatening to go to court rather than take down a lucrative advertisement at the side of the A66. Mr Tony Morrison jointly owns windows firm Mr Windows which paid UK Trailer Advertising to put up a sign on a mobile hoarding
DIDGERIDOO player, Mr Kevin Howard, from Saltburn, holds a workshop at Cowpen Bewley woodland park, Billingham, today. The first part will consist of "ballooning exercises" for correct breathing and the group will then play the didgeridoo before learning
ARABLE farmer Robert Darling will soon find out whether his diversification scheme has paid off. For fed up with low cereal prices he decided to branch out into turkeys - not just any old turkey but the "Rolls Royce" of the turkey world. And the next
THREE weeks of hell on earth is how Darlington salesman Mr Robin Rutherford described his recent Mount Everest marathon challenge. The 49-year-old athlete, who works for Williamson Motors in Chesnut Street, returned to his desk on Monday feeling shattered
DURHAM'S fourth Christmas Festival has proved the biggest yet, attracting an estimated 30,000 visitors to the city. Gift hunters from both near and far afield flocked to the city for a taste of a traditional Victorian Christmas. City centre manager Barry
A DANGEROUS driver, who caused the death of a woman in a motorway crash, had been convicted of speeding by police just weeks earlier. The Northern Echo can reveal that David Firbank was caught breaking the speed limit on the A1M, the same road on which
FOR once, the result was all that mattered. Quakers ended a dreadful run of one point from seven league games with a workmanlike 2-1 win over Mansfield Town at Feethams on Saturday. The slump had seen Darlington slip from the promotion fringes to 18th
ANGRY relatives have attacked an eight-year sentence handed to a drunk kerb-crawler who killed three friends. Allan Jackson, 39, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving after he mowed down the women on August 28, while three
AN EVERLASTING view of a small community has gone on display in Ebchester. More than 13 months after being first suggested, Seasons of Ebchester, four colourful textile panels depicting the village's past, present and future, were officially unveiled
THE spate of high profile, star-studded movies appearing on US cinema screens at the moment is not just a happy accident. Former Academy Award winners such as Kevin Spacey, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Hanks all have new movies out. So do award-friendly directors
PUPILS are being helped to stay in focus, thanks to a scheme that recycles surplus equipment. Thirty Polaroid cameras and spare films have been given to schools across Tyne and Wear by Network Ticketing, the region's only integrated passenger ticketing
A DRIVE to boost interest in cricket at schools is being mounted by development staff at Durham County Cricket Club and helping to spearhead the initiative, which aims to set up coaching clinics throughout the county, will be Durham fast bowler Neil Killeen
'WAS it school bullies who killed that boy on his way home from the library?'' asked my incredulous nine-year-old the other day. It's at times like this that the world can appear, both to children and parents, a grim and frightening place. The murder
TWO charities have benefited after Northallerton Riding Club raised £608 with a summer charity ride. Pictured receiving cheques are John Marshall, chief instructor with Riding for the Disabled, and Andrew and Amanda Cook of Manddet, a charity created
AN ARTIST who has been working part-time in a castle garden has helped create a superb Santa's grotto there. Mr Paul Denham, who is now employed full-time at the Art Shop in Bondgate, Darlington, spent two months designing and creating the winter wonderland
YORKSHIRE and the North-East should be declared an official disaster area, a farmers' meeting was told last week. The call came from a farmer - Mr John Sturdy - who said his land had not been flooded but was still water-logged and totally unworkable.
A NORTHALLERTON reader, keen to buy some logs to aid his Christmas cheer by the fireside, has asked if I can supply any information that will highlight the best wood for domestic burning. There is little doubt that most of us welcome the cheeriness and
REDCAR MP Mo Mowlam has used her renowned negotiation skills to bring an end to an industrial dispute. Dr Mowlam spent four-and-a-half hours on Sunday mediating between Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and refuse collectors deadlocked in a bitter
SO laid back that he should be carried off on a stretcher, Paul Dalton plays for Gateshead at Swindon Town tomorrow, FA Cup second round. Had things been different, had Middlesbrough not been the place he always had to come back for, he could have been
TRADERS in Loftus are vowing to fight back in the wake of disasters which have left businesses crippled. The 18-month closure of Loftus Bank followed by flooding in parts of the town have left people demoralised and depressed, says a traders' leader.
Mighty Middlesbrough Newman Scott went into the final round of the North-East Winter League holding an almost unstoppable lead and rubbed further salt into the wound tying up the proceedings with another smooth team performance, writes JEFF HERBERT. The
A FLOOR layer accused of waving the dismembered arm of his alleged victim from a car window told an Old Bailey jury he had never even met the man. James Lawlor, 26, is said to have shot father-of-six Roy Brooker, 41, through the mouth then helped to butcher
A WELL-known leisure centre could face demolition to make way for a supermarket. Yesterday, Stockton council was discussing the future of Billingham Forum, which was opened by the Queen in 1967. A report on redevelopment of the town centre recommends
A leading choir is planning a special show to celebrate Christmas. The Carol Andrew Singers international mixed voice choir, which is based in Darlington, has also invited a school choir to join them for the event. The choir's Christmas Carol Concert
Local swimmers will be involved in some exciting racing at the Great Britain winter short course championships, which started in Sheffield yesterday (Thurs) and end on Sunday, writes ERIC WILKINSON. Newcastle's Olympian Sue Rolph heads the qualifiers
DRINKERS of draught beer and cider can look forward to better protection against short measure. Surveys carried out by trading standards officers show that too many pints are less than full measure. One in five is short by more than five per cent, despite
THE region was on flood alert again last night as the storms which caused havoc in Wales and the West Country moved north across Britain. Families were anxiously watching rising rivers, and there was more misery for rail passengers when the East Coast
TOBACCO workers fighting European legislation, which they say threatens their livelihoods, took their battle to the doorstep of the Health Secretary yesterday. The Rothmans staff say the EU law, which will outlaw the production and export of high tar
RAILWAY HERITAGE I WAS lucky enough to have had saved for me a copy of your supplement Treasuring our Railway Heritage. I read it from cover to cover, enthralled by your journalist's accounts of one of the great moments in history - the labour pains and
A CAMPAIGN to clean up an area dubbed 'the forgotten end of Northallerton' has met with overwhelming public support, organisers say. Residents and traders at the North End of the town have formed a pressure group to demand action is taken in the area,
When Billingham Town Boys FC needed a new strip they came up with a novel way of attracting a sponsor. As team sponsors are hard to come by the club decided to hold a prize draw, the winner of which would become shirt sponsors for just £10! As a full
THREE cousins were hailed as heroes yesterday after plucking three young children to safety from their burning home. Gary, David and Michael Barker leapt into action when they saw thick, black smoke spilling out of an upstairs bedroom of the house in
THREE cousins were hailed as heroes yesterday after plucking three young children to safety from their burning home. Gary, David and Michael Barker leapt into action when they saw thick, black smoke spilling out of an upstairs bedroom of the house in
ALUN Armstrong last night ended a three-year nightmare on Teesside by completing an £800,000 move to Ipswich and leaving Middlesbrough with no fit strikers to face Sunderland. Armstrong goes straight into the Ipswich squad for the test at Anfield on Sunday
After their successful stamp convention recently, Consett Stamp Club has decided to start a junior section. One of the aims of the section will be to allow young people access to the books of stamps routinely passed between members via a postal system
A NORTH-EAST youngster who captured the hearts of staff at the region's first children's hospice has died. Such was little Matthew Bacon's popularity, he was twice chosen to take centre stage at opening ceremonies held at Stockton's Butterwick Children's
ALEX Farrar-Fry travelled from Halifax and scored a double championship success at the BSPS Area 3a winter qualifying show at Toad Hall, Thirsk. He was riding the Dartmoor pony Tamborough Red Dragon and claimed his double in the Heritage section. Lucy
A NORTH-EAST haulier appeared before magistrates yesterday charged with trying to smuggle about 1.5 million cigarettes worth about £300,000 into the country. John Heads, 52, of Sunderland Road, Elwick, near Hartlepool was arrested after Cleveland Customs
A MANAGER at a North-East home for child offenders carried out a series of sex attacks on women after late night drinking sessions, a court heard yesterday. Married Christopher Winstanley Smith, a team manager at the Aycliffe Young People's Centre, in
MULTI-millionaire George Reynolds has put his giant chipboard company up for sale, The Northern Echo can reveal. In a surprise move, the owner of Darlington Football Club revealed exclusively to The Northern Echo that he has decided to sell his manufacturing
HORSE owners are being put on their guard about unscrupulous dealers advertising in equestrian magazines for companion horses. The renewed warning comes from the British Horse Society who says that owners are selling their horses in good faith, thinking
THE parents of a desperately ill girl last night issued a last minute plea for a new heart that would save her life. Ten-year-old Emma Standish has just five days to live if a suitable heart is not found. She was taken to Newcastle's Freeman Hospital
THE message from Senior Son was brief but urgent. "We've got some frozen hostages. What should we do with them?" I played it again and panicked. Hostages? Frozen? Was he involved in a shoot-out? Gang warfare? Had he strayed from the safe world of Manchester
Tony Blair's bid to scrap NHS watchdogs was condemned yesterday in his own North-East region as a "cynical attempt" to stifle bad publicity ahead of the General Election. Jack Tobin, chairman of the South Durham and Weardale Community Health Council (
FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Some sensation has been caused this week in the eastern part of Cleveland by the discovery that the beer supplied at several public-houses was contaminated with arsenic. In Brotton and Skinningrove several barrels
RESTORATION of a Victorian stable block near Richmond has received a top accolade from the town's civic society. This year's star "bouquet" - honours awarded in the society's annual review - goes to the development on the Aske estate, home of Lord Zetland
A homeless man who stole to feed his heroin habit escaped a prison sentence yesterday, when a court told him he was being given a big chance to put his life in order. Stuart John Harris-Jones was put on probation for two years by Harrogate magistrates
TEESSIDER Darren Williams is licking his lips at the prospect of lining up against his home-town club this afternoon - but he stresses: "I don't want Middlesbrough to be relegated." The 23-year-old utility man took some verbal abuse three seasons ago
A BREEDER of rare parrots, jailed for smuggling endangered birds into Britain, could be home for Christmas. Harry Sissen, 61, of Cornhill Farm, East Cowton, North Yorkshire, was jailed for 30 months in April, but a ruling by the Court of Appeal yesterday
THE Liberal Democrats have chosen a Yorkshire solicitor to take on Tory leader William Hague at the General Election. District councillor Edward Forth has been selected as the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Richmond constituency.
The possibility of siblings becoming internationals for separate countries became a possibility when Christina Fossheim impressed watching Norwegian officials at a recent gymnastics competition in Oslo. Christina completed a remarkable family double when
Darlington manager Gary Bennett is looking for his players to repeat their Worthington Cup heroics as Second Division Luton visit Feethams in the second round of the FA Cup this afternoon. Quakers pulled off a magnificent win at Nottingham Forest in the
COLLEGE principal Ian Prescott has one aim - to make Houghall College THE national centre for land-based and agricultural training. He quashed earlier fears that its merger with East Durham College would lead to its demise. And at the official opening
Teesside Basketball League THIRSK Vikings romped home against a young Middlesbrough College side, recording a 93-35 points win, only their second league success of the season. The improving Vikings on their home court made an impressive start, hitting
PUPILS at an east Durham infants school will not be sending any Christmas cards this year. Instead, youngsters at Peterlee's Shotton Hall school will be using their saved money to help former pupil Frances Lee. Frances, seven, was in the top class at
A MAN was jailed for 18 months after subjecting a shopkeeper to a four-year race-hate campaign. Paul McClusky, 20, bombarded Mohinder Singh with a torrent of racial abuse before finally attacking him in October. McClusky had already appeared before the
Darlington Darlington men's first team recorded their tenth successive league victory of the season, with a 2-0 away win over Tynemouth seconds in North East League, Division Two. Darlington dominated much the game and would have recorded a greater winning
COUNTY Durham women are set to benefit from a new mobile breast screening trailer. The trailer, which will be introduced by Gateshead Health Trust next month, will tour parts of County Durham and South Tyneside. One trailer has already come into service
A PENSIONER died of complications while undergoing a hip operation after a fall at her nursing home. Elsie Cox, 79, who lived at the Alliance Care Home, Consett, was taken to Dryburn Hospital, Durham, after fracturing her left femur last month. Surgeons
A SCHEME to create a council for voluntary services in Teesdale has been granted a five-month trial by councillors. The proposed service will act as an umbrella body for the dozens of voluntary groups in Teesdale, and will also recruit volunteers to work
Tow Law Bass League Tow Law New Market moved into third place when they beat the visiting Tow Law Station by three points. After the trebles were shared the New Market had singles points from Paul McManamin, John Parkin, Darren Yeoman and Alan Thompson
A TOWN has taken steps to protect its rights of way by appointing a footpaths watchdog. Chris Marsh has become Middlesbrough Borough Council's milestones officer, and his time will be dedicated to promoting and protecting rights of way. The job will be
Junior round-up SUNDERLAND Tomahawks led 2-1, trailed 6-2 and were level at 6-6 at 56.54 in their English Under-19 North A League thriller against Kingston Predators. But they did not gain a point from the game as Kingston struck the winner with less
Teesside Mohawks are on course to become the first side to win the National Trophy for three successive seasons following their 107-98 win at Oxford on Saturday night. They will meet Inter-Basket - formerly Islington - in the final at Sheffield on January
KIRKBY STEPHEN. - Tues. Christmas show and sale of cattle and sheep. Cattle judge T M Ewbank, Appleby. Prizes. - Hfr: 1 & winner of the R I Brown cup for the champion beast and Kirkby Stephen Tradesmans cup for the best heifer and cash prize donated
Sir, - Some readers might be interested in what I found recently in A History of Thirsk written in 1821 by J B Jefferson. "Were a stranger to travel over our bridges in the heat of summer, he might justly wonder at the size and number of the arches across
LIBRARY staff in Stockton counted on maths to prove a hit with youngsters this week. Pupils from six primary schools had a chance to discover that maths can be fun during a Number Day at Roseworth library. The event, part of Maths Year 2000, is designed
A seat installed in Richmond almost 100 years ago to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee was stolen and smashed up at the weekend. Two other seats - part of an identical set of six at Burgage Pasture at Westfields - were vandalised in the incident on
