TWO children who died when a police car taking them to a refuge was involved in a collision, were not wearing seat belts, an inquest heard yesterday. Two-year-old Claudette Price and her brother Neza, four, died of head injuries following the accident
SENIOR fire chiefs are forging closer links with employers of part-time firefighters to develop emergency plans to cope with possible repeats of last year's flooding. More than 300 retained firefighters were called into action in November, as freak weather
Motor vehicle technician, Stockton. £11,500pa, 39hrs pw, Mon-Fri. Must be time-served, fully-qualified mechanic. MoT qualified an advantage. Ref: STL 27330. Personal assistant, Yarm. seven days out of 14, three days off, four on. Required to assist young
FAMILY doctors in one of the North-East's health blackspots are to benefit from a £25m scheme to boost primary care. Health bosses and under-strength doctors on Wearside hope the scheme will lead to a large injection of new medical talent. For years,
PLEASURE craft are to remain afloat in a cathedral city despite plans to demolish its landmark boathouse. For decades, a feature of a day-trip to Durham has been the chance to take a leisurely trip down the River Wear in a rowing boat. More recently,
AN ex-convict is so sickened by a wave of muggings on elderly people that he wants to put a price on the heads of those responsible. Former hard man Rod Jones, 52, is inviting like-minded business people to help him set up a reward fund, directed by Cleveland
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Domestic assistant, Durham, £4.01ph, 16hrs pw between 3.45-8pm, various shifts on rota, required for NHS Trust department, experience is preferred but
A young offender admitted burgling an old people's home to try to steal a video recorder. Durham Crown Court heard that Wayne Bates entered the communal living room at the Pavilion Residential Home, in Chilton Moor, near Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside.
BOBBIES on bikes have put a spoke in the wheels of burglars responsible for five break-ins a day. The officers, along with foot patrols, mounted officers, detectives and Special Constables, were responsible for an 80 percent drop in house burglaries in
STUDENT volunteers hope a new exhibition will raise the profile of their work in the community. About 800 students at Durham University give their free time to 36 different projects in and around the city. These include a "sitting service" for the Alzheimer's
A GROUP of inmates have launched an in-house magazine to put people in different parts of their prison in touch with each other. Holme Alone, which was launched yesterday, is designed to entertain, stimulate and amuse staff and prisoners at Holme House
RURAL despair at the foot-and-mouth crisis reached new depths last night after 45 new cases of the disease were confirmed, the highest daily total so far. And the handling of the crisis took on an increasingly political tone as Prime Minister Tony Blair
DARLINGTON BUS STATION IT is a real disgrace that a large and wealthy town like Darlington now has no bus station. There was nothing wrong with the one that has been deliberately run down. It had everything - coffee bar, good toilets, inquiries and lost
MILTON BRADLEY, a trainer blessed with the magic touch when it comes to revitalising sprinters, is fancied to work the oracle yet again via Brevity in division two of the Alcatraz Handicap at Southwell today. Last season it was the bargain buys Nineacres
DARLINGTON will establish their own French foreign legion in the North-East by signing three players today. Quakers yesterday held talks with the trio - a defender, striker and midfielder - and subject to international clearance, expect to complete the
Hundreds of mourners paid their last respects to a policewoman killed in the line of duty at her funeral yesterday. PC Alison Armitage, 29, who was born in Malton, North Yorkshire, was serving with Greater Manchester Police when she was struck by a suspected
MAGPIE star Shola Ameobi has pledged his allegiance to the Three Lions rather than the Super Eagles having watched the problems faced by Arsenal star Kanu. Young Newcastle striker Ameobi has decided his international future now lies with England rather
TO tie in with the Census, the Government has just issued a new way of classifying occupations - and within an hour of it being mentioned on Radio 4, about 10,000 people had logged on to find out where they come in the great pecking order. So much for
IT is nothing short of a national disgrace that less than a quarter of our passenger rail companies are able to operate normal services. After being given yet another deadline to bring services back to normal, we have to wonder whether Railtrack is living
AN art gallery will be making much ado about nothing when a new exhibition opens next month. "Nothing" is the title of the new show at Sunderland's Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art where influential modern artists will interpret the concept. The
The North-East engineer held captive by guerrillas in Bangladesh for a month flew home last night and said: "It's an absolute relief to be back." Tim Selby, 28, looked tired and pale as he spoke to reporters shortly after an emotional reunion with his
A close friend of Leeds United star Jonathan Woodgate yesterday denied biting an Asian student during a savage street attack. Paul Clifford, a former junior boxing champion, told Hull Crown Court: "I am not an animal. I would not bite anyone. If I wanted
SUNDERLAND have reduced the price of every season ticket for the next Premiership campaign. And chairman Bob Murray said last night: "We are the cheapest club to watch in the Premiership - and we are proud of that." Prices for the club's 36,000 season
WHETHER it's a war or a flood, a rail crash or a terrorist campaign, national disasters bring out the spirit of the Blitz. Differences are put aside as everyone joins together against the common foe. That, at least, was the case for the first three-and-a-half
A WOMAN woke up after a night out with her boyfriend to find another man having sex with her in her home, a court heard yesterday. The woman, who cannot be named, woke in the early hours of October 11, 1999 to find she was being raped by Terence Clark
POLICE have voiced their concern that no one came to the aid of a 62-year-old woman when she was mugged in a daytime attack. The woman was walking in Wordsworth Road, in Skerne Park, Darlington, when she was approached from behind by two young men. She
A PHONE salesman's plan to top up his meagre wage by forging customer contracts backfired when he ended up in court. Self-employed mobile phone salesman Brian Yarker, 59, forged customers' signatures at his office in Cellular City, Gateshead, Tyneside
A PILOT scheme which uses a closed circuit television system linked to mobile telephone technology is to continue in the North-East following successful trials. Northumbria Police, which started trials on fixed point CCTV cameras ten years ago, has been
YOUNGSTERS have cut the first turf of a play area they helped to design. The derelict Coundon Grange Recreation area is to be revitalised with a new ball court and landscaping improvements. The first turf was cut by children from Dene Valley Drop-In Club
CUSTOMS officers have hailed a four-year jail sentence passed on a driver at the centre of a smuggling operation which distributed 1.8m cigarettes around the North-East. The sentence was imposed on John Hartley, 49, of Dunelm Road, Thornley, east Durham
THE funeral of councillor Tony Moore will take place on Thursday. Family and friends of Coun Moore, 59, who suffered a fatal heart attack on Friday, will gather at St Mary's RC Church, Newton Aycliffe, at 1.30pm. A private internment will follow. A member
CUSTOMS officers have hailed a four-year jail sentence passed on a driver at the centre of a smuggling operation which distributed 1.8m cigarettes around the North-East. The sentence was imposed on John Hartley, 49, of Dunelm Road, Thornley, east Durham
AN unusual dance troupe is presenting a show at Tall Trees, in Yarm, Teesside, on Saturday. The Navrang Arts Folk Dance Group is made up of young people from throughout the region interested in Asian and ethnic dancing. The group was set up by Daksha
REFORMS at Japanese car firm Nissan, part-owned by French car maker Renault, are starting to pay off. The company is expected to pay its first dividend since March 1998 in May, when the company reveals its full year figures for the year to April. The
Middlesbrough Borough Council is seeking nominations for its citizen of the year competition. The only rule for nominees is that they must live in the town. Their contribution to its life might be through work in the public or private sector, voluntary
Jonathan Simon Woodgate was a young man with the world at its feet. A tall, commanding defender, much in the mould of another Teesside favourite, Gary Pallister, he was tipped for the top. A glittering career beckoned with his club, Leeds United, and
YOUNGSTERS who were handed the task of designing their own play area, were the first to try it out yesterday. The school council at the Michael Syddall Primary School, in Catterick, was invited to help spend a £10,000 grant from environmental group Yorventure
A WORKING party has been formed to come up with plans for the future development of Guisborough Town Council. The restructuring plan is the brainchild of Councillor Dave Punshon, who thinks the council should be streamlined so councillors have more time
A LEISURE centre is preparing for the construction of an auditorium when Britain's leading theatre company makes a visit. The sports hall at Hambleton Leisure Centre is hosting the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) when it comes to Northallerton, for seven
WORK is to start on a footbridge across a section of the busy A19 where a young pedestrian was killed. It was almost three years ago that Sarah Jane Bell died on the southbound carriageway between the Peterlee flyover and the Old Shotton junction of the
AN estate undergoing a multi-million pound facelift is looking to see what the future will hold when the work is completed. The seven-year regeneration scheme, which is pumping £13m into the once run-down Sherburn Road Estate, Dur-ham, ends in March 2003
A PIONEERING operation on a little girl's disfigured face had to be cancelled at the weekend for medical reasons. Hope Elliott, five, of the Redhouse Estate, Sunderland, who suffers from a rare condition known as cystic lymphovenous malformation, will
A brass band continued a remarkable run of form by winning the Northern Area Championship title at the weekend. Ferryhill Town Band was promoted from section four to section three in the competition after winning their section last year, so faced tougher
WORK to build two extra classrooms at Hurworth Comprehensive School, near Darlington, is due to start later this week. There are 630 pupils at the school and unlike the picture in the rest of the town, demand for places continues to grow. Hurworth Comprehensive
PEOPLE are beginning to heed a warning that hundreds of stray cats might have to be culled if Darlington's feline population continues to soar. It was revealed last week that the town's cat population is growing too fast because cat owners are failing
A FORMER council gardener and hotel worker, accused of sex offences in three counties, has been sent for trial. Malcolm Lawrence DeGruchy was remanded in custody by Harrogate Magistrates' Court yesterday. He is due to appear at York Crown Court, on April
THE keys to seven new ambulances were handed over at a ceremony yesterday. The Mercedes ambulances, which are powered by 2.7 turbo-diesel engines and cost £63,000 each, are to be given to stations throughout Teesside to replace old stock. Peter Summerfield
A North-East motor retailer is driving into bigger premises only two years after the firm started. Pulman's £2.6m Volkswagen garage at Abbey Road, on the outskirts of Durham City, opens this month as it moves from premises at Framwellgate Moor. The new
PUPPETEER Phil Spellacy enthralled children on his annual visit to a Trimdon primary school. Mr Spellacy, from Leeds, visits St William's RC School every year to bring history topics to life. Previous visits have included shadow puppets based on the Jason
A crime prevention leaflet has been launched to keep unwanted visitors out of the garden this spring. Middlesbrough police, Nature's World and Middlesbrough Temperance Society have joined forces to produce the leaflet, called Cutting Garden Crime Together
A MAN who predicted that he would go to prison, during a drugs raid on his home, was proved correct yesterday. Alan Storr, 24, was locked up for a total of four-and-a-half years at York Crown Court, after admitting possessing heroin with intent to supply
RESIDENTS of an estate which is undergoing a multi-million pound revamp are to get an upgraded park. The King George V Park is being given a new look as part of the £17m facelift for the Pennywell area of Sunderland. The first phase of the scheme, which
RESIDENTS of sheltered housing across Hartlepool have been helping the council find out what older people want and need in society. Councillor Elizabeth Young has been on a whistle-stop tour of all 19 council-owned complexes, and some of the 13 others
LIKE any high-profile footballer Jonathan Woodgate was bound to attract his fair share of attention. The 6ft central defender, with the bleached blond, hair always stood out when drinking with pals and attracted his fair share of admiring glances from
LEWIS CARROLL'S Alice in Wonderland tale is to be transformed into a ballet for the Yorkshire Youth Dance Theatre. The production uses more than 100 young artists and allows them to perform with ex-professional dancers. It is at the Grand Opera House,
A MINISTER who lost his son to drugs was the special guest at yesterday's launch of a parents' helpline. Cabinet Office Minister of State Ian McCartney was at Middlesbrough's Cellnet Stadium to announce the start of Parentline Plus in the Tees Valley.
THE force was certainly with Harry Simpson and his marathon bid to help charities. When a chest infection stopped the police inspector's plans to complete 600 miles on a rowing machine by Red Nose weekend, colleagues pushed the boat out for him. Fifty
PEOPLE in Durham have six weeks to give their views on the latest proposals for the future of the city. The city council's revised local plan is the development blueprint for the next five years, and has been amended following consultation over the draft
A PRIMARY school has been praised by Government inspectors, who found good standards of teaching. Staff at Willington Primary School are "hardworking, dedicated and committed" and have high expectations of pupils' progress and behaviour, according to
COACH drivers in Durham are being encouraged to take a week's break in London to combat staff shortages on the capital's buses. It was the brainchild of Durham Travel Services, which has taken over the 185 route between Victoria and Lewisham. The firm
IF ANY national crisis ever deserved the Biblical billing "a tale told by an idiot'' the foot-and-mouth catastrophe must be it. Let us remember the crucial facts: foot-and-mouth is a preventable, usually non-fatal, disease that poses no risk to human
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Court usher, Northallerton, £4.91 to £5.80ph, various hrs, must have ability to work with the public and handle difficult situations with diplomacy,
ACCORDING to Jonathan Woodgate's father, Alan, his son would never have been brought before the courts if he was not the high-profile player he now is. Mr Woodgate, of High Gill Road, Middlesbrough, spoke briefly to The Northern Echo before the start
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Car valeter, Darlington. 37.5hrs, Mon-Sat. Aged 21-plus. Must hold current clean driving licence. No experience required as training provided. Ref:
Police have appealed for witnesses after a man was seriously hurt when he was struck by a double-decker bus in Birds Nest Road, Walker, Newcastle, at 9.45pm on Sunday A police spokesman said it appeared that the man had crossed the road and stumbled back
PEOPLE are being asked to suggest alternatives to unpopular numerical road signs, which have driven many visiting motorists to distraction. Businesses and residents in Washington will be consulted about replacing a loathed district number system introduced
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Motor vehicle technician, Stockton. £11,500pa, 39hrs pw, Mon-Fri. Must be time-served, fully-qualified mechanic. MOT qualified an advantage. Ref: STL
BOY and girl bands may be all the rage, but New College music students are getting back to pop's roots. The 1950s and 1960s will be recreated when student musicians and dancers perform the music of black America - the sounds which influenced The Beatles
A MOTHER has been praised by fire chiefs for her reaction to a blaze in her daughter's bedroom. The woman discovered that candles left by her daughter on a set of drawers had set alight papers. She was able to shut the bedroom door, preventing the fire
MEASURES to improve road safety and reduce traffic speed in a village near Darlington have been completed. Work on the main road through Hurworth and in the village centre have cost Darlington Borough Council £40,000. Gateways on the approach to the village
POLICE have joined forces with the motor insurance industry in a bid to clamp down on increasing numbers of airbag thefts. More than 120 airbags have been stolen in North Yorkshire in the past six months, as well as several cases in Durham and Cleveland
A MUSIC lover's £20,000 legacy, which is buying eight pianos for a North Yorkshire choir school, has presented them with a temporary problem. Shortage of space means the eight new upright pianos cannot be accommodated at Ripon Cathedral Choir School,
A FORMER prisoner-of-war who had a heart attack while on holiday, leading to a row over the costs of his treatment, was stable last night in a Spanish hospital. Bernard Boyle, 81, from Middlesbrough, collapsed while in Benidorm with his wife, Marjorie
A MINISTER who lost his son to drugs was the special guest at yesterday's launch of a parents' helpline. Cabinet Office Minister of State Ian McCartney was at Middlesbrough's Cellnet Stadium to announce the start of Parentline Plus in the Tees Valley.
A MAYOR last night held on to his office when a motion to remove him was withdrawn at the last minute. Councillor Jimmy Alvey faced censure from his Labour Party colleagues on Peterlee Town Council when he refused to maintain an impartial stance on the
A PARLIAMENTARY candidate has called for the postponement of the General Election. Liberal Democrat Chris Foote Wood, who will try to oust Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster, says both the national and county elections should be put on hold. Both are expected
Residents are being invited to enjoy an afternoon out this Saturday - while raising cash for a good cause at the same time. A fete is being held in the recreational hall, at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, from 1pm to 4pm. The event is intended
MIDDLESBROUGH were locked in talks last night over a £500,000 move for Millwall wing-back Lucas Neill. Manager Bryan Robson agreed a cut-price deal for the Aussie, who is out of contract in the summer and available for nothing. Neill was in negotiation
A young offender admitted burgling an old people's home to try to steal a video recorder. Durham Crown Court heard that Wayne Bates entered the communal living room at the Pavilion Residential Home, in Chilton Moor, near Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside.
TWO engineers have had a lucky escape following a catastrophic explosion on the world's largest oil rig. Paul Raine, from Redcar, and Andy Stayman, from Middlesbrough, were on the Spirit of Columbus platform, off the coast of Brazil, when it was hit by
DETECTIVES investigating the mysterious death of father-of-two Paul Simpson may reconstruct his final minutes for a second time. A number of people who were in the area of Darlington where Mr Simpson's unconscious body was found by a patrolling policewoman
BAFFLED parents are being offered classes in how to tame their teenage tearaways. Courses aiming to improve communication between parents and teenagers are being run in Pickering, as part of a wide range of lessons dealing with children of all age groups
A WEBSITE criticising a decision to close a cemetery to vehicles is urging people to voice their opposition to the move. Businessman Stephen Longhorn has been fighting for more than two years against Wear Valley District Council's policy of keeping the
RAILTRACK was back in the dock last night after it was given a deadline for restoring the rail network - or face legal action. The company was ordered by rail regulator Tom Winsor to complete all improvement work following the Hatfield rail crash by May
ONE of the country's leading horse racing trainers has vowed to carry on racing, despite a foot-and-mouth outbreak next to his County Durham stables. Howard Johnson said last night that he would continue to exercise his horses on roads around his base
ORGANISERS of a regional folk festival have hailed this year's event as the best. Thousands of people from all over the country flocked to Darlington last weekend for the 16th Spring Thing festival. The four-day event started last Thursday, with a concert
REDCAR lifeboat crew is on the lookout for recruits. To be a member of the crew, people need to be aged between 17 and 40, physically fit, and live and work within ten minutes of the lifeboat station, on The Esplanade, Redcar. But the Royal National Lifeboat
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save a mental health helpline, which is due to close at the end of the month. Users are appealing to GPs to help fight the closure of the Derwentside Mental Health Crisis Line, which costs tax-payers about £60,000 a year
A DISPLAY of bad driving led to motorists driving three abreast and eventually coming to blows on a busy bypass. The road rage incident happened on the A66, on the outskirts of Darlington, near the Brick Train sculpture at 10.15am on Saturday. It is thought
ACTORS from The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will work with students from Hartlepool College of Further Education tomorrow, in a workshop on The Tempest. The visit was organised by Martin Old, deputy director of the college's sixth form centre. He
LEISURE group Whitbread has agreed a £1.63bn deal to sell its 3,000-strong pubs and bars estate to finance house Morgan Grenfell Private Equity. Whitbread put the estate, which includes at least 60 sites in the North-East, on sale in October to focus
A HOUSING association has tried to allay fears that a planned system of mobile wardens for sheltered accommodation will mean a reduction in the service. Bedale town council said last week that it wanted a meeting with the Northallerton-based Broadacres
POLICE are appealing for information following a burglary in which £40,000 worth of cigarettes was stolen. The incident took place during the early hours of Friday morning at the Bells Stores warehouse on Skelton Industrial Estate, east Cleveland. A burnt-out
With the cycling programme on the open road being drastically cut by foot and mouth restrictions, Ferryhill Wheelers snatched second place in one of the few events to go ahead. Knaresborough Racing Team staged their four-man team time trial over a ten-mile
MOTORISTS face delays this week on a stretch of road which is being resurfaced. Irate drivers reported peak-time delays of up to 45 minutes on the A689 through Chilton, County Durham, yesterday morning. Durham County Council engineers have been working
A MASKED sex attacker, who started a reign of terror a year ago by assaulting women in their homes, is still at large. More than 12 months ago, women in Thornaby, Teesside, were warned about a heavily-built man entering homes and assaulting sleeping victims
CLOTHING supplier William Baird said it was in a great position to bounce back from "a taxing year", as it reported a slip in pre-tax profits. Baird, which employs about 200 staff at a site in Skelton, East Cleveland, saw its claim for substantial damages
ANY high-profile footballer out on the town socialising among friends can find himself a target. Jonathan Woodgate was no exception. One man who contacted The Northern Echo told of a late night argument in which the footballer was taunted about his fame
A NURSE who found love after travelling half way across the world has received the personal congratulations of Health Secretary Alan Milburn. The MP for Darlington met Bernadette Morales, 27, from the Philippines during a visit to North Tyneside General
A SCHOOL is hoping to benefit from a host of promises made this week. The Parent Teacher Association at Hurworth School, near Darlington, has arranged an auction of promises on Friday. BBC Look North presenter John Lawrence has agreed to be auctioneer
FRIENDS of Jonathan Woodgate have described the footballer as a "down-to-earth" home-loving boy. Until recently, Woodgate lived with his parents in High Gill Road, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough. It is one of the more affluent areas of the town, although the
OLDER people from across the region gathered yesterday as part of an ongoing programme to improve services and organisations for people in later life. The Better Government for Older People (BGOP) programme is a partnership between central and local government
A race has taken place to discover which form of transport copes best with morning rush-hour traffic. Cyclists travelled from Ingleby Barwick to Stockton town centre at the same time as a Stockton Borough Council worker did the journey by car. The aim
PROMISING young athlete Malcolm Hassan's hopes of winning an athletics scholarship in the United States have been hit by the return of a mystery illness. The 18-year-old Sunderland Harrier thought he had overcome the trouble which has dogged his athletics
A CAR which left the road at an accident blackspot in Spennymoor narrowly missed a house and demolishing a greenhouse. Grandmother Norma Askew, whose partner and granddaughter were just feet away having breakfast in the kitchen, fears someone will be
A STORAGE building is to be converted into an out-of-school child care facility, despite fears about safety. Town councillors in Thirsk have condemned the plans for a building in the market place, to accommodate 20 children. They say that traffic in the
IF WE go on like this we shall soon all be back in our prams, shaking our rattles and crying: "Goo!" The whole country seems to be in its second childhood. Examples? Millions of us last week tuned in to watch Celebrity Big Brother: glued, transfixed to
A 15-YEAR-OLD schoolboy is planning a trip of lifetime to Peru with 29 classmates. Martyn Jones, of Shotley Bridge, must raise £2,895 in order to trek through some of the most exotic areas of the South American country. If he is successful, he will also
FEW may remember the Ballad of Bethnal Green, nor even Paddy Roberts, the chap memory suggests who many years ago recorded it. Heaven knows why it should have been Bethnal Green. Why not Tooting Bec, or Shepherds Bush or even the Elephant and Castle,
Foot and mouth disease victim, the All England Whippet Derby has been postponed. In Newton Aycliffe, where the event was to have been held at Easter, they suffer another malady. Though home to 30,000, the town - like others of that post-war era - has
THE young Jonathan Woodgate could have ended up under an even harsher media spotlight at Leeds United's bitterest rivals if things had turned out differently. While he was playing for his local club, at Marton, near Middlesbrough, then manager Ivor Hyndman
A GRAPHIC design student has designed a new logo for part of a Government department. Ross Clarke put together the logo for the commercial services division (CSD) of the Department for Education and Employment as part of a challenge set for students at
THE most important words in the history of Hartlepool are about to go on display in the town's civic centre. This year is the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Charter to the town, by King John. Hartlepool is celebrating the anniversary with
