WE'D not been in Chinatown two minutes when they brought on the dancing boys, and the paint your dragon and the gentleman drumming up trade. It seemed quite welcoming, really. Newcastle's Chinatown is centred on Stowell Street, a kick in the artefacts
The annual meeting of the FA Cup Escape Committee (and Scotch Piefest) was cancelled on Saturday for the first time since 1998. The Arsenal again proved unavoidable. Usually, it may be recalled, the column and apathetic associates flee north to Scotland
EMERGENCY services have warned that lives are at risk from daily arson attacks on a housing estate. Firefighters are called to at least one blaze a night on the Dene Estate, Willington, where boarded-up properties are a magnet for arsonists and vandals
A TEENAGER was yesterday ordered to be detained for four years for a drunken spree in which he tried to indecently assault three women in daylight attacks. Stephen Hewitt, 17, was branded "a danger to women" by Judge Denis Orde, after hearing of the incidents
SUPERMARKET chain Asda plans to create 10,000 jobs as part of a massive recruitment drive across all its stores. The chain, which has 244 stores, plans to add between 30 and 50 staff at each of its outlets. It will mean a massive boost for employment
MINING artefacts and memorabilia will go on display over the bank holiday weekend. Durham Mining Museum will hold an exhibition at Seaton Holme, in Easington Village, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disaster at Easington Colliery, which claimed
TRIBUTES have been paid to a Durham County councillor who has died at 69. John Alderson, of Peterlee, who was secretary of the ruling Labour group, died on Friday after a battle against cancer. Councillor Alderson, who had represented the Peterlee Central
ELDERLY people are to have the chance to view a housing scheme designed for them. Sheltered Housing Awareness Week starts on May 21, to raise awareness of the privacy, security and independence gained from living in retirement and sheltered housing. In
ALL eyes remain on the telecom sector this week with Cable and Wireless's full year figures out today. In March the company warned that profits would fall short of analysts' expectations, citing downward pricing pressures in the US and Japan. While BT
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Telemarketer, Peterlee. £15,000pa, 37.5hrs pw shifts. Required to make outbound calls following up mailshots for personal loans. Telesales/sales experience
NEARLY 1,000 people found work through Richmond JobCentre last year, despite there being fewer vacancies on the books. In the 12 months to April 5, 933 people secured jobs thanks to the centre - an increase on last year's figures. Manager Alan Graham
A GROUP of secondary school pupils have received national recognition for their role in a pilot project to help pensioners in the community find out more about information technology. The Gener-active scheme, at The Norton School, Norton, started in January
A HUNT has been launched for three men who carried out an indecent assault on a schoolgirl. The 12-year-old girl was surrounded by the men in the street, in daylight, and attacked. She had stopped and bent over to tie her shoelace when the incident happened
POLICE are hunting a gang of modern-day highwaymen who held up a truck driver at gunpoint. The men, who detectives described as "very convincing", posed as police officers in an unmarked car to persuade the 35-year-old driver to pull into a layby on the
EXPERTS are warning Health Secretary Alan Milburn that his NHS National Plan could run into difficulties unless policies are changed. a report compiled by an expert group representing most sectors of the NHS, and chaired by Sir Kenneth Calman, vice-chancellor
A CHARITY is to recruit its own "Dirty Dozen" for a humanitarian operation overseas. Convicted shoplifters, burglars, car crooks and even muggers are being invited by Teesside charity, Convoy Aid, to see life in the raw in poverty-racked Romania. Rod
A PIPE band is to stage town centre performances to raise money to pay for the hire of practice facilities. Teesdale Pipes and Drums have had to cancel several engagements this year because of the foot-and-mouth crisis. The band, which celebrates its
THE three candidates fighting for a North-East seat will meet the public at a city centre church next week. Durham Churches Together has organised the General Election Forum, which will feature Durham City's sitting Labour MP Gerry Steinberg, who was
STAFF at a council-run sports centre followed the usual procedures when a stranger turned up to use their athletics track. But the athlete who paid up for the privilege of some exercise at Darlington's Eastbourne Leisure Centre, turned out to be none
WORK by New Zealand-born playwright Toa Fraser is to be staged in the North-East tomorrow night. The play, Bare, stars Canadian-born Ian Hughes and New Zealander Madeleine Sami. It will be performed at Darlington Arts Centre for one performance only.
THE Glorious Twelfth, the traditional August start of the grouse shooting season, may be another casualty of foot-and-mouth disease. The news could be just as bad for the birds as it would be for the pockets of estate owners and other rural businesses
FURNITURE retailer ScS has reported record results in the first six months of the year. For the period up to March 31, the Sunderland retailer reported pre-tax profits of £3.8m, up 47 per cent on the same period of the previous year. The rise came despite
THE closing date is looming for a watersports course which is being held at the end of the month. Stockton is hosting the World Canoe Marathon Championships at the end of August, and Stockton Borough Council's sports development team is giving youngsters
A RESIDENTIAL martial arts academy is offering places to its first students. The World Martial Arts Academy, in Malton, is almost complete and is offering places to those who wish to make a career of the martial arts and their associated disciplines.
POLICE are appealing for help in tracking down thieves who stole a statue of a portly chef from a roadside pub at the weekend. The 7ft fibreglass statue, which cost more than £300, has stood at the Hobson pub, beside the A692 road at Burnopfield, for
DEVELOPMENT of a Christian meeting hall has been given final planning clearance on land near Ure Bank Top, Ripon, by Harrogate Borough Council. The scheme involves a new access and a car parking area. But planners say before development starts details
FUNDRAISERS have donated £1,534 to help a Ferryhill school buy specialist equipment. Rosebank Special School is trying to raise money to fund a sound and light room for the use of its pupils. A group of six local people decided to get together to stage
GLOBAL warming may change the entire face of the North-East in coming years unless the authorities act now, delegates to a major climate change conference were told yesterday. Significant stretches of land could be submerged by rising seas, more cliffs
Firefighters were called to a cricket club - to rescue 11 little ducks stuck down a drain. The ducklings were trapped when they fell down a storm pipe used to drain water off the field. Someone at the Riverside ground at Chester-le-Street - home to Durham
CHILDREN have been learning that caring for their teeth can be fun. Youngsters from three schools in County Durham were visited by dental health experts from North Durham Community Dental Service as part of National Smile Week, which started yesterday
DEMONSTRATORS chained themselves to the gates of a waste plant yesterday. Former shipbuilder Bill Tynan, 75, and Liz Crocker, 39, took the action after a fire at Newcastle's Byker incinerator. The pair, from Newcastle, were backed by more than 24 banner-waving
A TEENAGE girl was lured into a sordid affair with a 38-year-old man who bought her presents and tickets for a top pop group. The 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was enticed into Brian Telford's clutches with promises of marriage
A FORMER binman who committed more than £23,000 of benefit fraud over 11 years escaped a jail sentence yesterday. It would take Albert Iceton, 64, of Alexandra Gardens, Shildon, County Durham, more than 56 years to pay back the money he owes to Income
DURHAM Castle's appeal for a £3m grant for repair work, including work to its roof, has been rejected by the National Lottery. The 900-year-old castle, which houses University College, is listed as a World Heritage Site and attracts up to 50,000 visitors
THE key underlying rate of inflation unexpectedly rose last month to its highest level since December as food and gas prices soared, official figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics said the underlying rate, which excludes mortgage rate
POLICE have confirmed the identity of a man who died in a road accident in North Yorkshire over the weekend. Adrian Frank, 25, of Goathland was at the wheel of a red Audi which left the road and hit a tree on a country lane, between Sleights and Grosmont
YOUNGSTERS in Hartlepool are celebrating after they received the news that councillors had agreed a £60,000 plan for a skateboard park in the town. The park will be created on one of the all-weather pitches, which is near to the Mill House Leisure Centre
A PUB which could face legal proceedings over excessive noise has applied to open for longer hours. 42nd Street, in Lucan Street, Hartlepool opens from 11pm until 2am, Monday to Saturday, and noon to 2pm and 7pm to midnight, on Sunday. However, under
A MAN has denied killing a Durham University student who died after a brawl on a late-night train. Patrick Brown, 21, died after being found at the bottom of an embankment near Durham station early on March 3. He had been out with friends in Newcastle
A NORTH-EAST branch of The Samaritans is holding an open day to give support to people affected by the foot-and-mouth crisis. An outreach day will be held at Whitham Hall, Barnard Castle, County Durham, tomorrow, from 10am to 2pm. A spokesman said: "With
"Good morning children. No, there's no need for you all to shout back, 'Good morning St Tony!' I'm just a regular kinda guy. Sorry headmistress, I take your point that children don't want to hear that sort of slang in school. And I know many schools no
A RESIDENTS' group is inviting people to help shape their community. New Shildon Residents' Association holds its annual meeting on Thursday, May 24, when people can find out more about the group's work and become involved. There will be a display on
A THRIVING sawmill has been allowed to operate until the early hours despite concerns about lorries using country roads. Taylormade Timber Products, at Sherburn Hill, employs 105 people. It has unofficially been operating beyond the hours laid down in
Sales consultant, Stockton. Full-time. Must have at least two years' travel retail experience, and be computer literate with good standard of education. Ref: STL 27837. Telesales person, Thornaby. £5ph, part-time or 20hrs. Business to Business experience
VILLAGERS can enjoy the summer in pleasant surroundings thanks to the efforts of a community group. For the past 12 months, Billy Row Community Association has been working with regeneration group Groundwork West Durham to improve the appearance of the
A MEN'S group has been launched on Durham's Sherburn Road Estate. It will meet at the estate's Pelaw View Resource Centre, and is being organised by community development worker Derek Snaith, who says 27 men have already signed up. The estate is in the
A STONE sculpture and garden are to grace the entrance to the village of Sunnybrow, near Bishop Auckland. Sunnybrow Residents' Association is creating the feature with a £4,500 grant from the Single Regeneration Budget programme and £3,100 from the Awards
PROLIFIC offenders in Hartlepool are to be targeted by a new scheme, based on a Dutch initiative. The Dordrecht scheme aims to reduce crime by helping to rehabilitate repeat offenders. Under the scheme, a police officer, probation officer, drugs nurse
ARTISTS including woodcutters and writers are displaying their skills at Beamish Open Air Museum. Coinciding with the Campaign for Learning national Adult Learners' Week, the week-long Beamish event includes Billy Craggs and members of his writers' group
HE STOOPS as he tries to conquer the hearts of a Teesside estate and when he comes to deal with the Press he makes sure he has them on the right - strange behaviour indeed for a Labour man. But this senior minister of Her Majesty's Government has a problem
TOBACCO giant British American Tobacco (BAT) last night raised the possibility of legal action ahead of a European Union vote expected to seal the fate of hundreds of North-East workers. MEPs are expected to give approval latere to day to a third reading
WORKERS affected by the proposed closure of a Darlington call centre are expected to learn their fate shortly. BT plans to close its Barnard Street exchange with the loss of 111 jobs. Fifty nine are employed by BT, and because the firm has a policy of
BY cutting a ribbon, Sydney Paralympic gold medallist Tanni Grey-Thompson made a five-year dream come true yesterday. That is how long it has taken Ormesby School, Middlesbrough, to realise plans for a sports complex fitted with dual purpose equipment
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Loft insulator, Darlington. 8am to 5pm, Mon-Fri. Must be fully qualified in building/joinery trade and have clean current driving licence. Ref: DAE
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Production operative, Dishforth. £4.33ph, £5ph after training, 6am to 4.30pm, Mon-Fri. Required for line packing and blending of animal feeds. Three
CAT owners on a Darlington estate are keeping their animals indoors amid fears that a poisoner is at work in the area. Several cats on the Firthmoor estate have suffered a mystery illness in the past two weeks. Symptoms include fits, dilated eyes, twitching
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Sales consultant, Stockton. Full-time. Must have at least two years' travel retail experience, and be computer literate with good standard of education
THE Swedish ambassador was in the region yesterday to promote Newcastle-Gateshead's bid for European Capital of Culture. Mats Bergquist visited Baltic (The Centre of Contemporary Art), in Gateshead, yesterday, to meet regional leaders and representatives
BOTH men and women are being called on to help beat testicular and prostate cancer. Next month is Men's Cancer Awareness Month and the Cancer Research Campaign is hoping people in the region will help raise funds for research. Professor Gordon McVie,
AT a social event in my village during the 1992 general election, my presence was noted as being that of "the only man in this village who votes Labour". It wasn't true. Not simply because even in the most red hot Tory stronghold more than one individual
IT'S not the height of doggy style, but try telling Prince the greyhound that his "pinny protector" is anything but grrrreat. Prince, a three year-old, was left with a cut on his back after he was bitten by another dog while being taken for a walk by
BADGER baiters, hare coursers and poachers are using foot-and-mouth restrictions to step up their activities in parts of the region, The Northern Echo can reveal. Farmers are reporting a marked increase in the number of people trespassing on their land
SYDNEY Paralympics gold medallist Tanni Grey-Thompson was back on the track at Gateshead Stadium to help launch Independence Week. The event was staged by Motability and Priory Vauxhall, of Felling, Gateshead. Experts were on hand to discuss vehicle adaptation
A MOTHER-of-two will soon hear if her murder suspect husband is to be granted bail. Alison El Hamri has been told to expect a decision this week on husband Majid, who has been held in a Swiss jail since he was extradited from the UK, in February. Mrs
THOUSANDS of objections to a proposed housing development have been handed to Stockton Borough Council. English Environment has collected signatures from people in Stockton and Thornaby who oppose plans to build 150 houses, offices, e-commerce centres
A MAN with obsessive tendencies "hoarded" more than 10,000 pornographic images of children, a court heard yesterday. Andrew Kiss , 40, of Middlesbrough, Teesside, admitted ten pairs of charges of making and possessing indecent pictures and images of children
A CANDIDATE in the coming local elections has vowed to campaign as "the man with no name" if his first choice of identity is ruled out by official procedures. Conversations at the school gates prompted parents in Brompton-on-Swale to nominate Leslie Rowe
THE picture could be one of a million nursing homes. The elderly residents are busy watching television and hardly seem to notice the special visitor who has entered the room. "Tea's up," trills the diminutive pop star Geri Halliwell as she carries in
THE daughter of one of Newcastle United's 1930s FA Cup heroes will be guest of honour at tonight's match against Arsenal. Ann Darling is the daughter of Jack Allen, the Magpies' centre forward who scored the two goals which defeated the Gunners in the
PETER REID'S hopes of securing the services of giant Czech striker Jan Koller are receeding after he admitted a move to Borussia Dortmund was an appealing proposition. Koller is for sale and valued at around £8m by Anderlecht, and Sunderland and Fulham
THIS year's Sunderland Airshow will take place on July 28 and 29. The event, the biggest free airshow in Europe, attracted more than a million people last year. Susan Henderson, event co-ordinator, said: "The Sunderland International Airshow has grown
PASSIVE SMOKING IT may excite the anti-smoking lobby but the news that a barmaid in Australia has been awarded damages for allegedly developing throat cancer from years of passive smoking is hardly the breakthrough it is claimed. Australia itself placed
BEATEN FA Cup Finalists Arsenal failed to complete a double over Newcastle but left Tyneside happy with a point which guarantees their place in the Champions League next season. But the Gunners, who beat United 5-0 at Highbury in December, had more than
COLD-blooded killer Albert Dryden has broken his ten-year silence over the shooting of a senior council official. But last night, the family of his victim, Harry Collinson, reacted angrily to his claims that he should be freed - and to messages on the
BORO are set to join the bidding for versatile Brett Emerton if the Aussie decides to quit Feyenoord for the Premiership in the summer. Emerton has been on Boro's wanted list for months and club scouts made another personal check in Feyenoord's 4-3 victory
Darlington manager Gary Bennett is hoping to speak to Middlesbrough player Neil Maddison after freeing six members of his first team squad yesterday. Darlington-born Maddison is available on a free transfer after hardly figuring for them since he signed
A FOOTBALL fan has been cleared of violent disorder at a North-East train station. Lee Alan Atkinson, 20, of Lithgo Close, Hartlepool, was charged along with eight other Darlington and Hartlepool fans. Yesterday at Teesside Crown Court, Judge Richard
A previously unknown drawing by Michelangelo which lay unrecognised for more than 250 years, is expected to fetch as much as £8m when it goes up for sale, experts say. The study of a Mourning Woman was found in a scrapbook during a routine inventory at
CITY conservationists say no new building was worthy of their annual architectural award. The commendation has been given each year by the City of Durham Trust for outstanding new or renovated buildings . However, none of the projects finished in the
THEY are young, they are talented, and at least some of them are about to take the pop world by storm. Successful theatre group Snug is about to showcase some of the region's best young musical talent at a one-off concert at Consett's Empire Theatre.
A GRIEVING husband told an inquest yesterday that he believed his wife died of an infection she contracted because of dirty surgical instruments used at a North-East hospital. Two weeks ago, The Northern Echo revealed how instruments used at Bishop Auckland
Ah di'vent kna why, pet, but Tesco's gone aaaaall posh on us. Managers at the supermarket chain have decreed that shoppers at their checkouts must only be referred to as sir or madam instead of pet or love, after a customer complained. So is this the
RIPON'S first drive-through McDonalds' Restaurant has lost a planning plea for illuminated signs on its site at Quarry Moor Grange, Harrogate Road. Harrogate Borough Council planners have turned down a planning application for an internally illuminated
SIX heavyweight three-year-olds flex their muscles at York in this afternoon's 145,000 Dante Stakes, normally regarded as a natural stepping stone towards next month's Epsom Derby. Predicting just who will be trading punches at the end of the extended
A paedophile has been driven from his home after parents discovered he was working as a paperboy in their community. George Anderson, 56, abused three boys aged 12 and 13 who attended the Bible classes he set up in a youth club near his former home in
POLICE investigating the attempted murder of a former British agent who infiltrated the IRA have denied accusations that the peace process is hampering their probe. Martin McGartland who was shot six times at his "safe house" home in Whitley Bay and Unionist
CONCERN is growing for children's safety because of the massive flooding which surrounds a tiny County Durham village. A school playing field next to Bishop Middleham Primary School is just one of the areas around the village which have been constantly
A PAIR of musclemen had two reasons to celebrate at the weekend. The pair, who have never met, both achieved world press-ups records within 24 hours of each other. Graham Whalley, of South Moor, County Durham, took a world record by completing 1,047 press-ups
THE public have been given a first glimpse at a new piece of public art. Artist Thomas Heatherwick is creating a work called Blue Carpet to transform New Bridge Square, in Newcastle city centre. The first phase of the project, a spiral staircase linking
YOUNGSTERS are transforming untidy areas of land in their village. New Brancepeth Youth Group has helped regenerate one area in the village already this year and has now secured funding to create a memorial garden outside the village hall. The group has
A GROUP from Chester-le-Street are brushing up on their German for a week-long visit to its twin town. Twenty five members of the town's twinning association are travelling to Kamp-Lintfort, a mining town 60 miles north of Dusseldorf, in northern Germany
THREE men accused over the killing of father-of-two Freddie Knights appeared in court yesterday. Lee Watson, 30, of Cedarwood Road, Gateshead, Edward Stewart, 37, of no fixed address, and Dale Miller, 37, of Cromwell Avenue, Gateshead, appeared before
A TEENAGER who is facing weeks in hospital to treat a rare condition, was made to feel like a star on her final journey to school. Sarah Buxton, 13, has scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, and will go into Middlesbrough General Hospital this week for
A HOST of stars is turning out to help a nightclub celebrate its first birthday. The Zanzibar, in Stockton High Street, is celebrating with a weekend of live appearances, prize draws and giveaways. On Thursday, May 24, UK Centrefolds take centre stage
