POLICE in North-West Durham are warning youngsters to stay off a television mast in the area before someone is badly hurt or killed. At about 7.50pm on Sunday night a group of at least four youths broke into a compound, at Burnhope, and smashed several
HELP for mothers whose children have been sexually abused will be offered by a new support group starting up in the Wear Valley area. A successful Jigsaw 2000 group already operates in Darlington. The new project will operate along similar lines. Trained
A DRIVER ran over and killed a man on a pedestrian crossing after taking a combination of drink and drugs, a court heard yesterday. The trial of 25-year-old Darren Vout, of Elwick Gardens, Stockton, Teesside, who is accused of causing the death of Frederick
A boy was killed on his seventh birthday when a blaze swept through his family's home. Carl Taylor had celebrated his big day with his brothers and sisters before tragedy struck. The youngster, who lived with his grandparents, had been playing in a bedroom
TRUSTEES of an initiative to build a steam locomotive from scratch are taking legal action over a letter sent to the project's supporters. The move comes amid signs of deepening hostilities between the trust and a disaffected group of supporters, over
THE execution of the Oklahoma bomber, Timothy McVeigh, last week raised again the issue of capital punishment. It's worth reminding ourselves that more than 70 per cent of the adult population in Britain thinks that the death penalty should be retained
SMALL businesses hit by foot-and-mouth restrictions in rural areas near Durham could get help from the city council. The council says it will consider deferred business rates payments to provide short-term help to affected firms. "Small businesses in
The launch of Pagan Eyecare - the new name for Pagan and McQuade Opticians - is taking place across the region this week. The firm's shops in Middlesbrough, Darlington and Stockton will be reopened on Thursday. To mark the relaunch, staff will be offering
IT may not have brought an end to her pain - but at least Pat Gibson has the consolation of knowing that she has helped other families find justice over the past five years. The Darlington mother waged a three-year campaign to overturn a law, following
A MAN who admitted possessing more than 60 Ecstasy tablets to supply to friends on a night out was jailed for four years yesterday. Paul John Collins, 26, of Jubilee Road, Shildon, admitted being in possession of a class A drug with intent to supply,
ENTRIES are being sought for this year's Awards for Excellence, held as part of the Tees Valley Business Show. The glittering event, at the Tall Trees Hotel in Yarm, on Thursday, October 25, will attract the cream of the Tees Valley's business men and
REMPLOY has established a regional presence in the North-East to focus on the needs of the area's disabled people. Under the management of John Waterhouse, the North-East team, based in Leeds, will cover from the Scottish Borders to the North Midlands
TWO villages have teamed up to take the first steps towards a brighter future - funded by grants from Europe. Catterick and Tunstall qualify for aid from Brussels under the EU's Objective Two programme, which pumps money into under-privileged areas in
A MAN whose business collapse and mounting debts led to a second drink-drive offence in four years escaped a jail sentence yesterday. Charles Waring, who was said to owe the Child Support Agency £32,000, was more than three-and-a-half times the alcohol
THE execution of the Oklahoma bomber, Timothy McVeigh, last week raised again the issue of capital punishment. It's worth reminding ourselves that more than 70 per cent of the adult population in Britain thinks that the death penalty should be retained
Dancers are celebrating after completing a 24-hour dance marathon for charity. The dancers, students at Hild Bede College in Durham City, entertained audiences in Durham Market Place with dances including the cha-cha, rumba, jive and pasadoble. All money
REPORTS that the former Bishop of Durham has called for the Church of England to be abolished have been misinterpreted, according to the controversial figure. Dr David Jenkins hit the headlines again at the weekend after reportedly telling the Westminster
THREE terrified women feared they were going to be raped as a man with mental health problems carried out a "bizarre" series of early morning attacks. Philip Wood, 36, who had a child with him during the spree, confronted two of his victims in their own
FREED Craig Midlgey is determined to prove his worth after moving to Halifax. Front-runner Midgley was one of nine players freed by Pool boss Chris Turner at the end of last season - and the first to find a new club when he put pen to paper on a two-year
A HOMING pigeon that lost its bearings in the North-East while on its way to Scotland is refusing to go home. And despite every effort by its exasperated host to help the visitor on its way, the pigeon has not lived up to its name - and has returned to
DERBY County first-team coach Steve Round is expected to agree to join Steve McClaren's Middlesbrough revolution next week. Round, who forged close links with McClaren when Boro's new boss was assistant to Jim Smith at Derby, is currently attending a
AMATEUR archaeologists in the region fear new European legislation could mean their days of digging for artefacts are history. Part-time archaeologists and history buffs say that Article 3 of the Valetta Convention, which the UK ratified earlier this
A new 36-bedroom hotel and leisure complex could soon be built to attract visitors to one of the North-East's regeneration areas. P Hopper Entertainments has applied to Hartlepool Borough Council for the renewal of planning permission to build the complex
Shadow defence secretary Iain Duncan Smith confirmed yesterday that he will be joining the contest for the party's leadership, giving rank and file members the prospect of a right-leaning alternative to shadow chancellor Michael Portillo. Mr Duncan Smith
A sex tourist who carried out attacks on two girls as young as seven in Cambodia was jailed for eight years yesterday. Father-of-two Mark Towner, 52, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of abuse including sex with a girl under the age of 13, after his wife told
BUSINESS is booming for a Durham recruitment consultancy. Contract Human Resource Services, formerly part of Contract Construction Services, was formed by Ian Storer two years ago. Since then it has doubled turnover and increased profits 15 fold. In its
FIVE members of a family appeared in court yesterday after allegedly hatching an elaborate plot to hide a nine-year-old girl from social services. The family, who cannot be named, feared she would be made the subject of a court order after her 11-year-old
FAME THE funeral of actor Anthony Quinn was mentioned briefly (Echo, June 11). Another of the one-time huge stars of cinema who has died recently with hardly a notice, at least in this country. Fame is fleeting. Mr Quinn and his contemporaries basked
A FORMER record-breaking sales manager is occupying the managing director's hot seat. Yorkshireman PETER WILCOCK, 43, has been appointed North-East boss for cable and Internet provider ntl. Mr Wilcock, who in 1995 broke industry records for recruiting
PLASTIC injection moulding company NEYR has achieved a quality standard for its staff development. The company's belief in structured training for its staff was instrumental in it achieving QS9000 accreditation. The internationally recognised standard
THE 3M company, which has a plant at Aycliffe Industrial Estate, County Durham, has won national recognition for its environmental business practices and the positive impact they have on society. The company is one of 22 in the country to be awarded the
Housing provider, Three Rivers Housing Group, has scooped a County Durham Environment Award for the development of its new eco-friendly head office. More than 50 Three Rivers employees work at the office, next to the Arnison Centre in Pity Me, Durham
A NEW chief executive has arrived to lead a streamlined council management team. Iain Phillips has moved from York to Wear Valley, where the district council followed a sweeping review of its services by merging eight departments into four. Liverpool-born
THE memory of the men who immortalised the name of Jarrow was marked by one of the richest people in Britain yesterday. Chairman of the Morrison stores group Sir Kenneth Morrison CBE was in town to open a new Morrisons store employing 350 people. And
HOMES are being sought for cats which were seized from squalid conditions after their owner became ill. Forty-seven cats were found by RSPCA inspectors called to the two-bedroom terraced house, in Middlesbrough, after their owner was taken ill and forced
CARE home workers last night condemned their "disgraceful" treatment after being told they are to lose their jobs. Trees Park Healthcare, the independent residential care community based at Middleton St George, near Darlington, is closing three lodges
ONE thousand jobs have been secured at a North-East electronics factory following an order for state-of-the-art television technology. Philips Components, based in Durham City, is celebrating following the first official order of its new 21-inch 'real
A TEENAGER is believed to have been trying to rescue his runaway dog when he was struck by a train. British Transport Police are still investigating the incident, which happened on Sunday afternoon at Whiley Hill, near Darlington. The 16-year-old, who
FARMERS hit by foot-and-mouth disease have had a lifeline thrown to them after restrictions on selling and moving grain were lifted. Grain can now be sold for milling, malting, distilling and animal feed under carefully-controlled conditions and with
VOTERS are facing a by-election after a new county councillor opted out of a twin role. Willington councillor Brian Myers has resigned from Wear Valley District Council following his election to Durham County Council earlier this month. In his six years
ANOUSHKA is no one's idea of a conventional Indian daughter. She prefers jeans to decorative saris and she's a bit of a female anomaly in the male-dominated world of classical sitar players. She's hugely confident, knows what kind of qualities she wants
A REQUEST by a group of residents to repair their "patchwork quilt" street, is likely to be turned down until it deteriorates even further. People living in the Montague Street area have sent a petition to Hartlepool Borough Council demanding that the
POLICE say three men who pounced on a fleeing robber embodied the spirit of the Rat on a Rat campaign. The men chased and caught the street thief after he assaulted an elderly woman and made off with her purse to help feed his suspected heroin habit.
General assistant, Middleton St George, £3.85ph 18-21, £4.25ph 22 plus, 30hrs pw shifts, age 18 plus, required to clear tables, food and drink, till work, own transport desirable. Ref: DAE 25945. Bar person, Middleton St George, £3.85ph at 18-21, £4.25ph
UP to 150 disabled youngsters will be given a chance to experience the thrill of sporting competition for the first time in a mini-paralympics next month. Schools from County Durham and Darlington have been invited to send pupils to the first Inclusive
EILEEN Puleo was happily getting on with life when she began to feel strangely bloated all the time. Irritating though it was, the inflammation was the same kind of niggle as an infection or a swollen toe would be. Only when swelling got to the point
THE Government has given a £278,000 boost to the fight against drugs in Sunderland. The money is going to the Sunderland Community Safety Partnership as part of the Government's Communities Against Drugs initiative, and is the first part of a three-year
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Sheet metal worker, Chester-le-Street, £291.55pw, 7.30am to 4.30pm Mon-Thur, noon finish Fri, must be time served, TIG welding experience preferred.
TWO men killed in a car crash have been named by police. James Weastell, 28, of Eaglescliffe, Teesside, and 22-year-old Craig McLean, from Middleton St George, near Darlington, died in the crash on Durham Lane, Eaglescliffe, at 8.50pm on Friday. The two
A THEATRE'S successful drive to boost audiences at ballet performances in a former coalmining district has been given an extra lift with news that its stage is to be graced by the internationally -renowned Moscow Ballet. More than 30 of the world's top
HEADTEACHER Dela Smith returned to school yesterday for the first time since the announcement that she was to become a dame in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Mrs Smith, 48, who has been headteacher at Beaumont Hill Special School, Darlington, County
RESIDENTS of one of the largest council estates in Europe will help to shape plans for a neighbourhood centre. Funding has been set aside through the Single Regeneration Budget to build a centre on the Hardwick council estate at Stockton. Residents will
A TOURING theatre company brought a safety message to a Darlington school yesterday. S'cool To Be Safe is a specialist programme which produces drama productions for children aged nine to 11. Members of the company visited Red Hall Primary School, in
FINDING a local angle to highlight is not always easy in amongst the world-class fields at Royal Ascot, but in the guise of Takamaka Bay (4.20) and Double Honour (4.55), potential big-race success for our region beckons. Orthodoxy has never been particularly
CONSTRUCTION firm Mansell has been awarded more than £3.5m of work in the first quarter of the year. The work is part of Project Argo, a housing forum demonstration project with Home Housing, which has so far completed 13 schemes worth in excess of £7m
A TEN-PIN bowling club for young people is looking for new members. Durham City Youth Bowling Club meets on Thursday and Sunday evenings, and on Saturday mornings for league games. On Saturday, it hosted a second annual Junior 4 in 1 Tournament at the
COMMUNITY groups across the region are celebrating after they were awarded thousands of pounds in National Lottery cash. Dozens of organisations have been handed grants by the National Lottery Awards For All scheme to aid their work in several fields,
A FIRE brigade in one of Europe's worst arson-hit areas plans to be the first in the north-east to install water sprinklers into people's homes. Cleveland Fire Brigade, in partnership with the Government, private sector and Redcar and Cleveland Borough
UGC Cinemas, Europe's leading cinema chain, opens its new complex in Middlesbrough on Friday. The cinema brings a major regeneration boost to the local community, both in the way of investment and job creation. Mike Thomson, commercial director of UGC
SHOPPERS visiting the MetroCentre this weekend are being offered free health checks for their dogs. Staff from the PDSA will be in the Asda car park at the Gateshead shopping centre on Saturday and Sunday. Veterinary nurses will check the dogs' weight
PLANS to introduce traffic waiting restrictions outside a medical centre are set to be shelved after hundreds of residents complained. Hartlepool Borough Council was investigating the possibility of introducing waiting restrictions, between 8am and 6pm
A MOTHER and son have been banned from keeping animals for five years after they were found guilty of causing their family dog unnecessary suffering. Anne Nicol Lythe, 41, and her son Gary, 19, from West Auckland Road, Darlington, had pleaded not guilty
COLD comfort for worshippers in Ripon Cathedral will soon be over thanks to a mammoth effort to mark the millennium. For the past 18 months, a 50-strong group - known as the Ripon City Stitchers - have been working wonders with their nimble-fingered embroidery
A nurse was today jailed for life for murdering an 84-year-old woman she was supposed to be caring for. Alison Firth, 36, of Kingston Park, Newcastle, drugged care home resident Alice Grant with a strong sedative because she was too lazy to look after
A nurse was today jailed for life for murdering an 84-year-old woman she was supposed to be caring for. Alison Firth, 36, of Kingston Park, Newcastle, drugged care home resident Alice Grant with a strong sedative because she was too lazy to look after
UP to 30 council homes are to be made available for asylum seekers in an area of the North-East. Derwentside District Council made the promise after the North-East Consortium for Asylum Support (Necas) asked 25 councils across the region to provide up
AJAX are threatening to hijack Newcastle United's £3m move for Dutch sensation David Mendes da Silva. The Magpies have agreed to pay Sparta Rotterdam £1m up front for the 18-year-old, with the fee trebling based on clauses in the deal. But the player's
Darlington chairman George Reynolds last night revealed the extent of Neil Maddison's commitment to his new club. Maddison yesterday finalsed the terms of the deal he will sign on Sunday, July 1 when his Middlesbrough contract expires. The former Southampton
IF the killers of James Bulger are released soon - and it remains a big "if" - there can be no doubt that preserving their anonymity will be extremely difficult. Emotions are understandably running high about the anticipated release of Robert Thompson
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid resumed his search for a top striker yesterday after returning from holiday - and could have added the name of Welsh international John Hartson to his list of possibles. Hartson, who came close to saving Coventry City from
Read the full arguments for and against their release and take part in our online vote. The killers of two-year-old James Bulger will hear their fate this week, as the Parole Board meets to consider freeing Jon Venebles and Robert Thompson, after eight
Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged yesterday that the Government would do all it could to "turn back the tide" of violence against NHS staff, as he visited a scheme aimed at deterring attacks in hospitals. At a nurses' seminar at the Royal London Hospital
AN Internet fraud ring, which had netted goods worth more than £100,000, has been smashed by police. Property including computer equipment and furniture was seized by officers from Cleveland Police investigating the large-scale fraud. At the weekend,
SPECIALIST medical supplier Peacocks is hailing its new training programme a huge success after five members of its customer services staff passed their NVQ certificates with flying colours. Following a restructuring of the customer services department
A MAN was kicked "like a football" as he lay on the ground outside a city take-away, a court heard yesterday. Christopher Travena was knocked unconscious by the ferocity of the attack on him, prosecutor Stephanie Brown told Harrogate magistrates. Daniel
A BLIND pensioner was injured by a mugger who stole her bag. The 78-year-old was attacked as she walked down an alley between 55 and 57 Catcote Road, near Hartlepool town centre, just before 11am on Saturday. The thief tapped her on the shoulder and,
PROPERTY agents JW Wood Commercial have completed the final letting at the William Robertson House office development in Durham City. The former Bailes print works was refurbished by Newton Moor Construction, of Ushaw Moor. JW Wood secured tenants for
A THREE-fold increase in a disease which can cause sterility in women has alarmed health bosses. Latest figures show that in just one part of the region - County Durham - the number of cases of a sexually transmitted disease called chlamydia have soared
THE Watch Repair Centre has opened its ninth outlet in a 90sq ft unit in the Queen Street shopping centre, in Darlington. Chris Rowell, managing director, said: "Darlington is an up and coming town and Queen Street provided us with the ideal sized site
HASLAM Homes has confirmed record results for the first two months of this financial year. With 11 sites across the region and a further four due to open this year, the housebuilder from Team Valley, in Gateshead, is celebrating one of its best years
The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger predicted last night that the secret identities of killers Jon Venables and Robert Thompson would be exposed if they are released. Denise Fergus said she was tired of James' name being "dragged through every
JUNIOR housing minister Sally Keeble will visit Teesside today to see how a multi-million pound Government grant will transform the town. Hartlepool has been awarded £53.8m under the Government's New Deal for Communities initiative. The money will be
A DARLINGTON pub has re-opened after refurbishment. Humphry's, in the town's Blackwellgate, was closed for ten days while the £100,000 improvement work was carried out. It re-opened on Friday with a special evening of music and dancing, led by disc jockeys
PUBS and beer group Scottish & Newcastle has sold nearly 700 outlets in two deals worth £360m. Pub operator Enterprise Inns has paid £263.6m for 432 outlets, while Noble House Leisure has secured 214 pubs for £97.1m. The venues are throughout England
TAXI drivers in Darlington say they are being driven out of the town centre by the borough council. They are angry at not being allowed to use a taxi rank on East Row when there are special events in the Market Place. They have been told that they will
SCHOOLS and community groups are being invited to help clear up the area where they work and play. The Tidy Britain Group's Just Bin It campaign encourages schools and community groups to help rid the streets of litter. It is supported by Sunderland City
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. General assistant, Middleton St George, £3.85ph 18-21, £4.25ph 22 plus, 30hrs pw shifts, age 18 plus, required to clear tables, food and drink, till
ONE of Britain's most senior policemen comes home to the North-East this weekend to collect a rare academic accolade. David Blakey, who joined Durham Constabulary as a cadet in 1960 and served with the force for nearly 20 years, is to join a select band
A MANAGEMENT buy out at the Cammell Laird shipyard on Tyneside could be doomed to failure. The buy-out team, led by managing director David Skentelbery, has won support from local venture capitalists, but can't get the Government to come forward with
POLICE are checking through records of people missing from home in the Bishop Auckland area after a woman's body was found yesterday afternoon. The body was lying in a field behind the St Helen Auckland industrial estate and appeared to have been there
POLICE have pledged to hold further traffic crackdowns after the success of an unannounced blitz at one of the region's leading country markets. The road policing team were joined by officials from a range of organisations, including trading standards
AN authority is kicking up a fuss over its anti-noise patrols. The Middlesbrough Borough Council team deals with 1,300 noise complaints and requests for assistance each year. Complaints range from screaming, burglar and car alarms and barking dogs to
NEVER mind Liverpool FC winning the treble last season - this team was, literally, twice as good. For the Derwentside District Under 11s won no fewer than six trophies and what is more they did it in their first ever season. So it was no wonder that the
A POSTAL worker from the region has become one of the first patients in the UK to be treated with a new form of artificial skin. A team led by Professor David Leaper, at the University Hospital of North Tees, has flown in special tissue from the US to
TORNADO pilot Rich Davies swooped into home territory yesterday to launch one of the highlights of the North-East's summer. Rich, who hails from Ponteland, in Northumberland, will be the centre of attention when he takes to the skies at the Sunderland
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Technical assistant, Leyburn, 1 to 4 days pw, temporary, required to repair models, supervise exhibit room, help in shop, background in model making
PEOPLE will fly in from across the globe for a reunion of the 'village that would not die.' Many residents of Witton Park, near Bishop Auckland, were forced to leave their village in the 1960s when a Government Category D directive put a block on development
TEENAGERS wondering where life will take them, are being given food for thought. Fourteen to 16-year-olds, who are being taught outside the usual school system, have enrolled in a breakfast club. Businessman Peter Bell of Teesside based Bell's Stores
REPORTS that the former Bishop of Durham has called for the Church of England to be abolished have been misinterpreted, according to the controversial figure. Dr David Jenkins hit the headlines again at the weekend after reportedly telling the Westminster
A referee from the region is taking charge of a string of international football matches next month. Jeff Winter, of Stockton, Teesside, will be in charge of the youth championships in Durham next month, as under-16 squads from England, Northern Ireland
POLICE are warning parents to be wary of toy guns after a boy was hit in the eye with a pellet. The 14-year-old, from Redcar, received hospital treatment after being struck by a pellet from a plastic gun on Saturday. Three youths, aged about 16 to 18,
BUILDING work was halted at a primary school after health and safety rules were breached. Darlington Borough Council has issued a letter to all headteachers and governors after the "very serious incident," warning them that it had "compromised" the council
THE North-East is set to receive a £15m Government cash boost to help it match the levels of business creation seen elsewhere in the UK. It is bottom of the league when it comes to entrepreneurship and business creation. The region creates just 203 businesses
NOT satisfied with being Kings of the Road, Eddie Stobart trucks are now taking over the information superhighway. The distribution company's interactive website was attracting hits from thousands of truck spotters around the world before it had even
A FIRE officer has condemned vandals who put pensioners' lives at risk. An elderly couple had to be evacuated after a blaze in the mid-terrace house next door, filled their home with thick, acrid smoke, in the early hours of Sunday. Crews called to the
A PLANNED private nursing home looks likely to be refused planning permission because it is next to a busy shopping area. Horizon Care Homes wants to build the 44-bed home behind Front Street, Framwellgate Moor, Durham. But tomorrow, Durham City Council's
THE scrapping of a scandal-hit health trust moved a step closer last night. North Yorkshire Health Authority is to launch a public consultation exercise into plans to change management arrangements at the Northall-erton trust, which has faced severe criticism
ONE of the Mayor of Durham's bodyguards has found himself the centre of attention for a change, after being awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Norman Donkin, 82, who has been a member of the mayoral body guard since 1963, received the
