Archive

  • Haughton through to quarters

    HAUGHTON School, in Darlington, face a trip to Easingwold in the quarter-final of The Northern Echo/Local Heroes Under-15 Schools Cricket Cup. The winner will be guaranteed a game at Durham County Cricket Club's Riverside ground in the semi-final on July

  • Students inspired by african art

    AN African visitor inspired children at a Barnard Castle school to produce some colourful artwork. Montalbo Primary School was treated to a drumming and voice workshop by South African Raymond Otto earlier this year. The visit helped to fire the imagination

  • Defusing the strains of modern life

    IN the heat, the horror and the uncertainty of the Gulf War, an unexploded bomb - one of many stockpiled by British soldiers - suddenly went off. A bomb disposal officer was caught so fully and horribly in the blast that his body was never found. "He

  • Step into past at South Gare

    PEOPLE in Redcar are being invited to visit Redcar Library to see what Warrenby and the South Gare looked like during World War Two. The event has been organised by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. It offers the chance to find out about the construction

  • Fleming extends his Riverside stay with new deal

    REPUBLIC of Ireland full-back Curtis Fleming has celebrated his testimonial year with Middlesbrough by signing a two-year contract extension. The 32-year-old, a £50,000 Lennie Lawrence recruit from Irish side St Patrick's Athletic in August 1991, has

  • Fair shows way to healthy life

    A HEALTHY living fair will take place next month, following the success of last year's event. Vitality 2001 will be held at Pinchinthorpe Hall, between Guisborough and Great Ayton, from 10am on Sunday, July 8. Christine O'Reilly, one of the event organisers

  • Burn heads down under

    Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers - Cross country runner Rob Burn, a prominent member of the club, is to compete in the World Veteran Athletics Championships next month in Australia. Brisbane will play host to some of the world's finest veteran athletes (veteran

  • Public inquiry into outbreak must be EU-wide, says CLA

    THE threat of foot-and-mouth is as great today as it was three months ago. "We know it springs up over and over again and if we once let up in our care to sort it out it will spring up again," Sir Edward Greenwell, deputy president of the Country Land

  • Stepping out in comic style

    Actress Elizabeth Power became used to being recognised after playing Mrs Hewitt, the woman who tempted Arthur Fowler away from both his allotment and wife Pauline, in the BBC soap EastEnders. The global success of the Albert Square soap was reinforced

  • Wanton signs of midsummer madness

    TODAY is Weeding Day. I don't think this annual festival is particularly well known, but it has arisen because a long tradition said that if you cut down your weeds today, they would not re-appear. There is a condition to this however - the weeds must

  • Technology company joins the labels at Harrods

    HANDBAG by Gucci, shoes by Prada, and . . . computer accessories by Lindy. The smartest socialites in London may be sporting Lindy peripherals this summer, after the Teesside technology company revealed that its products are to be sold in Harrods for

  • So, who needs meat?

    NATIONAL Vegetarian Week next week should interest even more of us this year. An increasing number of people are giving up eating meat since the scares over BSE and the recent foot-and-mouth outbreak, and 29 per cent of people, in a National Consumer

  • Rollercoaster crash girl dies

    A student who was injured in a rollercoaster accident lost her fight for life yesterday. Gemma Louise Savage, who was studying at Durham University's Stockton campus, died in hospital from injuries she suffered at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, North

  • Dominoes News

    Willington and District League - Hunwick Club and the Willington Market stay at the top after both made odd point wins. Hunwick had a tough task at Prospect Club, who are in equal second place, and went behind when Derek Peacock took the first point for

  • Drug addicts take police up on offer to help to break the habit

    HUNDREDS of drug addicts across Darlington and County Durham have taken up an offer by police to help them break their habit and avoid a life of habitual crime. During the first year of Durham Constabulary's £500,000 drug arrest referal programme, a total

  • Museum dashes into fast lane with display

    KIRKLEATHAM Museum is putting its foot down and moving into the fast lane with a tribute to land speed kings. Famous names such as Sir Malcolm Campbell and local motorcyling hero Freddie Dixon from Stockton are featured in a display which runs until Sunday

  • Bulldozers ready to move in on vandalism-plagued estate

    PROPOSALS to demolish almost 275 homes on a run-down estate look likely to be approved. A report to Middlesbrough Borough Council's cabinet recommends that all but a handful of properties in Whickham Close, on North Ormesby's Trinity Estate, be demolished

  • Man jailed seven years for sex attack

    A SEX attacker who subjected an 18-year-old care assistant to "a terrifying and most degrading ordeal" was jailed for seven years yesterday. The victim, who fled a school playing field in Edinburgh where the attack took place, begged a man out walking

  • Initiative to beat bullies

    PUPILS from across County Durham will swamp County Hall next month as part of an anti-bullying initiative. Happier in School week, from July 11 to 18, is being organised by the County Durham Anti-Bullying Service, in the council's education department

  • Fight man 'had to bite ear' court told

    A MAN told a court yesterday he was forced to bite off another man's ear during a savage street attack. Neil French, 21, said that Douglas McLoughlin's young son handed him a knife as the pair were brawling and said: "Stab the bastard". French is accused

  • Concerns over CJD 'milestone'

    DOCTORS are monitoring the condition of another person suspected of having the human form of mad cow disease amid fears the case could mark a new milestone for the condition. The Department of Health said it was aware of another case which would bring

  • Heartbreaking 'death' of missing man

    HEARTBROKEN mother Alison Willcox is having her missing husband declared dead, even though she is convinced he is still alive. Raymond Willcox disappeared in May 1995, leaving his wife and family. Police and the National Missing Persons Helpline carried

  • Website offers aid to rape victims

    A COUNSELLING centre for victims of rape and sexual abuse has launched a new website with the help of The Northern Echo. Organisers hope that the Internet presence of the Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre, in Darlington, will help raise awareness

  • £1.5m loss for Applied Optical

    SUPPLIER of anti-counterfeiting measures Applied Optical Technologies has made an operating loss of £1.5m in the past year. The Washington, Wearside, company has blamed restructuring and a period of "considerable transition" for the poor results. The

  • Messias joins ranks of first professional referees

    THIRSK schoolteacher Matt Messias is among an elite group of 20 referees to be offered the first professional contracts. The move, a joint initiative between the Football Association, the Premier League and Football League, is part of a radical overhaul

  • Council chief starts new job in Kosovo

    A COUNCIL chief is leaving one hot seat for another where the bullets really fly. Alan Packer, deputy director of education with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, is quitting his job to help in the rebuilding of local government in war-torn Kosovo

  • Concern over prices squeeze

    Manufacturers have voiced fears that they face a squeeze on prices this summer. Research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) showed that manufacturers expected the fall in domestic prices to gather pace in the next four months. The CBI believes

  • Chester le Street - Taxis undergo safety checks

    A CHECK on more than 100 taxis has ensured that potential death traps have been taken off the road. In a day long operation by Durham Constabulary and Chester-le-Street District Council, two taxis were immediately removed from circulation while a further

  • Wellock's World

    WHO is the England cricket coach? Mr Caborn was asked. "The Aussie," was his stumbling reply. Well, no, not quite, minister. His name is Duncan Fletcher and he's from Zimbabwe, and as the man in charge of sport in this country it would be a help if you

  • Mo leaves politics - but not town

    FORMER Redcar MP Mo Mowlam intends to remain in the area despite stepping down from her seat. The popular MP, who represented Redcar for 14 years up to the general election, said she will continue to divide her time between Teesside and London. She paid

  • Wellock's World

    WHO is the England cricket coach? Mr Caborn was asked. "The Aussie," was his stumbling reply. Well, no, not quite, minister. His name is Duncan Fletcher and he's from Zimbabwe, and as the man in charge of sport in this country it would be a help if you

  • Challenging trip entertains all

    THIRTY FIVE children and three teachers went on a residential trip to Earls Orchard field study centre in Richmond, North Yorkshire. We had a whale of a time. The first activity we did was horse riding. This was a brand new experience for us - even getting

  • Contract joy for Knowledge

    MICROCHIP manufacturer Atmel has awarded a £500,000 contract to Knowledge IT. Atmel, which acquired the former Siemens factory on North Tyneside last year, is investing in technology to ensure the plant is equipped to meet expansion plans. Network and

  • Swimming News

    The Scottish long course championships at Glasgow this weekend provide the fourth and last chance to qualify for the British team to compete in the World championships in Japan, next month, writes ERIC WILKINSON. Nicola Jackson (Richmond) who is already

  • Dawdon into semis

    William Orton Cup - Dawdon surged into the semi finals of the Boddingtons Durham Coast League's Under-18 William Orton Cup with a 72-run win at home to Peterlee. Batting first, Dawdon realised 124-6 due in the main to Craig Price whose top-scoring 65

  • Sad day sees steel era end

    THE end of an era came to Teesside this week when the last steel rolled off the Corus coil plate mill at Lackenby. When senior roller Billy McQuade rolled out the last piece of steel, it signalled the end of Teesside's 160-year-old integrated steel making

  • Consett & Stanley - Day death touched us all

    HARRY Collinson's fate was probably sealed when Albert Dryden uttered the ominous words "you might not be around to see the outcome of this disaster.'' The council planning officer and the eccentric former steelworker stood talking over the gate at the

  • Pool News

    Spennymoor League - Spennymoor Half Moon made their best win since joining the league when they dropped one point on their visit to Spennymor Salvins Arms, who managed to take one of the doubles points. The Moon had singles wins from Paul Hartley, Kevin

  • Wear Valley - Boy dies in fire on his birthday

    A SEVEN-year-old boy was killed and his half-brother was left fighting for his life after a fire swept through the family home. Carl Taylor, who lived with his grandparents in Wood Vue, Spennymoor, had celebrated his seventh birthday surrounded by schoolfriends

  • Marske gets 'all the filth'

    A NEW homes scheme has sparked a furious attack on beach sewage dangers in East Cleveland. As councillors were considering a plan for three houses in Saltburn, the question of pollution further down the coast was raised, in the light of a boy being infected

  • Girls too sharp for the boys

    GIRL power shone through as three local youngsters took top honours in a major national fencing competition last weekend. The talented trio from Polam Hall School in Darlington and Teesside High School, Egglescliffe, beat off strong male opposition at

  • Stunning debut for talented teenager

    A YOUNG cricketer bowled over the competition in his first senior match by taking five wickets for just three runs. James Tilly, 14, was playing for Wolviston in a match against Marton senior team when he achieved his unexpected feat. His own team were

  • Juniors celebrate fair play accolade

    CATTERICK Village Wanderers under 13s football team received the Richmond and District League fair play award at their presentation evening in May. In a fun-packed evening at the White Rose Club, Catterick Garrison, every child also received trophies

  • Sleigh left homeless

    SANTA Claus may not be able to ride through the streets this Christmas after arsonists almost destroyed his sleigh. For the past ten years, Middlesbrough Teesside Lions have stored their Santa sledge in a garage in the grounds of the Highfield Hotel,

  • Consett & Stanley - Council to home asylum seekers

    A LOCAL authority has agreed to make up to 30 homes available for asylum seekers. Derwentside District Council has made the promise after the North-East Consortium for Asylum Support asked 25 councils across the region to provide up to 300 homes. But

  • Farmers' fears of 'barren wasteland'

    FARMING leaders in an area still firmly in the grip of the foot-and-mouth epidemic spoke last night of their fears that the disease would leave a "barren wasteland" across the region. The epidemic has wiped out livestock on dozens of farms around Northallerton

  • Football News

    Hambleton Ales Combination - Initial discussions on the prospect of a possible re-start to the Hambleton Ales Combination in September will take place at the annual meeting to be held at the Northallerton Town FC clubhouse on Sunday (6.30pm). The league

  • Man quizzed over abduction

    A MAN has been arrested and quizzed by detectives investigating the abduction of a five-year-old girl. The youngster was approached by a man as she played in the street near her home and carried to a nearby alleyway. She was taken to a garage to the rear

  • Hatch opens an opportunity at last

    DURHAM'S frustrations in their efforts to break the Hampshire hoodoo eased yesterday as they battled to cash in on a masterful innings by Martin Love. The Australian countered the spiteful pitch with a superbly-judged blend of defiance and attack to score

  • Call on us, pensioners' group says

    A NEW pensioners' group is holding its first surgery in Redcar next week. The Cleveland Pensioners' Convention Forum started off in East Cleveland but now takes in the whole of the Teesside area. It plans to hold a series of drop-in surgeries, the first

  • Software specialist plans growth

    THE newest addition to a business park is planning to expand by 30 per cent a year. Excel-sys, at Kirkleatham Business Park's Innovation Centre, east Cleveland, is predicting the growth because of its strategy of exploiting a national skills shortage,

  • How good are your first aid skills?

    THE transcript of rock star Tommy Lee's panic-stricken call to an emergency operator, made as friends tried desperately to save the life of a four-year-old boy who drowned in his pool, made chilling reading this week. And it will have given every parent

  • Back with Hawaiian craft that 'flies'

    INTREPID adventurers who set sail in a Hawaiian canoe returned to the North-East in style yesterday. The ten-strong crew, led by Andy White, Middlesbrough Borough Council's head of lifelong learning and leisure services, arrived with their craft, at the

  • Award for chippy

    A ONCE condemned chippy in Guisborough has won a national award for excellence. Alan Jackson, an ex-ICI employee, would be the first to admit he was like a fish out of water when he sank his redundancy pay into a fish and chip shop. Today he says of the

  • Sports pitch to go ahead

    A SCHEME to provide a sports pitch in Lazenby has been given the go-ahead, despite residents' objections. The villagers are united in calling for the facility, but split over its location. On Monday planners from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council visited

  • Link team's advice was music to Ian's ears

    BUSINESS Link Tyne and Wear had a big change on its hands recently. The experts from the Business and Innovation Centre, in Sunderland, provided guidance for Ian Tunstall, owner of the Changes One record shop, in South Shields, South Tyneside. As with

  • Car cavalcade should be back to normal next year

    THE Beamish Reliability Run will return to its traditional route next year, despite the successful staging of the annual event over a curtailed course last weekend. The foot-and-mouth crisis meant that organisers were only given the all-clear to stage

  • Shooting sparks toy gun alert

    POLICE are warning parents to be wary of toy guns after an incident at the weekend when 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

  • Children are road safety champs

    SAFETY-CONSCIOUS children have been named champions in a borough-wide quiz. Youngsters from St Mary's RC Primary School, in Grangetown, triumphed in a road safety quiz organised by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. The winning team, made up of Clare

  • Drug-raid alsatian almost went potty

    A DOG almost bit off more than it could chew when it picked up a packet of drugs during a police raid. Officers watched in amazement as cannabis worth £340 disappeared between the alsatian's jaws. The incident happened during a raid in Murton, east Durham

  • Officials refute seeding claim

    Claims that this year's controversial new seeding system was the reason behind a number of high-profile withdrawals have been refuted by Wimbledon officials. Gustavo Kuerten, Marcelo Rios, Mark Philippoussis, Richard Krajicek, Alex Corretja, Albert Costa

  • Children are praised for helping victim

    FOUR schoolboys have earned the thanks of a mugger's victim - and the praise of the police. The 11-year-olds turned sleuths after a woman was mugged on her way to church, only yards away from where they were playing. Music teacher Christine Purvis, a

  • Bowls News

    Durham and District League - Torrential rain interrupted the smooth running of matches with one being abandoned and others cut short to 15 ends. Leeholme, the First Division leaders, took badly to the water in their home game with Pelton Fell and went

  • North Yorkshire - New pitch planned to boost sport

    SPORT in Hambleton district could be given a boost with a new all-weather pitch. A feasibility study is now under way into the possibility of creating a floodlit pitch in Bedale. The project, which is being led by Bedale High School and the local authority

  • Extra land for homes prompts district house building review

    HOUSE building policies may be changed in the Hambleton area because the level of new homes has exceeded government targets and more land than expected has become available. These so-called windfall sites are plots of land which were not previously allocated

  • Sun blesses historic day in village worship

    HUTTON Rudby welcomed the bishops of Whitby and Middlesbrough, the chairman of the Darlington Methodist district and the Abbot of Ampleforth for two services and an open air procession to launch a new ecumenical partnership. The historic partnership was

  • Fatal fires toll falls to record low

    THE number of fatal fires in Tyne and Wear has fallen to its lowest level. Figures for Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade showed that from April 1 last year to March 31, the brigade attended a total of 26,157 incidents. Only three of the blazes were

  • Caribbean colour for town festival

    RICHMOND festival is launched next Friday with a Caribbean event provided by Richmond school pupils. More than 250 year eight pupils let their imaginations run riot on a carnival theme to create masks, hats and costumes in art lessons. They broadened

  • Baldersby house bid rejected again

    A SECOND bid in just over a year to build a home beyond the built-up confines of Baldersby, near Thirsk, has been refused. The latest plan involved building a three-bedroomed detached bungalow near Baldersby Garth. A similar application for a two-storey

  • Brave bobbies

    TWO police officers who tackled a drug-crazed gunman who had threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend have been nominated for a prestigious award. Sergeant Andrew Walton and constable Raymond Taylor, from Cleveland Police, will be among 65 police officers

  • Shearing warning

    AS the sheep shearing season gets into full swing, the NFU reminds farmers and shearing contractors to ensure they have the necessary licences and to take every precaution to comply with foot-and-mouth controls. Mr Les Armstrong, chairman of the NFU livestock

  • Angling News

    The Coarse Fishing season on the rivers traditionally started from June 16 but very few stretches are open because of the foot-and-mouth restrictions operating and unlikely to change for quite a while, writes JEFF HERBERT. The River Tees from Preston

  • Alley gate plan may be actioned

    PRIORITY areas for the installation of alley gates as part of a £450,000 scheme could be confirmed by councillors next week. Middlesbrough Borough Council's cabinet, which meets on Tuesday, will be told that areas around West Lane, Gresham, Southfield

  • Chris reaches a proud milestone

    Felling stalwart Chris Pleasants has just completed the remarkable record of taking 3000 wickets for the Federation Special Durham Senior League club. Apart from playing a handful of games for Philadelphia, a few months at Northants and a couple of brief

  • Tennis News

    Harrogate Men's Championships - A Stars and Stripes triumph brought an abrupt end to the winning run of a French connection. French schoolteacher Philippe Bourgeois was bidding to win the title for the third successive season. But he was swept away 6-

  • Comment from The Northern Echo - Breaking out of the wilderness

    IF the Conservatives learned anything from their General Election defeat it was that they could not rely solely on their core supporters for electoral success. It is on this inescapable fact they must reflect when they embark on choosing their next leader

  • Are we coming off the rails?

    STANDING more than 13ft tall, the huge metal skeleton towers above the volunteers who scuttle around, devoting their time and painstaking effort to trying to coax it into life. Even though it is just over half completed, and with its vital moving parts

  • Goslings hatch out after days in fridge

    MRS Evelyn Smith was given two goose eggs for her husband's breakfast but, as he did not fancy eating them, she put them into her fridge where they stayed for two days. Then she mentioned them to friend Mrs Rose Wilkin, who said she would take the eggs

  • Arrest warning to airport jokers

    POLICE have issued a warning to holidaymakers following a spate of bomb hoaxes at one of the region's airports. Six passengers have been arrested at Teesside Airport in the past three months after claiming to have a bomb in their luggage when checking

  • The answer could be a sniff away

    Can you sniff your way to slimness? Well, stranger things have happened. Come to that, can you also sniff your way to alertness, relaxation or a better sex life. Got to be worth trying, hasn't it? AromaCards are stylish little plastic wallets about the

  • Stepping out in comic style

    Actress Elizabeth Power became used to being recognised after playing Mrs Hewitt, the woman who tempted Arthur Fowler away from both his allotment and wife Pauline, in the BBC soap EastEnders. The global success of the Albert Square soap was reinforced

  • 'Too many houses and not enough jobs' warning

    THE impact of a massive new homes scheme on deprived areas of East Cleveland has been spotlighted by planning councillors. Despite warnings that East Cleveland faces economic decline "on a scale like never before", a plan for 285 houses near Redcar got

  • Foot-and-mouth crisis nearly over, says expert

    THE end of the foot-and-mouth epidemic could be within sight, according to a leading agriculture expert. David Harvey, professor of agricultural economics at Newcastle University, said the outbreak, which started four months ago, could be beaten in four

  • Back to basics to help grassroots golf

    FOUR of the region's top professional golf instructors went back to school at Ramside Hall, County Durham, last week to learn how to bring the game to youngsters. Patricia Smiley of Wilton Golf Club, Marcus Webb of Bedlingtonshire Golf Club, Gary Shipley

  • North Yorkshire - Crackdown on traders

    POLICE have pledged to hold further traffic crackdowns after the success of an unannounced blitz at one of the region's Sunday markets. The road policing team were joined by officials from a range of organisations, including trading standards and the

  • Look out for Moggies

    FANS of one of Britain's best loved cars will be converging on Beamish Museum this weekend. The North-East Morris Minor Club is holding its annual rally at the museum, near Stanley, County Durham, today until Sunday. About 60 Moggies are expected to be

  • Fury at Corbett's £1m pay-off

    A union leader last night called on former Railtrack boss Gerald Corbett to hand back his pay-off after it was confirmed that he received £1m from the beleaguered company. Railtrack released details of the deal in its annual report only days after publication

  • Forty years in windows

    NO MATTER how well you look after your house, if the windows and doors have seen better days, it will look shabby and uncared for and will be worth less than it should. No-one knows that better than Paul Ambrosini, owner of B&R Glazing Co Ltd, a company

  • Wear Valley - Players are simply the best

    A MANAGER has given a dream team of young footballers a pat on the back for their flawless run of wins. The Spennymoor Juniors team has won games consistently since it formed nearly five years ago, but this year the players are celebrating a hat-trick

  • Hear All Sides

    Letters from The Northern Echo DEATH PENALTY WHAT a topsy-turvy world Peter Mullen inhabits (Echo, June 19). The death penalty does not "put a high value on human life". On the contrary, it devalues life and promotes a more violent society by endorsing

  • Grieving mother hands in petition

    A MOTHER handed in a 3,000-signature petition to 10 Downing Street yesterday, pleading that the rapist who murdered her five-year-old daughter should not be released early from prison. Carol Lowther is urging Prime Minister Tony Blair to ensure that John

  • Schoolboy edwin, 16, takes the fast track to racing success

    A TEENAGER is celebrating his first motor racing success, in his father's 1960s Formula Three car. Edwin Jowsey, of Aislaby, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, has been driving quad bikes around his farm home since he was two years old, and has developed a

  • Hall returns to ring

    Darlington boxer Michael Hall has given North-East fight fans a reminder that he's still fighting and still gunning for a title. The unbeaten light-welterweight clocked up his 16th win and 17th unbeaten fight with a win over David Kirk in Derby last week

  • Vera, 87, puts down her pen

    A RESPECTED local author has put down her pen after completing her last work. Vera Robinson, 87, a retired teacher and local historian, has produced Redcar in Word and Pictures as her final work before retiring. The history of the town and its neighbours

  • Officials refute seeding claim

    LAST season's Newcastle Jesters captain Joel Poirier has ended weeks of speculation by signing for the Nottingham Panthers. Poirier spent two seasons with Newcastle and was a hard-working, valuable member of the team, loved on and off the ice by fans.

  • That's the spirit - innovation

    A DARLINGTON firm has scooped first prize in the small business category of the North-East Spirit of Innovation awards. Peratech, of Morton Park, beat scores of other entries to win the latest in a string of awards for developing a revolutionary, touch-sensitive

  • Centre workers jump in to help

    SPORTS centre staff are going the extra mile for a three-year-old girl suffering from a rare illness. Workers from Tees Valley Leisure's Eston Sports Academy were so touched by the plight of Hannah Dowson, who has Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy, a rare

  • Listed barn cannot be linked to house development

    A GRADE II listed barn, said by former Environment Secretary Mr John Prescott to have special architectural or historic merit, cannot be linked to a home development, say planners. Ripon area councillors backed a recommendation for refusal by Harrogate

  • Mart re-opens as collection point

    THIRSK auction mart has opened its doors for the first time since the beginning of the foot-and-mouth outbreak - as a livestock collection centre. Although animals cannot be bought or sold on the premises, the government has given permission for animals

  • Think twice all day to protect farms

    THE NFU is helping to maintain a concerted campaign to encourage farmers to "think twice" at every stage of their day to protect their farms against foot-and-mouth disease. A new government demonstration video aims to reinforce a series of precautions

  • Durham - Mayor's man gets an MBE

    ONE of the Mayor of Durham's bodyguards has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Norman Donkin, 82, has been a member of the mayoral body guard since 1963 and received the award for his services to the City of Durham. He said: "I

  • Activity centre has a lot to offer

    LAST month year five children went to Carlton Lodge Activity Centre at Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk. The children were dropped off at Carlton Miniott Primary School and began a walk to the centre. They were briefed on the activities they were going to

  • We're being driven out, say cabbies

    FURIOUS taxi drivers in Darlington have accused the borough council of driving them out of a town centre rank. They say they are losing trade because they are not allowed to use the East Row rank when special events are held in the market place. Mr Mick

  • Dance teacher steps in

    DANCE teacher Claire Worton stepped in at the right time to win star billing for her students. Claire, principal of the Constellations School of Dance, Redcar, followed up a magazine article she had read about Mardi Gras Promotions, which promotes young

  • Scheme makes its mark

    A SCHEME to raise awareness of home security issues has been hailed as a great success by organisers. Local beat bobbies and councillors toured Brotton this week offering to stamp residents' postcodes on items in kept their garages as part of National

  • Magpies look to have Ball

    NEWCASTLE United have emerged as rivals to Celtic for unhappy Everton left-back Michael Ball. The £5m-rated England international is prepared to quit Goodison Park after a series of well-publicised showdowns with manager Walter Smith. Everton ideally

  • Councillors to view site of flats scheme

    A REVISED application for a three-storey development of the former Watson's garage in Milton Street, Saltburn, into 18 two-bedroom flats, is to be the subject of a site visit by Redcar and Cleveland planning committee. The building which is within the

  • Detectives foil plot to grab £2m Nazi chalice

    A BIZARRE blackmail plot involving Nazi treasure and a kidnapped dog has been foiled in a major North-East police operation, it was revealed last night. The dog was held to ransom for a £2m chalice, which once belonged to Nazi chief Hermann Goering. The

  • Snooker News

    CIU Team Knock Out - Black ball deciders in the fifth frame saw both Spennymoor teams and Hunwick into the second round, while some teams suffered heavy defeats, which must make the Association's Handicap Committee take a look at some of the starts. Ronnie

  • 'Arsonists risked own lives'

    PEOPLE who broke into an empty house and started a fire could have been killed, according to a firefighter. Station Officer Steve Walton said the arsonists, believed to be children, were lucky not to have died in the fire yesterday afternoon, inHarcourt

  • Village can fly flag after businessman's gift

    GREAT Ayton Parish Council has, for a number of years, been without a flagpole despite having its own flag, which depicts the two most well-known landmarks of the village: Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook's monument. On reading in the D&S Times

  • Kosovo: not everybody's idea of a dream location ...

    A KOSOVAN challenge - and the realisation of a dream - awaits a Cleveland education chief. Redcar and Cleveland council deputy education director Mr Alan Packer is taking up a new job as finance adviser on contract to the European Union in Kosovo. For

  • The Albany Northern League

    Second Division club Shildon have re-signed their former striker Nigel Bolton. Bolton started his career at Dean Street, and was their top scorer before he moved to Darlington for a brief spell. When he returned to the Northern League, he appeared for

  • Mandelson stands up for region

    Tony Blair's bid to put schools and hospitals first by reorganising his government will fail if policies are not carried out from the regions, Peter Mandelson warned yesterday. As part of his post-election Cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister reworked

  • Darlington - Legal row over steam loco project

    TRUSTEES of a scheme 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

  • 'I'm dead cultured me'

    SENIOR Son has been to Venice. "Venice?" I asked in astonishment. Well, squawked in disbelief really. This is the lad whose ideal holiday usually includes no more than sun, sea, loud music and vast amounts of lager (and probably other things he doesn't

  • Jail's award for turning them out

    A NORTH-EAST prison is the first in the country to award a national qualification in assembly line skills. Inmates at Durham Prison can study for NVQ level two in machine assembly processing skills in the prison's contract service workshop, which is a

  • Couple step up hunt for cat killers

    A COUPLE whose cat died after it was shot near their home have appealed to neighbours to help track down those responsible. Graham and Claire Bartlett have been left distraught by the death of Claude, their four-year-old grey chartreux cat. Claude had

  • Two more held over killing

    POLICE investigating the killing of father-of-two Freddie Knights have arrested two more men. Craig Ronald Shephard, 27, of Slatyford, Newcastle, and Paul Boyd Overton, 40, of Longbenton, Newcastle, have been charged with assisting an offender. They appeared

  • Knighthood for former chairman of MLC

    THE Queen's birthday honours included a knighthood for Mr Don Curry, former chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission, pictured, above. The honour was immediately welcomed by Mr Gwyn Howells, MLC director general. "Sir Donald's contribution to the

  • 'I'm dead cultured me'

    SENIOR Son has been to Venice. "Venice?" I asked in astonishment. Well, squawked in disbelief really. This is the lad whose ideal holiday usually includes no more than sun, sea, loud music and vast amounts of lager (and probably other things he doesn't

  • How good are your first aid skills?

    THE transcript of rock star Tommy Lee's panic-stricken call to an emergency operator, made as friends tried desperately to save the life of a four-year-old boy who drowned in his pool, made chilling reading this week. And it will have given every parent

  • Young girl assaulted on her way home

    A 12-year-old girl was left shocked but unhurt after being assaulted by a man on her way home last weekend. The incident happened at around 9.40pm last Sunday as the girl was making her way across Roseberry Square field in Redcar. The man followed the

  • Squad gears up for finals

    The Junior Boys althletics squad from Laurence Jackson School, Guisborough, has beaten off competition from teams across the region to become the Northern winners of a competition held recently at the Gateshead Stadium. The team of 12 and 13-year-old

  • Bullet arrives at a snail's pace

    ONE of the world's fastest trains arrived in the region yesterday - travelling at a rather less-than-impressive speed. In its native Japan, the Bullet train achieves speeds of up to 300 kilometres-per-hour. But it was moving at a comparative snail's pace

  • Double award for young star

    A YOUNG footballer from Guisborough is celebrating his successes of last season. Ten-year-old Nathan Calvert, who plays for Guisborough Town under-11s in the Teesside Junior Alliance League, won the Top Goal Scorer award for his 38 goals and the Performance

  • Sound of big band music is in the air

    SALTBURN will be alive with music this weekend thanks to a series of summer bandstand concerts. The events are taking place every weekend throughout the summer at the bandstand in the Valley Gardens and have been organised by the town's 500 Club. The

  • Gemma is first in new partnership

    A DARLINGTON schoolgirl will be the first recipient of a new business-sponsored scholarship, which has come about through a partnership between Polam Hall school and the Simon Bailes Peugeot dealership. Gemma Lyne, aged 11, is currently a pupil at Rise

  • Tenants told of riches to come

    A HUGE consultation exercise has started to tell council tenants of changes planned to bring millions of pounds in home improvements. Redcar and Cleveland borough, which has 12,000 council homes in Redcar and East Cleveland, hopes to switch their care

  • Having a splashing good time

    HUNDREDS of youngsters made a splash for their schools last night at the second of two annual swimming galas. Darlington Primary Schools Athletic Association held its Junior Swimming Gala (larger schools) at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington. Last week

  • So, who needs meat?

    NATIONAL Vegetarian Week next week should interest even more of us this year. An increasing number of people are giving up eating meat since the scares over BSE and the recent foot-and-mouth outbreak, and 29 per cent of people, in a National Consumer

  • Women in clubs? Ask Henry what he thinks

    ONE of the last bastions of male pride is under siege - but stalwarts of the North-East's workingmen's clubs have vowed not to go down without a fight. Trade at the clubs has nosedived in recent years. And now, in a bid to ensure their survival, the Club

  • Forest stirs back to life with festival

    A SUMMER festival will bring back life to an ancient woodland closed during the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland, was out-of-bounds to visitors for ten weeks at the height of the crisis. Now forest rangers hope to attract

  • Durham - Judging to begin on tidy villages

    JUDGING to find County Durham's most litter-free community will start next month after being delayed by the foot-and-mouth crisis. The recent easing of restrictions on access to the countryside means that the judges of the county's Tidy Village competition

  • Corus advertises jobs vacancies

    STEEL giant Corus is advertising for new staff in the same week as the doors closed on the Lackenby coil plate mill with the loss of 234 jobs. The company has advertised manufacturing and engineering vacancies at its plant in Skinningrove. Union leaders

  • Games News

    CIU League - Ferryhill went down to their first darts defeat of the season when they visited Crook Belle Vue and lost by two points. This result leaves the Crook team five points clear of Cockton Hill, who beat the visiting Byers Green by four points,

  • Darts News

    Doreen Johnson Memorial - Crook Coach and Horses A commanded the Finals Night played at the Crook Spitfire Club when they never dropped a leg throughout the semi-finals and final. In the semi-finals both winners came through with a clean sheet. The Coach

  • Building is freed for office role

    A COMMERCIAL building behind Stokesley High Street can now be used for a variety of businesses, following some adjustments to a planning application. Hambleton council development control committee has imposed conditions on use of the building behind

  • Charlie leads team to victory

    Former Crook Town AFC player Charlie Morrison led his four-man team to victory in the Crook Town AFC Golf Day held at Crook Golf Club on Friday, June 15. Nineteen teams competed and the winning team of Charlie Morrison, Clark Morrison, Martin Ellis and

  • Firearms and ammunition seized by police in raid

    A STASH of sawn-off shotguns and other deadly firearms have been seized by police. Eleven guns recovered from a house in Chopwell, near Gateshead, included sawn-off shotguns, pump-action shotguns, rifles and a Walther PPK semi-automatic pistol, the type

  • New award goes to travel agent

    A RICHMOND travel agent is the first winner of a new award presented by one of the country's leading cruise firms. Sealand Cruise Centre, in Richmond market place, has only been specialising in the cruise market for the past three years, but has still

  • CAB's on the move to new premises

    A CHARITY that offers a vital advice service to thousands of people is on the move. Hambleton Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) will operate from a new home in Northallerton by the beginning of next month. The CAB is moving from its South Parade premises

  • Pool News

    Durham Ranking Tournament - The sixth monthly tournament was held at Durham Snooker Club with identical results to the first one held back in January. For the first time two players got their names on the winners list when Michael Rhodes won the main

  • Darlington - Care home jobs lost in cutbacks

    CARE home workers in Darlington have condemned their treatment as "disgraceful" 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

  • Doctor slams increased use of alternative remedies

    A SENIOR doctor has launched a full-blooded attack on alternative health, claiming that homoeopathic remedies almost killed one of his patients. Writing in the British Medical Journal, Dr Roger Fisken, a consultant physician at the Friarage hospital,

  • Stephen fights for life after brother's death

    A LITTLE boy continued his brave battle for life last night after suffering horrific burns in a house fire that killed his brother. Four-year-old Stephen Peel was set to undergo skin graft surgery yesterday afternoon in Newcastle General Hospital. His

  • Clubhouse gutted by fire

    A TENNIS clubhouse which was due for demolition has been gutted by fire. Firefighters were called to Burnopfield Tennis Club, in Lilac Crescent, Burnopfield, near Stanley, County Durham, on Wednesday night. No one was hurt in the blaze, but most of the

  • Recovery has begun to run out of steam

    After a month's absence, and with a degree of inevitability, the technology sector is once again grabbing the headlines. The US Nasdaq index, the main barometer and guide to the health of the world technology sector, had previously lost two-thirds of

  • Pensioner pulled from burning home

    A PENSIONER was pulled semi-conscious from his smoke and flame-filled home by neighbours yesterday. The 65-year-old man, who lived alone, was found near the kitchen door of the house in Emmerson Court, Horden, east Durham, by two women neighbours. They

  • Tragedy followed officer's warning

    A POLICE officer warned speeding driver Darren Vout that he would kill someone. Less than an hour later, he ran over and killed a father of four, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday. Vout, who had never taken a driving test, was stopped by a traffic

  • Move to improve town's sports pitches is backed

    PLANS to improve the standard of sports pitches in Darlington has received the backing of senior councillors. Darlington Borough Council's director of community services, Mr Cliff Brown, unveiled a playing pitch strategy at last week's cabinet meeting