DETECTIVES who helped jail child sex abuser Martyn Locklin said last night they were delighted at the result of the "difficult" case. An officer in the case, Detective Constable Walter Hirst, formerly of Newton Aycliffe police, said that, despite the
NORTH-East regional radio station Century FM has joined the list of sponsors of this year's Tees Valley Business Show. The event, to be held at the Tall Trees Hotel, Yarm, on October 25, will attract the cream of the crop of Tees Valley business talent
WORRIED Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren was last night waiting for a full report after Alen Boksic was involved in a yachting accident. The Croatian striker was understood to have escaped unhurt after his yacht was in collision with three boats off
MOTOR dealer Richard Hardie has expanded its operations into Sunderland, thanks to help from a Chester-le-Street legal firm. Gordon Brown Associates helped the Peugeot dealership with a move to Newcastle Road, Sunderland, creating 40 jobs. The dealer
AN inquest will open tomorrow into the death of a 36-year-old foundry worker whose body was found in a pool last month. Michael Burrup, from Railway Terrace, Stanhope, County Durham, had been walking home with three other men from a night out in a village
A bungling armed robber shot himself in the leg when he burst into an off-licence and apparently tripped over a doormat as he tried to pull a sawn-off shotgun out of his trousers, a court was told yesterday. Badly-injured Richard Blair, 24, had to be
A FORMER North-East aide of Prime Minister Tony Blair has been jailed for 15 years for an "appalling" string of sex offences against teenage boys. Martyn Locklin, 41, of Ladybower, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, was found guilty by the jury of eight
HOUSE prices rose by 1.9 per cent during June as consumer confidence continued to buoy up the housing market. Figures from the Nationwide Building Society showed that at the end of the year to June, house prices in the UK were increasing at an annual
DRIVERS racing through a North Yorkshire village face being logged by residents in a newly-established "black book". Villagers in North Stainley, near Ripon, have set up the incident book to build evidence of speeding drivers over the next 12 months.
RESIDENTS have objected to plans to extend opening times at a number of nightclubs and pubs in Hartlepool because they fear the recent death of a teenager a similar event could be repeated. Councillors on Hartlepool Borough Council's planning and licensing
GENERATIONS of pumping raw sewage into the sea off Filey has come to an end with the opening of a £14.5m sewage treatment plant. John Napier, chairman of Yorkshire Water said the plant, at nearby Muston, boasted the latest technology and ultra violet
THREE thousand youngsters will descend on the Riverside at Chester-le-Street today for an athletics festival. The event, which is backed by schools service provider Chartwells, is one of three major sports festivals being held across the county. Next
Residents have condemned a Yorkshire Water application for emergency powers to dump sewage in a river. The company has applied to the Environment Agency for permission to carry out the emergency action in the River Ure, at Masham. Although it has stressed
Tim Henman kept his Wimbledon dream alive with a thrilling victory over Roger Federer on centre court today. The British number one secured a semi-final clash with Goran Ivanisevic after clinching the game in the fourth set after a tie break. Henman stormed
A DOG rescued from squalid conditions in a shed has made a full recovery with his new owners. Shadow, a yellow Labrador- cross, was found by RSPCA inspectors in terrible conditions in a shed on the Woodhouse Close estate, in Bishop Auckland. On Monday
A BARGE as big as a football stadium is transporting thousands of Norwegian rocks to protect coastal communities from slipping into the sea. Boulders weighing at least eight tonnes each are being shipped in, to ensure a safer future for people living
Peace campaigners have today gathered at a North Yorkshire spy base again to continue their protest. More than 100 Greenpeace activists walked through the gates of the Menwith Hill base yesterday during a demonstration against the controversial Son of
SPACE management company Mentmore Abbey, landlord to businesses across the region, has seen its pre-tax profits rise by 38 per cent in the last year. The company, which operates 31 Imex Business Centres in the North-East, recorded pre-tax profits of £21.6m
Darlington manager Gary Bennett has warned his players to expect a tough pre-season. The squad return today after their summer break, with Bennett determined that the players' fitness level should be improved on last season. "I thought that at times we
THIEVES stole equipment belonging to a champion fisherman and released a pet parrot when they broke into a garden shed, in Lazenby, near Redcar, yesterday morning. The haul of fishing gear is worth more than £3,000 and the fisherman, who wishes to remain
SPORTS stars will be putting their knowledge to the test to raise money for a boy with a rare type of brain tumour. Eight-year-old Elliott Lamb, of South Shields, has up to ten epileptic seizures a day due to the tumour. His parents, Jacqueline and Stephen
UNION officials and Sanyo management were locked in talks last night over the future of more than 300 threatened North-East jobs. Sanyo announced last week that its plants at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, and Thornaby, Teesside, were facing the axe,
PAT EDDERY rides at Southwell once in a blue moon so the appearance of the 11-times former champion jockey at the course this afternoon is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Despite only being an occasional visitor he'll not be anticipating leaving empty-handed
A SEMINAR to promote green burials will take place later this month. The free seminar, which will bring together representatives from the churches, local burial authorities, funeral services and the public, will take place at County Hall, in Durham City
A LOCAL authority has issued a warning following the theft of a social worker's business cards. About 20 business cards belonging to mental health social worker, Tom Brooks, were stolen last week from his office in central Middlesbrough. A spokesman for
A MICRO-electronics firm that makes parts for the new Vickers tank, is gunning for work in the European export market. Sycopel, based on the Viking industrial Estate, Jarrow, has been given the go-ahead by its US partner, Piconics Incorporated, to target
A WOMAN had her handbag snatched as she pushed a full shopping trolley back to her car at at the Asda store in Darlington. The woman had done her shopping at the store in Whinbush Way, and was pushing the trolley back to her car in the store car park,
KITES of all shapes and sizes will fill the sky above Eastbourne School during the first Darlington Kite Festival later this month. Kite fliers from all over the country will attend the event, organised by the Rotary Club with the help of Malcolm Goodman
A CONVICTED paedophile who moved north after his release from an eight-year jail sentence for raping two young girls has been found with an illicit video of himself with the youngsters. Dean Desilva, 45, was convicted by a jury of the rape and serious
The Division Three rivals don their cricket white and meet at Park Drive as part of the benefit year of Durham bowler Simon Brown. Newcastle and England legend Peter Beardsley - who ended his glittering playing career at Victoria Park - is in line for
THE region's gifted and dedicated teachers were yesterday honoured in the Oscars of the education world. The BT Teaching Awards, held at Newcastle's Assembly Rooms, paid tribute to the tireless work carried out by thousands of teachers every day. Awards
THE Government's study into the A1 in Northumberland has reached public consultation with the first in a series of exhibitions this week. Safety and operational issues on the A1 in the county are being considered, as are the potential for enhanced economic
A PROJECT is looking for volunteers to provide a spare room for vulnerable people. The Tubwell Project in Darlington, set up in October 1999, supports teenagers with housing, health, education, benefit and employment problems. A new scheme is being launched
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid has recruited another teenager from abroad - striker David Bellion, from French club AS Cannes. And the exciting 19-year-old comes on the recommendation of former Wearside midfielder Eric Roy, who is acting as an advisor
A SCHOOL cook spiced up a catering competition when she won for the second year running. Lynne Pearson, 38, works at Wolsingham Primary School and is the County Durham School Cook of the Year. The competition, organised by Chartwells, the schools services
SO, are you going to spend over £1,000 entertaining your children this summer? No, funnily enough, neither am I. But a lot of people are. According to figures from Abbey National, the average cost of the school holidays - not counting the family holiday
IN Northgate, Darlington, where you can eat in a different place every night for a month, the Sitar restaurant is about to re-emerge as Posh. Whether they had originally intended to call it Posh Spice, only to be thwarted by an impoverished young mother
PARENTS have been put on the alert after one youngster was attacked and another was approached by a black-clad mystery man. Both incidents happened within a week, while the youngsters were out playing. Fortunately, neither of them were hurt. But police
MORE foot-and-mouth restrictions have been lifted in the region, bringing hopes that the North-East could be close to getting rid of the disease. The announcement by the Newcastle Disease Emergency Control Centre applied to farms in Ponteland and Hallington
pupils at a Darlington School are attempting to get into the record books using recycled materials. A colourful rhinoceros has been taking shape on the playing fields at Abbey Junior School, Darlington, and it may earn pupils a place in the record books
A TOWN'S older generation proved that you can stay active at any age during an event yesterday. Crowds of people over 55 gathered in Darlington's Market Square for an information day organised by Darlington Better Government for Older People. The Signpost
BREWERY group Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) has announced its first ever annual loss. Despite that, the group, which brews Newcastle Brown and owns big name brands such as Foster's, Kronenbourg and John Smiths, said its restructuring programme was
POLICE are linking two handbag snatches in Stockton during the weekend. The first attack was on Sunday at 3.45pm, in Palm Street, when an 81-year-old woman was robbed. A car pulled alongside the woman and she heard a man jump out, he then pulled her bag
CREWE boss Dario Gradi yesterday fired the opening salvo in the summer chase for Tommy Miller. Gradi, a long-time admirer of the 22-year-old, claimed to have lodged a written offer for the midfielder in the region of £800,000. Miller is currently in Norway
A NATUROPATH from the region is warning people to take extra care when choosing their sun protection creams. Recent reports have highlighted that designer label sunscreen products have no more benefits than the cheaper supermarket and own- brand ranges
Police officers saved a suicidal man with tea and sympathy. The 35-year-old was threatening to throw himself from Newcastle's High Level bridge. Drinkers at the Bridge Hotel contacted the police when they saw the man standing on a narrow ledge. He had
Letters from The Northern Echo GEORGE REYNOLDS HAVING attended the Darlington Fans' Forum and witnessed George Reynolds' extraordinary performance, there can be no doubt he is a colourful and unique character. He also represents the best opportunity for
Breezy days no longer put the wind up Ben the nervous labrador, after his owner came up with a way to cure his fear of foul weather. Maureen Munro, 65, was being driven to distraction by her five-year-old pet's irrational behaviour. Every time a stiff
SUPERMARKET chain Somerfield claims to have stemmed the tide of falling sales, as it reported a loss for the past year of £13.1m. Executive chairman John von Spreckelsen, who was brought in last year to revitalise the ailing chain, said: "The improving
A 26-YEAR-OLD holidaymaker has been charged with the manslaughter of a foundry worker found face down in a stagnant river pool nearly a month ago. Detectives had been waiting to speak to the man since he was found unconscious in the same pool as the dead
Furious Newcastle United boss Bobby Robson last night accused Southampton counterpart Stuart Gray of poaching head coach Mick Wadsworth. Robson fired an angry broadside over the loss of right-hand man Wadsworth, who has joined the Saints on a four-year
HAEMOPHILIA campaigners have rejected moves to tone down their demand for redress over a deadly infection. The national Haemophilia Society has revealed it is to ask the Government to set up a hardship fund for people who have contracted hepatitis C through
IT seems a while ago now. Nearly four years have elapsed since we temporarily lost leave of our senses, driven to a pitch of hysterical anxiety by the death of our Fairy Princess in a Parisian underpass. All kinds of prophets sprung up, prophesying all
Under-age prostitution is often linked with images of emaciated girls on street corners. But a report published today reveals an insidious underworld that grooms boys for trade behind closed doors. Women's Editor Arifa Akbar reports. TO anyone looking
DURHAM are confident they will enjoy the services of 18-year-old sensation Nicky Peng for the rest of the season. It was feared he would be lost to England Under 19s at the end of this month for three one-day internationals and three four-day Tests against
A WOMAN who repeatedly dreamt her numbers came up on the lottery has won a £3.6m jackpot. Anita Wynne, 46, from Darlington, has had a recurring dream every week for the last few months that one of the eight lines of numbers she puts on the lottery each
THE annual Durham City Summer Festival gets under way tomorrow and promises four days of free events and entertainment. Attractions include pottery and craft fairs, living history displays, vintage cars, children's entertainment and live music. City centre
BOBBIES got on their bikes to raise £3,000 for a good cause in a marathon ride. A team of 12 Cleveland Police officers and their friends embarked on the gruelling 100-mile Coast-to-Coast trip to help fund treatment for eight-year-old Katie Rawson. Among
TWO men armed with baseball bats escaped with several thousand pounds of cash following a street robbery yesterday. Committee members from New Durham Workingmen's Club, in Mill Lane, Gilesgate, Durham City, were attacked when they came out of the premises
ESTATE residents are trying to block a £500,000 meat processing factory which could bring 25 new jobs to a Wear Valley community. People living in the Oakley Green area of West Auckland have held protest meetings and signed a petition voicing their objection
SENIOR citizens can visit historical properties for half the price this month. English Heritage is making the offer on hundreds of houses and gardens, castles, abbeys and ruins across the country. Over-60s will be eligible for the reduction at all English
MORE than 40 community groups in the North-East have received awards from BT Community Connections, to help them connect to the Internet. A panel of judges allocated the awards in the nationwide scheme to groups and individuals who illustrated most effectively
A SCHOOLBOY, missing from home for more than a week, has turned up safe and well. Fears were growing for the safety of Ben Donnelly from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, after there was no response to appeals for him to contact his family. Police were investigating
WITH less than six weeks to go before the CD Bramall Ford Darlington 10km road race and 2km fun run, runners in Darlington should be stepping up their training. The route of the 10km event will be the same as last year, taking runners from High Row, through
PEOPLE in Redcar are being given the chance to join in a special learning session free of charge this weekend. The two-hour bite size course takes place at Redcar Adult Education Centre, on Saturday, and courses on offer include computers, desktop publishing
ARTISTIC students have created a fitting tribute to the memory of a popular teacher who died almost two years ago. Youngsters at the Allertonshire School, in Northallerton, worked with sculptor Anthony Sturgess to produce a White Rose design in honour
AN Olympic champion rode into school yesterday to deliver a road safety message. Stockton cyclist Chris Newton won bronze at the Sydney Olympics as part of the British 400m cycling pursuit team. Yesterday, he was invited to Fairfield Junior School, in
WHILE we do not condone the criminal activities of the protestors who broke into the Menwith Hill military base in North Yorkshire, their action has succeeded in bringing important issues to the fore. Undeniably, there is a great deal of unease about
A WINDOW cleaner who survived being impaled on a 4ft spike was back home last night, still feeling lucky to be alive. Three days after his escape, Norman Johnston was released from hospital with little more than a few scars, as the spike missed his vital
A CONTROVERSIAL traffic experiment has taken a step closer to becoming permanent. And there is hope for traders who claim it is robbing them of their livelihoods. At a meeting last Friday, board members of the Middlesbrough Town Centre Company agreed
DALES communities are joining forces for the first time, spurred on by massive cash injections which could total more than £1.25m. Traditional village rivalries are being set aside in Weardale, where moves to create a partnership get under way on Thursday
PUB performers are hoping to hit the right note with a charity concert. Top Middlesbrough band, Raised on Rusks, will play at Liberty's, on Friday, in a bid to raise money for The Cancer Research Campaign. The gig includes the band's favourite unplugged
AN unusual auction rounded off the first Richmond Festival, raising almost £600 for an emergency fund to help farmers hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Shops across the town have had sheep images on show in their windows over the past fortnight, some
SALTBURN In Bloom is gearing up for the seaside town's annual entry into the national competition. The Victorian town has had several successes in the competition in the past - including at Washington DC and Japan and hopes to repeat that success this
SO, are you going to spend over £1,000 entertaining your children this summer? No, funnily enough, neither am I. But a lot of people are. According to figures from Abbey National, the average cost of the school holidays - not counting the family holiday
COUNCIL bosses who blocked plans for a controversial bail hostel say they cannot refuse to sell the land to the Probation Service. A letter seen by The Northern Echo from the leader of Chester-le-Street District Council, Malcolm Pratt, to a member of
IN Northgate, Darlington, where you can eat in a different place every night for a month, the Sitar restaurant is about to re-emerge as Posh. Whether they had originally intended to call it Posh Spice, only to be thwarted by an impoverished young mother
A SCHOOL concert was given a modern twist when children added their own street dancing routines. Orchestras playing classical music shared a stage with students performing acrobatic break-dancing routines at Parkside Comprehensive's summer concert yesterday
