SUNDERLAND are believed to be homing in on £4m Cameroon international striker Patrick Mboma. Wearside boss Peter Reid, whose approach to German club Schalke 04 for 23-year-old Belgium international Emile Mpenza was rejected out of hand last week by the
A sex attacker who subjected an 87-year-old grandmother to a terrifying ordeal in her own home is today facing up to the prospect of a lengthy jail term. Brave Frances Doran waived her right to anonymity in the hope it would lead to Michael Rochester's
A NORTH-East naval mechanic is playing his part in the fight against terrorism on board the HMS Illustrious. The flagship is the UK's on-call aircraft carrier and is leading Britain's maritime contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom. Marine Engineer
A BOXING coach is facing one of his toughest battles as he launches a campaign to steer youngsters away from drugs and into the gym. Robert Ellis, director of coaching at Spennymoor Boxing Academy, is determined to get the young people of south-west Durham
A VIKING helmet discovered in 1982 is to be recreated in all its glory. Blacksmith Andrew Kissack will use the same techniques used by Viking blacksmiths 1,000 years ago to accurately reproduce the the Coppergate Helmet, excavated in York. The original
NEIGHBOURS have gone it alone to shut out the crooks. Residents could not believe it when they were ruled out of a scheme which has brought peace of mind to others in the town where they live. But householders in crime-hit Stratford Road, in Hartlepool
RESIDENTS fear a security camera system which has dramatically cut car crime in Darlington town centre may be pushing criminals into other parts of the town. Darlington Borough Council, which first installed closed circuit television into the town in
THE Northern Echo today launches the fourth year of its competition designed to honour volunteers who are improving the region's environment. Making A Difference, sponsored by regional development agency One NorthEast, was first staged in 1999. The competition
A FLOATING nightclub is to be centre stage for a sizzling "cabaret" act with a difference. The spectacular billed for the Tuxedo Royale, early evening on Wednesday, could save lives. A popular late-night venue for hundreds of partygoers, the vessel moored
There is "no justification" for the strikes on Britain's railways, Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday. Such industrial action belonged to the past, he said. However, he stopped short of directly attacking the Communication Workers' Union, which
CANNON fire has heralded the arrival of guest cuppas on the menu at a hotel. Gunpowder tea is the first of a series of unusual infusions on offer at the King's Head, in the Market Place, Richmond, North Yorkshire, each month. The launch was marked by
PRESSURE is growing on Home Secretary David Blunkett to intervene to end more than four years of messy controversy surrounding Cleveland Police. A disciplinary hearing, expected to finish today or tomorrow, could well bring an end to one of the most bitter
TV soccer presenter Gabby Logan is returning to the North-East to launch a sports initiative at her old university. Gabby, daughter of former Leeds United and Welsh international player Terry Yorath, left Durham University in 1995 with a law degree. She
TYNESIDE teacher Ian Hudspith ran the race of his life to finish third in the Reebok UK Inter-Counties Championships at Nottingham and clinch automatic selection for the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin next month. The 31-year-old Morpeth Harrier
A MAN whose immediate family has been hit by cancer three times drummed up financial support for the Cancer Research Campaign with a musical marathon. Paul Archer played the drums for 12 hours non-stop while other musicians and bands took turns in joining
BENITO CARBONE rekindled his love-hate relationship with Dean Windass as they combined to salvage a vital point for relegation-threatened Middlesbrough. Windass had lost his place to former Bradford sparring partner Carbone following the Italian striker's
ENTERTAINMENT is the name of the game at Victoria Park. Saturday's victory stroll over Torquay means Pool have bagged 17 goals in their last five home encounters and their tally of 37 Victoria Park strikes is bettered in English football only by Kevin
A CROSSING over England's fastest flowing river - washed away in the floods of 2000 - could finally be restored before the end of the year. Reeth's swing bridge, built by public subscription in the 1920s, was damaged beyond repair 18 months ago. An important
KEEPING it in the family has helped break an amateur production company's records. Father and daughter, Steve Chisholm and Rachel, 19, play a married couple in an "earthy comedy'' at the Middlesbrough Theatre. The play, On a Night Like This, written by
NEWCASTLE'S dead ball supremo Alan Shearer was quick to hail Laurent Robert's 35-yard free-kick as 'one hell of a strike'. Although Shearer bagged another brace to take his season's tally to 19, it was the Frenchman's goal that set St James' Park alight
WITH mounting redundancies in manufacturing plants across the region contrasting with regeneration projects, such as a new technology park in Sedgefield, industry insiders appear at odds over what lies ahead. Many believe that jobs in the North-East's
PLAYWRIGHT Sir Alan Ayckbourn has opened a new drama and music suite. Burnholme Community College's Sir Alan Ayckbourn Performing Arts Suite, in York, is part of a £2m improvement scheme for the school, paid for by a Government grant. Sir Alan and Lady
THE region's most famous staircase is in need of £150,000-worth of renovation. The 199 Church Stairs lead from Whitby's harbourside to the town's 850-year-old parish church of St Mary's. They were featured in Bram Stoker's classic horror story, Dracula
DARLINGTON'S six-goal draw with Shrewsbury on Saturday may have ranked high on the entertainment scale, but Quakers' defending rated way below an acceptable level and it was simple mistakes which cost Tommy Taylor's side dear. Saturday's six goal show
The Queen Mother was alone last night with her thoughts and seeking solace that death was a merciful release for her desperately-ill daughter Princess Margaret. The 101-year-old Royal matriarch was at Sandringham, the Queen's Norfolk estate, where earlier
A COUPLE who met in the offices of a Darlington solicitor celebrated 50 years of marriage on Saturday. Cliff and Joan Jones were married on February 9, 1952, in the town's now-demolished Greenbank Methodist Church, five years after first meeting in the
FOREIGN AFFAIRS I NEVER cease to wonder at how political fortunes ebb and flow like the tides of the oceans. Remember Robin Cook's grand words: "We will pursue an ethical foreign policy." Surely, if he had not been eased out as Foreign Secretary he would
NO Premiership title was ever won in February. There's one man who knows that to his cost, and he arrives back on Tyneside next weekend. Kevin Keegan's Newcastle must have believed in February 1996 with their infamous 12-point lead that the Premiership
A couple whose son was bullied at school set up a support group to help other families, tonight they tell their story on television. Steve Pratt reports. The shock when Paul and Jan McFarlane discovered that their teenage son had been systematically bullied
AN award-winning pub has been put on the market to save its owners from possible bankruptcy in the aftermath of last year's foot-and-mouth crisis. The Countryman, at Bolam, near Darlington, saw takings drop by two-thirds when the outbreak started. Now
YOUNGSTERS in east Cleveland are being given no excuse to be bored during their half-term holiday. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has organised a festival of fun to entertain children who are on holiday this week. A programme of events is being
RECENTLY heartbroken, would like to meet caring companion for love and friendship ahead of Valentine's Day. The Blue Cross animal adoption centre in Topcliffe, Thirsk, is hoping romantic animal lovers will come to the aid of lovelorn Labrador-cross Judy
A North-East councillor is calling on the Government to take action to protect the jobs of hundreds of power workers. The appeal is on its way to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) amid reports that Innogy, the electricity company which last year
A NEW branch of an association aimed at making police life easier for officers and staff from ethnic minority backgrounds has been formed. The Durham branch of the Black Police Association (BPA) is an informal network of force employees. The BPA was set
FORGET TV's Pop Idol, a North-East college has launched its own search - for shy songsters. Bathtime Pavarottis are being encouraged to come out of the closet and sink-side sopranos to leave their soap-suds behind, and report to Stockton Sixth Form College
AN ambulance service is launching a campaign to recruit an army of junior lifesavers, with the help of businesses. Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (TENYAS) is planning to issue primary school children across North Yorkshire with a free
LOCAL groups in County Durham are being urged to apply for grants up to £1,500. Durham County Council's Small Projects Fund was set up in 1990 to help local regeneration schemes in the county's east and west rural priority areas, helping more than 400
TRADING standards officers in Hartlepool have warned people not to fall for a watch scam. A man from the town's Throston Grange area brought the so-called offer to Hartlepool Borough Council's attention after receiving a letter from a London ad-mail address
A dozen elderly people had to be rescued from their homes today, as floods struck the region with a vengeance once again. The Environment Agency placed dozens of flood warnings on rivers throughout the North-East and North Yorkshire, as waters continued
IN an attempt to heighten awareness of burglaries in the Stockton area police officers have been distributing leaflets to neighbours of people who have been burgled. They hope this will alert householders to the fact that they live in a similar type of
Auditions are about to take place at one of the region's grisliest tourist attractions. York Dungeon is on the look out for an actor to portray Erik Bloodaxe in a new £50,000 display, recreating the Viking invasion. The Gorvik exhibition - a title taking
THE World Heritage site at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, near Ripon, is looking for volunteers to carry out tasks on the estate. More than 250 volunteers work on the estate as guides, stewards or even dressing up as monks to welcome wedding guests
SENIOR fire chiefs have hailed the success of a partnership scheme aiming to cut the number of chip pan blazes. Since the start of a joint initiative with food company McCain, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has recorded a 21 per cent reduction
A FAMILY tradition begun by a Victorian tightrope walker was upheld at the weekend, when a bride trod a path of gold to the altar. Alice Culine was famed for walking a rope across Bridlington Harbour twice, deliberately falling off the first time because
THE wreck of the speed boat Bluebird is to be rebuilt on the Isle of White. Salvage expert Bill Smith, from Newcastle, wants to restore the craft, which until last year lay at the bottom of Coniston Water, in Cumbria. He and Gina Campbell, daughter of
A CEMENT company is refusing to co-operate with a potential rescue package which could save 150 jobs at at a County Durham works. The Northern Echo has learned that cement manufacturer Lafarge is shunning a mystery European company expressing a genuine
Whta's hot... UPLIFT: Sports-mad women who want to jog in comfort will be delighted with the latest action underwear on sale. Sky-diving fan Louise Cain has designed an anti-gravity bra which will keep your cleavage in place whichever way up you are.
PEOPLE living in a Redcar residential home have been thanked for their contribution to the local branch of the Royal British Legion. Several ex-servicemen live at Cherry Tree House, in Coat-ham Road, and the town's cenotaph is in its gardens. Every year
Speakers including Stockton South MP Dari Taylor are to address a conference on the "hidden crime" of domestic violence. Judith Million, community safety co-ordinator with Durham County Council, will chair the conference to be held at Durham County Cricket
RESIDENTS have won the backing of their MP after they were landed with bills for council repairs they say are the authority's fault. Leaseholders at council-owned properties in Chester-le-Street say that their district authority should pay the full cost
AN appeal to raise money for part of Darlington's Crown Street library has been set up in memory of a tireless volunteer worker who died last month. Valerie Portass, 63, had been secretary of the Workers' Educational Association's (WEA) Darlington branch
MORE footpaths are re-opening in County Durham following the lifting of foot-and-mouth restrictions by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Durham County Council said that less than eight per cent of the county's network of 4,300 routes
FIRE has ripped through a squat used by homeless people on Teesside, triggering a police investigation. Thirty firefighters fought the flames which tore through the roof of the two-storey back street warehouse, destroying half the building, late on Friday
AN annual report into retail venues has shown mixed fortunes for the region's shopping centres. Property and retail consultants Experian carried out surveys of more than 1,100 shopping locations covering more than 330,000 UK retail outlets. The analysts
FULL BACK Kevin McCallum has become the third player in two weeks to quit Darlington Mowden Park for Blaydon. He opted out of Mowden's third successive defeat in National Division Three North on Saturday and watched Blaydon produce their best performance
THREE serious road accidents in the region over the weekend have left two men dead and two more fighting for their lives. The two men were killed when the blue Ford Fiesta they were travelling in was involved in a crash with a silver Seat on the A64 York
NEIGHBOURS have gone it alone to shut out the crooks. Residents could not believe it when they were ruled out of a scheme which has brought peace of mind to others in the town where they live. But householders in crime-hit Stratford Road, in Hartlepool
CROWDS flocking to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester later this year are to be tempted to cross the Pennines to enjoy the hospitality of the Yorkshire Dales. The Richmond Business and Tourism Association (RBTA) will be spending some of a £10,000 Yorkshire
Teesside has landed a windfall in National Lottery grants just eight months after emerging as the region's poor relation when it came to winning funding. Out of £341,757 shared by organisations across the North-East during one period last year only £4,357
KEVIN Henderson is ready to take out his frustration on Third Division defenders. After three months on the sidelines, Henderson returned to the Hartlepool United starting line-up on Saturday. And although he failed to find the net in the 4-1 win over
COUNTY Durham local groups are celebrating after winning grants totalling £165,999 from the National Lottery Awards for All. Forty-three organisations have been given awards ranging from £600 to £5,000. Among the recipients is Durham County Scout Association
Police are hunting a teenager who attacked a train conductor with a machete. The incident happened at around 8.15pm on Sunday as the Arriva train travelling from Middlesbrough to Saltburn arrived at Redcar East Station. Two boys, thought to be around
ELDERLY people in Teesdale have helped to create a photographic exhibition called Going to the Centre. The pictorial testimony of elderly people will be on display at two venues this month. The first chance to enjoy the exhibition is on Saturday, February
AS NATIONAL Marriage Week gets under way, two couples have celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss. A night out at the cinema has led to a long and happy marriage for Harry Stoker, 73, and his wife Edna, 70. Mrs Stoker was the usherette at the picture house
Four Seasons Health Care, which operates care homes across Teesside, has launched a range of advice leaflets dealing with diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and eye care. The leaflets are free and have been produced in conjunction with leading authorities
dinosaur fans have less than two weeks left to see a popular exhibition. Walking with Dinosaurs: The Exhibition has attracted thousands of visitors to the Hancock Museum in Newcastle, since it opened in November. It is based on the BBC television programme
A CHARITY group is hoping to be able to provide a play park for a town's youngsters. Saltburn Forward is applying for charity status and has been set up as a result of the Saltburn Improvement Company, which started when the east Cleveland town received
Firms should hire televisions and lay on coffee and croissants for workers to watch World Cup soccer matches in the office this summer, a recruitment firm suggests. Staff should also be given the chance to start work later if they want to stay at home
A NIGHT out turned to terror for a woman who became trapped inside an electronic toilet for two hours. Hazel Howden, 39, had gone to use the public convenience in the centre of Newcastle after a night out with friends. But her need to spend a penny turned
ENGLISH Heritage is hoping to reverse the decline in the number of tourists to a North Yorkshire castle, by building a visitor centre and new entrance. This week, the North York Moors National Park Authority will be recommended to approve the scheme at
WHILE Darlington look increasingly capable of clinching a North One promotion play-off spot, Middlesbrough are heading in the opposite direction. Unless Boro win away to relegation rivals Bradford and Bingley next Saturday, things will begin to look very
A clergyman who spent more than 50 years in the ministry, has died at the age of 81. The Reverend Sydney Smith was vicar of St Luke's Church, Scarborough and chaplain of the town's General Hospital for 27 years. He served his ministry at St Mary's, Scarborough
IT WAS a Saturday in 1940 many people in the North-East and North Yorkshire would never forget. As the sun began to climb on that February morning, a barrage of anti-aircraft fire burst in the skies above the Tyne. On the coastal batteries around Teesside
DEVELOPERS are lining up to transform a run-down neighbourhood into a desirable place to live. Five builders are vying for a share of a £26m housing redevelopment scheme in Redcar. Landlord Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has called time on the town's
DEVELOPERS are lining up to transform a run-down neighbourhood into a desirable place to live. Five builders are vying for a share of a £26m housing redevelopment scheme in Redcar. Landlord Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has called time on the town's
THE search is on for people who experienced the nail-biting 1954 FA Amateur Cup final between North-East non-league rivals Crook Town and Bishop Auckland. Gerard McCabe, originally from Consett, County Durham, would love to hear from anyone who has memories
THE latest arts activity in Saltburn has started with a bang. Local youth and community organiser Colin Grant, who is a keen drummer, suggested setting up a drumming group. This then inspired others to set up groups based on their own hobbies and interests
TRIBUTES to Princess Margaret flooded in from across the region during the weekend. While some recalled fond memories, others expressed sadness the Princess would not receive a State funeral. The Princess made a number of visits to the region over the
NYC Harmony in the world, Is a new shattered dream; Once it seemed so well, But now, how can it be? A world crushed by hate, People lost in pain, How can we recover And become as one again? To those who shook innocence, And stole childhood of time, To
A plan by the parish council in Robin Hood's Bay to give a toilet a new lease of life has been given a £2,000 grant by Scarborough Borough Council. Fylingthorpe Parish Council came up with the scheme as an answer to the borough council's plan to close
ARSENAL are preparing a stunning £16m bid for Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips. The Gunners, alerted by the Wearsiders' alarming slump this season, believe they can prise Phillips away from the Stadium of Light and have set their sights on a summer deal
THERE will be rabbits galore at Pets at Home, in York, next weekend. The Yorkshire Area English Rabbit Club will be at the store on Clifton Moor, on Saturday, from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, from 11am to 4pm, with an extensive selection of all types of
POLICE are warning pensioners to be vigilant after bogus callers conned their way into six homes across County Durham. In the most recent incidents, two men posing as water company employees managed to get past the front door in three homes in the Wear
Motorists faced severe congestion yesterday after an articulated lorry carrying 18 tonnes of frozen pizzas overturned. The driver was taken to hospital after the accident, on the A59 at Allerton Park, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, but his injuries
Workers at beleaguered steel giant Corus will not get a pay rise because the company needs to conserve cash. Last February, the Anglo Dutch company shed 6,000 jobs across the country - including 1,100 on Teesside - blaming over capacity in the market
A GIANT cross erected outside Westminster Catholic Cathedral to mark the millennium could find a new home in North Yorkshire. The 15m-high cross, inspired by Cardinal Basil Hume, the late Archbishop of Westminister and former Abbot of Ampleforth, may
PEOPLE living next to a foot-and-mouth mass burial site have invited Euro MP Stephen Hughes to join them at a meeting with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Defra officials and people in Tow Law, County Durham, are to meet on the
SCHOOL staff in Middlesbrough are taking part in a diabetic screening service. School nursing sister Rosemarie Hedley, from Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, is offering staff from St Anthony's RC and Tollesby schools the opportunity of diabetic
GUARANTEED never to keep silent if the present gusts buffeting the region are anything to go by, the biggest wind chimes the North has ever seen was erected at the weekend. The 11-metre blue metal sculpture, which was forged by artist Phil Johnson, was
IT may be almost spring but pantomime time is arriving in a former pit village. Witton Gilbert Drama Group is staging its own version of The Sleeping Beauty, at Fyndoune Community College, Sacriston, during this week's half-term holiday. "It's a modern
Q: WELSH-speaking Wales does not refer to itself as Wales. Instead the name Cymru is used. Who first introduced the name Wales and why? - Aled Jones, Bridlington. A: AT the time of the Roman Conquest, the whole of what is now England as well as lowland
SUNDERLAND season ticket holders have a day left to guarantee their seat for the Niall Quinn testimonial. The Wearside club will play the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, May 14, and the Irish striker is donating all the proceeds to children's charities
Disciplinary proceedings against the police chief who introduced zero tolerance policing to Britain were continuing today. Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon, dubbed "Robocop" for his no-nonsense approach to policing, has already admitted 14 disciplinary
POLICE officers have been forced to take a goat into protective custody after it insisted on running riot on a busy main road. Motorists and shoppers in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, looked on in amusement as the animal ran around Fore Bondgate and
Woman injured during mugging A 59-year-old woman has received hospital treatment for torn muscles and ligaments received when she struggled in vain to stop a masked mugger snatching her handbag as she walked with her five-year-old grandchild along Appleton
PRINTS by a renowned children's illustrator have gone on display at a County Durham art gallery Edward Ardizzone's World will be on show in the art gallery at the DLI museum complex, Aykley Heads, Durham, until Sunday, March 10. Ardizzone is one of Britain's
POLICE are hunting a man who assaulted an east Cleveland teenager and stole the family dog. The incident happened at about 2.30pm last Monday when a man driving a green vehicle - possibly a Hyundai - called at a house in Hazel Walk, Loftus. The man, who
Darlington's latest super-sub Richard Hodgson believes Saturday's result against Shrewsbury is evidence Quakers are capable of mounting a promotion push. He came off the substitutes bench to notch an equaliser for Darlington, and in doing so followed-up
SERIOUS illness made Princess Margaret a frail and reclusive figure in the last few years of her life. But before her first stroke, she performed sterling work on behalf of the nation. As a young woman she was one of the most glamorous personalities of
PLANS for a new headquarters for the Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade on Wearside have won councillors' approval. The brigade plans to move from its ageing and cramped base in Pilgrim Street, in the heart of Newcastle, to a site at Barmston Mere, Washington
