PROPOSALS to build two car dealerships on land at the side of a busy trunk road, creating up to 60 jobs, are being recommended for refusal by Darlington Borough Council's planning officers. South Cleveland Garages' plans for the site of the derelict Ivanhoe
NEWTON Aycliffe residents will be given the chance to have their say on proposals to improve their area The community planning event is being held in the West Ward of the town on Saturday, July 20, from 11am to 4.30pm, as a key stage in work to prepare
Legendary Hollywood actor Rod Steiger died in Los Angeles last night at the age of 77. The star - who was once married to British actress Claire Bloom - won a best actor Oscar for his 1967 role in movie classic, In the Heat of the Night. His publicist
A BURGLAR who left his footprints behind at five commercial premises was jailed for more than three years yesterday. Andrew Wootton's size nine shoes left prints on floors and desks at companies he raided in Darlington and Yarm during a trail of 13 break-ins
Veteran footballer Niall Quinn, who gave the proceeds from his testimonial season to children's charities, has been chosen to receive an honorary degree from Sunderland University. The well-loved Ireland international, who was praised in the House of
A SCHEME that has taught more than 17,000 new motorcyclists to ride on Teesside may have to close its central site due to a spate of break-ins. Instructors and staff at Cleveland Motorcycle Training Scheme spent yesterday counting the cost of yet another
A man laughed after he told passers-by he had doused a former family friend in petrol and turned him into a human fireball, a court heard. Jobless Mark Towell, 26, denies murdering 49-year-old Arthur Leak just weeks after Mr Leak tried to get into bed
A PUPIL at a leading public school is being treated in hospital after being badly beaten by a classmate in an end of term punch up. The dormitory brawl left one of the classmates needing emergency surgery to remove his spleen after the fight at the £14,000
HEALTHCARE staff in Gateshead have joined forces with construction experts to celebrate the launch of a development at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Gateshead Health NHS Trust clinical staff cheered the start of work on site for the Jubilee Wing which
AN engineering training company in the region has celebrated possibly its most successful year. South-West Durham Training, in Newton Aycliffe, has had a busy 12 months and capped it off with an awards ceremony for its trainees covering a variety of disciplines
At a time when the working world is turning its back on older members of society, Premiership chairmen are falling over themselves to welcome football's elderly managers back into the fold. The script for next season's title battle could easily have been
DETECTIVES are still waiting to resume questioning a 33-year-old woman whose husband died from multiple stab wounds at the weekend. Jane Lovegreen, from Greenfields Farm, High Etherley, County Durham, has been kept under observation in Bishop Auckland
Safeway delivered a sharp improvement in sales figures yesterday after reaping the rewards of a stores overhaul. Like-for-like sales picked up four per cent in the six weeks to June 22, helped by the success of four new "megastores" and 29 refurbished
A report has revealed how drinking water quality in the North-East is continuing to improve. The Drinking Water Inspectorate says that breaches in water quality in the Northumbrian Water area are at their lowest level for more than a decade. Almost 207,000
INCREASING numbers of visitors to Thorp Perrow Arboretum near Bedale has led to a need to increase the number of parking spaces. The attraction has now won conditional planning consent for more than 100 extra spaces, despite concerns about the effect
A £2m expansion plan for a North-East company could nearly treble its workforce, it was revealed yesterday. Onyx Scientific, of Sunderland, supplies top pharmaceutical companies and researches, develops and manufactures new drugs. It began two years ago
A £2m expansion plan for a North-East company could nearly treble its workforce, it was revealed yesterday. Onyx Scientific, of Sunderland, supplies top pharmaceutical companies and researches, develops and manufactures new drugs. It began two years ago
A NORTH-YORKSHIRE waste management company is celebrating after winning a major new contract. Yorwaste, the company responsible for managing the disposal of domestic and business waste in North Yorkshire and City of York, has won a contract worth about
TRADERS in Stockton are being warned to watch out for a premium rate fax scam being used in the area. A bogus customer telephones the business and asks to have specific information faxed to them, claiming they are from out of the area. However, the fax
LET us spare a thought for Euan Blair. In the middle of the crossfire about his parents' hypocrisy and double standards, the poor kid is - at the moment - in an absolutely no win situation. He's been in it since somebody let slip that he'd been offered
Shipman (ITV: The Secret Life Of The Office (BBC1) IT'S a pity that the factual drama Shipman, about the man known as Doctor Death, will be judged on its timing rather than its quality. Relatives have complained that this film about the mass murderer
THOUSANDS of youngsters from all over east Durham took part in their own mini Commonwealth Games Festival yesterday. More than 2,000 children from 45 primary schools hit the ground running in a mass celebration of youth sport and dance at East Durham
AN MP is urging anyone with information about two former psychiatrists to present it to an independent inquiry. Patients have made a series of allegations against William Kerr and Michael Haslam, who both worked in North Yorkshire. The inquiry, to be
A SCHOOLBOY has been arrested by police who foiled a drugs deal. The 12-year-old, arrested on suspicion of supplying heroin, is being held for questioning at Middlesbrough police station, together with a 17-year-old youth. The youngster was sitting in
SUNDERLAND boss Peter Reid is stepping up his interest in Rangers winger Neil McCann. Reid is ready to tempt the Glasgow giants with a £2m offer for the speedy Scottish international. Sunderland's service from the flanks has been lacking since the 1998
Crackdown on cooking books A financial crimes "Swat team" to crack down on the corrupt business practices that have shattered public faith in corporate America was announced by George Bush yesterday. The US President also called for harsher penalties
A POPULAR scheme giving teenagers cut-price bus travel is to be relaunched. City of York Council first started the Yo Zone bus card initiative for youngsters aged 14 to 16 three years ago. The card allows teenagers to travel on buses in York at child
A SKELTON ex-serviceman has stepped down from his role as chairman of the Cleveland branch of a charity for ex-forces personnel. Squadron Leader Ken Kime began working as a volunteer for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association 18 years
CAMPAIGNERS are urging European leaders to punish the UK for failing to enforce strict rules on labelling medicines containing steroids. A directive from the European Commission makes it obligatory to enclose patient information leaflets with all medication
BEFORE Tony Blair led New Labour to power, he gave as his priority "education, education, education''. Very fine. But what kind of education? The Prime Minister's ideas have become clearer with the plans to ditch what is now denigrated as the "bog standard
BUSINESS chiefs are to launch a pioneering environmental scheme to save companies in North Yorkshire thousands of pounds. The Leeming Bar industrial estate, near Northallerton, has been selected for a pilot project which, if successful, could be rolled
Appeal follows road accident: POLICE yesterday appealed for witnesses to a two-car collision which left one of the motorists seriously injured. The driver of a Nissan Micra car was freed from the damaged vehicle by firefighters using cutting equipment
REMEMBERING its place, and that there'd be an eager void to fill upon returning, the column pondered before last week's holiday in Dorset upon the sublime ridiculousness of English village names. It was the Dorset parish of Piddletrenthide, Piddle Hinton
STANDING high on Cockfield Fell, with the wind tearing at your face, you feel on top of the world. All central Durham is laid out before you. At your feet lies the history of the entire county, for the face of the fell has been pitted and pock-marked
A CONTROVERSIAL wind farm project could become a factor in the revival of a dale which is being hit by job losses next month. Energy company National Windpower is asking planning officials for their views on a project at Rookhope, in Weardale, which is
A challenge which has involved more than 5,000 teenagers in environmental, crime prevention or social projects reaches its climax next week. The Square Mile Project, which has been running for 10 years, is open to teams of 11 to 17-year-olds from throughout
A STATELY home yesterday became the highest profile asset to be put up for sale by a crumbling North-East business empire. Wynyard Hall, one of the region's finest properties, which comes complete with nearly 800 acres of parkland, two lodges, a 15-acre
PLANS have been unveiled for a city's biggest new house building programme for decades. At a major conference staged by Sunderland Housing Group, the organisation revealed plans to secure funding for 4,000 new homes in Sunderland over the next five years
HARTLEPOOL United's pre-season kicks-off tonight - with Chris Turner's side going Dutch. All roads lead to Carlisle and the Division Three campaign on August 10, but Pool's preparations start off by visiting Dutch outfit Theole. They also play SV Nootdorp
CONTROVERSIAL comedian Freddie Starr and showbiz legend Ken Dodd will be ticking audiences in the region this autumn. The pair have been signed up as part of Darlington Civic theatre's autumn season programme. Freddie Starr, who once hit the headlines
A PARISH council is asking nearby communities to help pay to get the speed limit lowered on a village road. Members of Croft-on-Tees Parish Council have written to neighbouring councils and community groups about the speed of cars in South Parade, near
A SOLICITOR facing a total of 82 charges in connection with an alleged £325,000 legal aid fraud was remanded on bail when he appeared in court today. John Tate, 50, of Mayberry Grove, Middlesbrough, appeared before Newcastle magistrates on 81 charges
A NORTH-EAST football club that wrongfully sacked a commercial manager has been ordered to pay her a five-figure sum in damages. Darlington Football Club must pay Helen Coverdale £12,400 after she won a claim for unfair dismissal and breach of contract
A NORTH-EAST airport was celebrating last night after a major boost from international airline KLM. Teesside International Airport got a vote of confidence from the company which announced it was to double capacity on its three-times-a-day service to
THE Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay will visit Bishop Auckland and Darlington today, with organisers promising a memorable celebration to mark the occasion. The baton is due to reach Bishop Auckland at 4.20pm before travelling on to Darlington at about 6.55pm
ANYONE who has ever nursed a naked ambition to embark on the free and uninhibited lifestyle of a naturist now has their chance. Greenacres Naturist Club in County Durham is inviting curious members of the public to throw their inhibitions and clothes
A major study into the long-term effects of hormone replacement therapy involving more than 16,000 women has been halted early because the risks so clearly outweighed the benefits. Researchers in the US were forced to abandon the eight-year investigation
Gardening solutions: Royal Horticultural Society gardener Graham Porter will be at Raby Castle gardens today, to answer any gardening queries. Visitors are being invited to take plant specimens to discuss with him. HOUSE BURGLED: About £300 in cash was
A VILLAGE school has received a donation from a regional company to help its bid for specialist status. Hurworth Comprehensive School, near Darlington, is moving closer to raising the £50,000 it needs to lodge a bid with the Government for specialist
Last year, 17-year-old Geoff Gray died from two gunshot wounds to the head at Deepcut Barracks in Surrey. The Army claims it was suicide. His parents disagree. Liz Lamb reports on the unusual circumstances surrounding his death. IT is a moment every parent
DEAN McKeown has a heaven-sent opportunity at Newmarket this afternoon to make up for a bungling performance aboard Vicious Warrior last time out. Admittedly we can all ride perfectly-judged races from the safety of the stands, but even to the untrained
THERE are legitimate concerns over the Army's investigation into four deaths in seven years at the Royal Logistics Corps headquarters in Deepcut, Surrey. And it is wrong for the Army to hide behind a cloak of secrecy over the issue. There must be respect
A man laughed after he told passers-by he had doused a former family friend in petrol and turned him into a human fireball, a court heard. Jobless Mark Towell, 26, denies murdering 49-year-old Arthur Leak just weeks after Mr Leak tried to get into bed
UNIONS have warned there is a realistic prospect of schools and other public buildings being forced to close during a national day of strike action. The country's biggest union Unison has sent notices to local authorities across the region informing them
IT was a dismal day, grey, overcast and raining - but in the end it didn't matter. The Great Yorkshire Show lived up to its name by shrugging off the elements and the disaster that was 2001 to bounce back in spectacular form. Last year's show, the premier
More help is on the way for the region's market towns to help them build towards more prosperous futures. Nearly £3m is to be pumped into a wide variety of projects over the next ten years by the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward. Executive
SPECULATION that Newcastle United may return to private ownership has increased after a company owned by chairman Freddie Shepherd bought more shares in the club. Rumours that the club may be taken off the Stock Exchange grew after a Shepherd family business
RETAIL chain Ann Summers yesterday said sales at its stores increased by 28 per cent in the past year as customers snapped up saucy lingerie and raunchy sex toys. The group, which has a 62-strong chain of shops in the UK including in Middlesbrough and
EUROPE: SEVERAL polls in Europe have found that people in Britain have very little accurate knowledge about Europe and the European Union, but it was surprising to read (HAS, July 2) that someone was "fed up with the Prime Minister trying to rush us into
DURHAM are considering taking a gamble on Stephen Harmison when they visit one of their outgrounds for the first time for two years today. The England Academy paceman had the batsmen hopping around in the nets at Feethams yesterday and could return against
VANDALS have destroyed part of a market town's spectacular floral display on the eve of Britain in Bloom judges arriving to inspect them. Flowers in tubs along the bridge outside Safeway, in Pickering, were pulled out and thrown away at the weekend. The
THE first in a new series of guided walks through the North Yorkshire countryside gets under way tomorrow. The hour-long walk is part of an initiative to improve people's health through the newly-formed Hambleton Strollers group. Organiser Cathy Munro
The public can help a major drive to make crossing the road easier in Hartlepool. Officials from Hartlepool Borough Council want people to continue suggesting where special dropped kerbs - which are designed to help the disabled and parents with prams
DETECTIVES are appealing for information after a 71-year-old Horden woman was mugged on her doorstep. The pensioner left Horden Labour Club with a friend on Monday and the pair walked along Sunderland Road in the village before parting company. The woman
PARALLEL parking and emergency stops held no fear for Brian Scott, who has won a regional bus driver of the year contest. Mr Scott, from Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has scooped the title of Go North East Driver of the Year and a cheque
Crackdown on cooking books: A financial crimes "Swat team" to crack down on the corrupt business practices that have shattered public faith in corporate America was announced by George Bush yesterday. The US President also called for harsher penalties
WORK has started on a £181,000 sports hall for the young people of Stanley. The development at Oxhill Youth Club, at Oxhill, Stanley, comes less than three years since the clubhouse was destroyed by fire. Lottery agents Sport England donated £142,000
AN MP has called for legal protection offered to emergency services staff from abusive and violent members of the public to match that offered to police. North Sunderland MP Bill Etherington told the Commons that attacks on firefighters in the city last
GOVERNMENT drugs adviser Keith Hellawell today announced his resignation in protest at the proposal to reclassify cannabis. Mr Hellawell, the former Drug Tsar who is now a part-time adviser to the Government, also attacked Government "spin" for relaunching
AN influential health watchdog yesterday condemned the possible restructuring of the North's ambulance service as a waste of time and public money. Harrogate and District Community Health Council (CHC), which covers a large part of North Yorkshire, claimed
ANGUISHED parents last night demanded a fresh inquiry into the mysterious suicides of two young soldiers at Catterick Garrison, Europe's biggest Army base. Private Alan Sharples and Private Richard Robertson both died of gunshot wounds while they were
MANAGERS at a new £67m North-East hospital have rebutted claims it cannot offer adequate care for seriously ill patients. According to a report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), acutely ill patients should not be admitted to hospitals which do
THE youngest landlord in Darlington is celebrating after tripling the size of her business. Sarah Cockburn, 21, has owned and rented a two-bedroom house in Newton Aycliffe since February 2000. She has just added two Darlington properties to her portfolio
AN historic North-East street, which was home to some of the region's most famous artists, has been turned into a modern art gallery. Westbrook Villas, in Darlington, was built in the 1860s, on land which belonged to railway pioneer Henry Pease, and the
COUNCIL house tenants are facing tough decisions as local authorities consider turning their homes over to private housing associations. Residents from Shildon will discuss the future of the town's council homes at a meeting this week, as Sedgefield Borough
What goes up must come down, but not in the case of Jack the falcon who decided to break with years of falconry tradition and stay in the sky. It was a routine part of falconer Rob Allott's act, sending his pair of Lanner falcons Jack and Jill up into
History is in the making in a forgotten corner of the North-East. A tiny church is being reopened this weekend to celebrate the first Roman Catholic mass there, for 500 years. Benedictine monk Father Philip-James French has worked in partnership with
Quakers' new Brazilian trialist, Volmair Manfrin, will have to wait before making his first appearance in a Darlington shirt after tonight's friendly at North Shields was cancelled. The 25-year-old began a two-week trial yesterday but tonight's game was
THE full scale of the scandal surrounding Britain's crumbling railway bridge barriers may be even worse than damning official figures show, it has been claimed. Last week, The Northern Echo revealed that there were hundreds of near-disasters on the railways
REMEMBERING its place, and that there'd be an eager void to fill upon returning, the column pondered before last week's holiday in Dorset upon the sublime ridiculousness of English village names. It was the Dorset parish of Piddletrenthide, Piddle Hinton
LET us spare a thought for Euan Blair. In the middle of the crossfire about his parents' hypocrisy and double standards, the poor kid is - at the moment - in an absolutely no win situation. He's been in it since somebody let slip that he'd been offered
ANGRY residents who claim their area has become a "dumping ground" for criminals and drug users are to take to the streets in protest. Scores of people in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, plan to march through the streets next Wednesday because they were
