Archive

  • In The Picture: A television survivor?

    ITV programme chief David Liddiment's successes include Cold Feet, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Pop Idol but the failure of Saturday evening football and reality show Survivor meant he became a casualty of the company's downturn. WITH what some considered

  • 'Colossus' completes United move at last

    TITUS BRAMBLE has completed his protracted move to Newcastle United. The England Under-21 defender signed a five-year deal at St James' Park yesterday morning to rubber-stamp his £5m-plus switch from Ipswich Town. Bramble agreed personal terms and underwent

  • At Yor Service: Walking in sunlight all of my journey

    IN the black and white days when Tyne Tees Television closed down for the night and the epilogue helped put it gently to bed, the column was once (inexplicably) invited to record a five minute contribution. For reasons connected to the 1970s' space race

  • Minister praises Swan's green chemical processing plant

    A PIONEERING processing facility that guarantees faster and cleaner chemical manufacturing was praised by Science and Innovation Minister Lord Sainsbury yesterday. Lord Sainsbury was speaking as he officially opened the facility at Thomas Swan and Co

  • Spinner Phillips sews up Durham's first triumph

    FEETHAMS continued to prove a happy hunting ground for Durham as they swept to their first championship win of the season yesterday. They beat Derbyshire by 89 runs to record their fifth victory at the Darlington ground, but must now wait until July 24

  • Bill's latest qualification tops lifetime of achievement

    A GRANDFATHER who has held a senior position in the World Bank and travelled the globe will today crown his lifetime's achievements by becoming a North-East university's oldest PhD graduate. The event at Newcastle University will also mark a homecoming

  • Hopes fade as Juninho talks of staying in Brazil

    JUNINHO has insisted that he would be prepared to stay in Brazil at Flamengo and forge a winning partnership with Romario. Middlesbrough were yesterday still refusing to accept defeat in their battle to persuade Juninho to return for a third spell at

  • Rival keeper Myhre backs Sorensen

    THOMAS Sorensen was last night tipped to bounce back from his World Cup nightmare by the goalkeeper aiming to take his place in the Sunderland team. The normally reliable Sorensen, a £10m rated shot-stopper, will be still angry with himself for the part

  • Bail blast by new chief constable

    THE new chief constable of Durham was appointed last night - and lost no time in calling on courts to do more in the fight against crime. Paul Garvin, the current deputy chief constable of Durham Constabulary, discovered yesterday that he will take over

  • 'Jobs before safety' rail repairs row

    AN MP is challenging maintenance company Jarvis over a suggestion that it put jobs before safety in the wake of the Potters Bar rail crash. Durham City MP Gerry Steinberg said it "beggars belief", and accused the company's boss of trying to intimidate

  • Thousands to celebrate rich mining heritage

    THE centre of Durham comes to a standstill today as former colliery communities hark back to their coal mining roots. The Durham Miners' Gala is very much a reminder of the county's past, a decade after the closure of the last pits in the coalfield. But

  • Malcolm sniffs out a cure after judge raises a stink

    INVENTOR Malcolm Doherty reckons he can save the man with the world's smelliest feet from a prison sentence. Pungent Dutchman Teunis Teun, known as Rancid Tuen in his home country, found himself in trouble with the law after clearing a public library

  • Rapist gets seven years

    A WOMAN who woke to find a rapist had crept into her home was subjected to a three-hour sex ordeal. Leslie Stone, 38, threatened to sexually mutilate her and repeatedly assaulted her while she lay "frozen with fear" in her bedroom. Newcastle Crown Court

  • Strike will hit many services

    COUNCIL buildings and schools across the region are to shut on Wednesday during the first local government strike since 1989. Local authority unions Unison, GMB and TGWU have called the pay strike after members' demands of a six per cent pay increase

  • Bravery award for fire rescue police officer

    A POLICE officer who dragged a teenage boy from a burning house has been given a bravery award. PC Rick Callaghan, 40, saved a 15-year-old boy who was trapped inside his smoke-filled bedroom on December 12 last year. PC Callaghan had been the first at

  • Ladies race night goes under starter's orders

    THE Northern Echo is hosting an evening of horse racing specially designed to appeal to the fairer sex. Ladies Night will be held at Sedgefield Racecourse on Wednesday with the first race due off at 6.40pm. There will be various competitions, demonstrations

  • Mass to go ahead despite 'setback'

    A SELF-styled priest who incurred the wrath of the Catholic Church for planning to carry out mass in a 500-year-old Church last night vowed to go ahead regardless. Philip-James French had planned to hold a service in St Andrew's, but Redcar and Cleveland

  • Blair's massive boost for schools

    TONY BLAIR returned home to the North-East yesterday to announce a massive cash boost for education - fuelling hopes that the Government is going to tackle the North-South divide once and for all. Speaking in Middlesbrough, where he opened a community

  • Pop Idol Zoe honours region's most artistic schools

    THE region's favourite Pop Idol, Zoe Birkett, presented awards to top performing schools in the arts. The Artsmark awards from the Arts Council of England celebrate schools whose pupils have made a strong commitment in the field. There are three awards

  • New look for gala day model

    A STATUE of a former Lord Mayor of London has been transformed into the Queen for a jubilee-themed gala today. Organisers in Grangetown on Teesside chiselled away at the 6ft tall papier mache figure so it resembles Her Majesty, and plan to parade it in

  • Trailer firm shuts down with loss of 70 jobs

    A LARGE trailer manufacturing firm with a chequered history shuts down for good next week with the loss of dozens of jobs. Seventy workers at Utility International, on the outskirts of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, are to be made redundant after the

  • NUM offensive over industrial disease payouts

    THE Durham area National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will today launch an attack on the Government for failing to compensate miners for industrial diseases. In an address at the annual Durham Miners' Gala, Durham area NUM president Dave Guy will highlight

  • Championship race to go down to wire

    WITH just a couple of points separating Murton from Peterlee, the leadership could change hands tonight even if both sides draw. Every point is crucial and with Hylton and Silksworth waiting in the wings for any slip-up by the two leading contestants,

  • Crunch time for league

    THE match of the day is between Esh Winning and Crook Town and with little to choose between the sides, the outcome is crucial to their title hopes. "It's a big weekend for the League. We are third and play fourth-placed Crook Town while leaders Evenwood

  • Farewell creates big interest

    AN exhibition marking the rich history of Feethams football ground opened yesterday in Darlington. Farewell to Feethams - which it is hoped will attract more than 15,000 people - is a project run by the Darlington Supporters' Trust to mark the end of

  • Fewer complaints levelled against police officers

    THE number of complaints about Durham police officers being dealt with by an official body has fallen by more than the national average, it has been revealed. Durham's outgoing Chief Constable, George Hedges, gave the news in the wake of the publication

  • Rail union chief to support strikers

    RAIL union chief Bob Crow will be in the North-East today to support striking Arriva Trains Northern conductors. The Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) general secretary is in Durham City where he will meet those taking part in a 24-hour stoppage

  • For Your Benefit: Widow may be due more help

    Q I am a widow of 77, living with my son, aged 43, who gets Jobseeker's Allowance of £53.95 a week. As he spends this on fares and other expenses to do with looking for work he cannot pay me anything for his board and this is a real burden on me. Can

  • Leadership qualities

    There aren't many big races in the calendar that have eluded master trainer Sir Michael Stoute. However, the John Smith's Cup (formerly the Magnet Cup) is one of the more prestigious races that hasn't as yet had Stoute's name etched into its history.

  • Army 'cover-up' on 23 deaths, says MP

    A SENIOR MP last night accused the Army of staging a cover-up over the "suspicious" deaths of 23 young soldiers at Britain's biggest base. Labour MP Kevin McNamara, who is calling for a public inquiry into the mysterious deaths of Army personnel around

  • Gardening: Rewarding endeavours

    AS a garden designer, one of the most rewarding moments is when you see a plan become reality. It was over six months ago that a colleague asked me to step in and visit a garden that needed designing. I consequently found out that the job was more than

  • Finalists compete for trip to Africa

    A CHALLENGE that 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 ten years, is open to teams of North-East youngsters aged from

  • Anger will inspire Pool's promotion bid

    CHRIS Turner belives a burning sense of injustice and anger will help fire his side next season. Pool are back today from a five-day training stint in Holland, where they romped to 12-0 victories over Theole and SV Nootdorp on Wednesday and Thursday.

  • Deacon blue about hurdles

    TYNESIDER Jared Deacon has scrapped plans to race over the hurdles as he reverts back to his favoured 400m in a bid to qualify for the European Championships at the AAA Championships in Birmingham this weekend. The 26-year-old Border Harrier, who has

  • Skipper Eckels relishes clash with old enemy

    IT is a long time since Darlington RA looked forward with so much anticipation to a visit from Darlington but captain David Eckels reckons his side is raring to go! "For years they have had the edge on us and it is some time since we beat them but we

  • Focus on fitness in pre-season blitz

    Darlington continue their pre-season build-up today as they head for Kingstonian to play two games in as many days on the back of a strenuous last fortnight. The players have been put through their paces both morning and afternoon since the beginning

  • Man found guilty of role in conspiracy

    A GAMBLER who said it was unbelievable that drugs were found in the house where he was arrested, was yesterday found guilty of taking part in a conspiracy to supply crack cocaine. When the police raid took place,Colin Noble, 29, was carrying more than

  • Boro revitalised Venables

    Terry Venables thanked Middlesbrough last night for granting him the chance to rebuild his managerial career. Venables won plaudits throughout the game for keeping Boro in the Premiership last year when he was called in by Bryan Robson in December 2000

  • Touring Cars speed to Croft for a third time

    THE UK's premier saloon car series roars off the grid at Croft Circuit near Darlington this weekend. Two rounds of the British Touring Car Championship have been held at the track since it was upgraded in the late 1990s and, although the weather has not

  • Application still required as Tykes dig in

    YORKSHIRE owed a big debt of gratitude to their three left-handers at Scarborough yesterday for giving them a chance of holding out for a draw against Somerset. Facing the stiff task of making 349 to avoid the follow on, Yorkshire closed on 258 for six

  • Something to digest about waste

    PRIME Minister Tony Blair was shown an "aerobic digester" yesterday when he opened a processor that could help solve the country's landfill problem. Mr Blair visited Thornley Waste Transfer Station, County Durham, where he switched on a sophisticated

  • Comment: Shaking the past aside

    THE DAY after the threat of criminal charges is removed from Ray Mallon, the Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives in Middlesbrough to shake his hand. It looks like the final act of rapprochement following Mr Mallon's embarrassing defeat of Labour in the

  • A tough-talking man of peace

    The new chief constable of Durham Constabulary was yesterday named as the current deputy, Paul Garvin. He tells Sarah Foster about his vision for the future of policing in the county. A BRIEF perusal of Deputy Chief Constable Paul Garvin's history, as

  • Meet the mayor

    WHEN they first met, Tony Blair was leader of the Opposition and Ray Mallon was head of Middlesbrough CID and pioneer in Britain of American zero tolerance policing techniques. Yesterday, five years on, they shook hands again - Mr Blair as Prime Minister

  • Show's return is hit with the crowd

    THE Great Yorkshire Show attracted its biggest crowd for nearly 20 years, official attendance figures showed yesterday. The North's showpiece agricultural event, which made a spectacular return after it was cancelled last year because of the foot-and-mouth

  • No quitting when things get tough

    YOUNGSTERS at a North-East school challenged Tony Blair with an assembly question time he described as "probably harder than from the Opposition" in Parliament. The Prime Minister was at Gurney Pease Primary School, in Darlington, as part of a tour of

  • Women get lift in work quest

    THREE women at Lafarge Cement's Weardale works tackled a training course in forklift operating to help them find jobs when the works closes. They are among the 147 workers affected by the closure of the former Blue Circle plant - the main production process

  • Lintz heading the field

    FOLLOWING their outstanding victory over second-top Lanchester last weekend, Lintz have a great chance of winning their first championship in 20 years. They host third-from-bottom Ryton this afternoon and field a near full-strength side, the only absentee

  • Hear All Sides: PROSTITUTION

    THE remarks by Coun Stephen Smailes (Echo, July 6) were interesting but confusing. He states that the police in Middlesbrough have been successful in dealing with the problem of prostitution and the solution seems to be that the prostitutes have moved

  • Musicians steeled for success

    A YOUNG steel band is proving a success after its members were inspired by a workshop held at their school. In February last year, pupils at Hummersknott Comprehensive School, in Darlington, received a visit from members of Steel Bands North, from Gateshead

  • The doleful tale of Black Dick's island

    MOST of us would have sailed through life oblivious of Lord Howe Island had the Royal Navy's HMS Nottingham not sailed into it this week. At seven miles long and nearly two miles wide, you might have thought it difficult to miss, but then the RN did recently