Archive

  • Thousands more jobs on the line

    THOUSANDS more jobs are at risk as a result of Black & Decker's decision to switch power tool production abroad, the region was warned last night. Regeneration bosses and union leaders said the loss of 950 jobs at Spennymoor, County Durham, would

  • Town's revamp nearly at an end

    THE relocation of a war memorial will mark the completion of a big regeneration project in Shildon. It is hoped that the memorial, which is situated in the churchyard of All Saints Church, will be transferred to its new site in nearby Redworth Road, in

  • Commandos game is well worth the wait

    Commandos 2: Men of Courage. Formats: X Box & PS2. Publisher: Eidos SOMETIMES games languish on publishing schedules because they aren't very good. Sometimes they don't arrive on time because the developer needs extra time. Sometimes they miss the

  • Mandy's business is flying high

    CONSETT businesswoman Mandy Scott is celebrating ten years of flying the flag for North-East business this week. The 34-year-old has come a long way since she began making flags on her sewing machine at home in Blackhill. Her company, AA Flags, on Park

  • Probe launched into failed steel takeover

    Whitehall has launched an investigation into the collapse of a North-East steelworks just weeks after it was taken over. Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong will meet Department of Trade and Industry officials and union leaders in London today to discuss

  • Final mass for doomed church

    A CHURCH which is to be demolished to make way for a retail development will hold its final mass tomorrow night. St Patrick's Church, in Cannon Street, Middlesbrough, is to be demolished in the next few weeks, following a joint planning application for

  • Going private cost me NHS care, says patient

    A PATIENT campaigning for better treatment for chronic pain sufferers claims she has has been refused NHS treatment - for going private. Mary Hawgood, 68, from Durham City, says she has been rejected by the NHS because she saw a consultant privately while

  • Headteacher quits post three weeks early

    THE headteacher of a Darlington school, who resigned last week, has left his post three weeks early. Richard Appleton resigned from Eastbourne Comprehensive School at the same time as the chairman of governors, Councillor Ian Haszeldine. Darlington Borough

  • Musical show

    Spennymoor Operatic Society is staging The Magic of the Musicals in Spennymoor Town Hall tonight, at 7pm. Tickets are available from society members or on (01388) 420057. There should also be a limited number of tickets available at the door.

  • Waste decision probed

    COUNCILLORS are to investigate why alternative sites for a controversial waste transfer and recycling station appear to have been ignored. Teesdale District Council's social and environmental overview and scrutiny committee met yesterday to discuss why

  • Centre's walls defaced

    A CENTRE for the disabled has been covered in graffiti in the latest in a series of vandal attacks. The windows and panels of Durham County Council-run Stanley Day Centre were daubed with chalk on Monday night. The centre, in Wear Road, has suffered at

  • School's sensory corridor offers pupils hours of fun

    PIONEERING technology is making learning a lot easier for children with special needs. A sensory corridor at Murphy Crescent Special School, in Bishop Auckland, is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and has already given hours of pleasure

  • Water, water everywhere

    RESIDENTS were drenched with water when workers burst a pipe and sent a powerful jet gushing 70ft into the air. Builders were left mopping up when they knocked off a valve and sent water cascading over houses near the site in Longbenton, Newcastle. On

  • Spotlight on Internet threat to youngsters

    A MAN leading the war against chatroom paedophiles is to deliver a warning in North-East next week. Alisdair Gillespie, an active member of the Home Office Internet Task Force for Child Protection, is giving a free lecture at the University of Teesside

  • Campaign targets hoax calls

    NEW figures show that more than 5,000 hoax calls were logged by the region's fire brigades last year. The figures were released as a campaign gets under way to cut the number of hoax fire calls made from public phone boxes. Although the police and ambulance

  • Fines for litter bugs

    A LOCAL authority is considering imposing on-the-spot fines to beat a litter problem. Harrogate Borough Council is about to decide whether to give officials the right to serve notices on the owners of commercial properties who do not tackle the problem

  • Bully dentist struck off for false claims

    A CROOKED dentist who bullied his receptionists into helping him avoid financial ruin, was yesterday struck off the register. Richard Cox told staff at his County Durham practice that he would have to turn it into a fast food shop if they did not join

  • Timely sale of train collectables

    AN auction of locomotive nameplates is taking place this weekend in a bid to raise thousands of pounds. The money is needed to save one of the world's most important railway treasures - Queen Victoria's last surviving royal carriage. After her death 101

  • Comment: The danger of populist appeal

    TODAY we report on Ray Mallon's wide-ranging plans to make Middlesbrough a better place to live. His philosophy is populist and simple: remove the lowlife, as he calls them, and let the majority of decent people flourish. It is exciting and we wish him

  • A little piece of history

    PEOPLE can buy a piece of North-East history now that a Co-op supermarket, dating from 1913, has been turned into a collectable miniature. The Co-op at Beamish Museum, County Durham, is one of the attraction's most popular exhibits. The store existed

  • Woman raped on way home

    A 41-year-old woman was raped in the early hours of Sunday, as she made her way home after a night out with her sister in Newcastle. A police spokesman said the woman was attacked on Dean Street, near Dog Leap stairs. She then left the area in a taxi

  • Body found

    The body of Thomas Steele, 79, of Allerdene Walk, Whickham, Gateshead, was found in water at the Derwenthaugh Marina in Blaydon, at 10am on Tuesday. He was last seen leaving the Glebe Social Club, Whickham, at 9pm on Monday. Police are appealing for anyone

  • Tesco announces festive season recruitment drive

    A SUPERMARKET chain plans to recruit 250 staff in time for Christmas. Tesco announced yesterday that it plans to create the jobs at its nine North-East stores. It will recruit 60 permanent and 190 seasonal workers to cover the Christmas period. On average

  • Driver sought

    POLICE are trying to trace a female driver who knocked over a 25-year-old woman in Guisborough on Friday. The driver took the victim, who was not badly injured, home after the accident at 5.15pm in the Westgate area. No details were taken of the driver

  • Action replay for the other World Cup heroes of 1966

    They were the unfancied underdogs who took on the glamorous superstars of Italy - and won. Now, as the surviving members of their legendary 1966 World Cup squad return to the scene of their greatest victory, Adrian Worsley discovers why Teesside holds

  • News in brief: Scultptures are stolen

    POLICE are trying to track down two huge garden ornaments which were stolen from a property in Darlington, overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. The stone sculptures, which depict a lion and an eagle, were taken from a home in Briar Walk. The eagle

  • John North: A happy marriage of land and Lord

    THE Bishop of Durham had said his farewells, another service satisfied, when - half-homeward through the door - he turned and re-accosted the column. "You know everything there is to be known about the North-East," he began, as fine an episcopal overture

  • Hotel building up for sale and possible conversion

    ONE of the region's leading hotels has been put on the market. The decision to close the 17th Century Newbus Arms Hotel, in Neasham, near Darlington, was made in August by owner John Wain, of Piercebridge. He bought the property for an undisclosed sum

  • Firms under conference spotlight

    A CONFERENCE of some of the City's leading fund managers is to be held in the North-East. Analysts from stock broking and investment firm Wise Speke have attracted more than 40 pensions and investment managers to the North-East to find out why the region's

  • Supermarket development begins after four-year delay

    WORK on a £12m town centre development in Chester-le-Street is expected to begin at the end of the month. After years of delay, Tesco is to start work on a multi-million pound supermarket near the viaduct in Chester-le-Street. The development was first

  • Bringing the world to school

    A NETWORK aimed at bringing the world into the region's schools has been launched. The One World Network North-East was launched at a civic reception held by Newcastle's Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor John and Audrey Marshall, in Jesmond, on Tuesday.

  • Band tour dates

    SOME of North Yorkshire's best young bands are touring this month thanks to the county's Youth Music Action Zone. Rappers Velocity and Shellshock, new metal group Jester, the psychedelic Spiral and the pop voice of Katherine Dawes will play five venues

  • Twenty arrests in drugs raids

    A NUMBER of suspected crack houses have been raided during the past few days as part of a clampdown in a North-East town. As part of Cleveland Police's Dealer a Day Initiative, drugs investigators - backed by sniffer dogs - raided ten properties in Middlesbrough

  • Rates cut would be 'pleasant surprise'

    THE North-East region of the Institute of Directors (IoD) is expecting the Bank of England's monetary policy committee to hold interest rates at four per cent when it meets today. It said there were undoubtedly signs that parts of the economy were falling

  • Paint job gives fighter a lift - but no take-off

    ONE of the greatest planes of the Second World War has been given a fresh lick of paint. This plane, however, has never actually left the ground. It is a life-size replica of a mark nine Spitfire on display at Eden Camp, near Malton, North Yorkshire.

  • Permission granted for recycling site

    A NORTH-East company has joined the battle to reduce the region's "fridge mountain". P&O Closed Loop Logistics has been given permission by Stockton Borough Council to build a plant capable of recycling up to 60 fridges an hour in Billingham. Across

  • Grant for entertainment

    A GROUP of teenagers has organised a series of events aimed at keeping younger children entertained thanks to a £15,000 grant. The 19-strong group of 13 to 15 year-olds from the Durham villages of Kelloe and Quarrington Hill, which have few leisure facilities

  • News in brief: Increase in police presence

    POLICE are increasing their presence in communities in the lead-up to Halloween and Bonfire Night. As part of Operation Wytch, Northumbria Police will spend more time on the beat in north Newcastle in a bid to tackle youth disorder. Changes in shift patterns

  • News in brief: Porsche stolen from village

    POLICE are trying to trace a grey Porsche 944, registration RTG 74, stolen from outbuildings near Barton between 8pm on Tuesday and 8am yesterday. BREAK-INS: Cars were raided in Durham Way South, on the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate, on Tuesday. A

  • Future business encouraged

    ASPIRING business people considering setting up their own enterprise have been encouraged to attend an awareness event where they will have the chance to win £500. The Gala Theatre, in Durham, will stage the high point of a series of Enterprise Awareness

  • Pupils gain chance to mix with music entrepreneurs

    A MUSIC entrepreneur who has rubbed shoulders with international pop producers will give a chance to aspiring teenagers from throughout the North. Adam Chetter, 21, who set Popstars: The Rivals top ten finalist Chris Park on the road to stardom is being

  • Signs concert

    A NEWTON Aycliffe school is to host a concert of sign language, dance, music and song by a signing choir. Greenfield Community and Arts Centre is to host the Sugarhill Sign Sing Choir next Thursday. All members of the choir are aged between six and 13

  • Golden moments prove hard to come by for team

    YOUNGSTERS on a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme have completed a gruelling expedition. The young people from Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe, and Durham City took part in a four-day 50-mile self sufficient expedition. The team was split into two groups

  • News in brief: Colourful show graces region

    A COLOURFUL combination of Indian drama, dance and music is coming to Teesside. The Kala Chethena Kathakali Company will be at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Friday, November 8, as part of its first UK tour. The show, at 7.30pm, features ancient Hindu stories

  • Chester-le-Street, Birtley and District

    BOATS AND TRAINS: The North-East Diecast Collectors Club is holding a toy and train fair on Sunday, October 19, in North Lodge School, Chester-le-Street, from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Admission is 50p and 30p for pensioners and children. SHOPS AND CHURCHES:

  • Dreams can come true

    A TEENAGER was given the chance to make his dream become a reality when he landed his perfect job. Anthony Peacock, 15, from Hartlepool, won a day as a DJ courtesy of Galaxy 105-106 and Education Action Zone (EAZ). After winning the competition, Anthony

  • New chapter for libraries

    FREE Internet access for everyone will be launched at Berwick Hills Library in Middlesbrough on Saturday. Deputy mayor Councillor Bob Brady will launch the scheme. As part of the People's Network initiative, Middlesbrough Council received a National Lottery

  • Inquest into death of crash victim

    An inquest has been opened into the death of electrical engineer Andrew Denham who died in a car accident in Great Stainton, County Durham. Mr Denham, 24, of Eastlea Avenue, Bishop Auckland, died last Wednesday after his Renault Clio swerved to avoid

  • Harman to speak on rape laws

    HARRIET Harman, the Solicitor General, will visit the North-East next month to talk to women about changing the law regarding rape. She will address members of women's groups at the University of Teesside in Middlesbrough on Tuesday, November 12. The

  • Tory skates in for fish stocks campaign

    An MEP launched a campaign to save Britain's fish stocks yesterday and has asked people to call him McMillan-Skate rather than McMillan-Scott, in an attempt to highlight the problem. Tory Edward McMillan-Skate, MEP for Yorkshire and Humberside, has produced

  • Football learning centre is role model

    A FOOTBALL club learning centre is serving as an international model for other clubs and schools. Last week, 57 teachers from Oslo, Norway, visited the Newcastle United Learning Centre, at St James' Park. They were so impressed with its facilities that

  • Gray brightens Wearside gloom

    SKIPPER Michael Gray gave managerless Sunderland a much-needed boost yesterday when he signed a new four-year contract. The former England international began discussing a fresh deal before this week's dismissal of Peter Reid. Sunderland-born Gray, 28

  • News in brief: Increase in police presence

    POLICE are increasing their presence in communities in the lead-up to Halloween and Bonfire Night. As part of Operation Wytch, Northumbria Police will spend more time on the beat in north Newcastle in a bid to tackle youth disorder. Changes in shift patterns

  • Linby Lad has the credentials to cause Cup shock

    JOHN QUINN'S two-year-olds are virtually always worthy of respect and York-bound Linby Lad (4.00) is no exception. On the evidence of the bare form - a narrow success in a run-of-the-mill Musselburgh maiden - Linby Lad's prospects of lifting the Green

  • 'Obscene' cost of domestic violence

    DOMESTIC violence costs the residents of the North-East and North Yorkshire more than £32m a year, it has been revealed. Researchers have calculated the cost of domestic violence to people living in the region by looking at the number of residents in

  • 'Whiffy' boss wins top honour

    A NORTH-EAST businessman who sparked outrage after describing the Queen Mother's body as "whiffy" has been named UK entrepreneur of the year. Dave Charlton, founder and chairman of menswear chain The Officers Club, was forced to make a swift apology over

  • Villagers call for waste debate

    A WASTE transfer station may be built on a trading estate without local councillors debating the issue. Yorwaste has asked Richmondshire District Council for permission to set up the centre off Gatherley Road, in Brompton-on-Swale. The project was advertised

  • Tragedy highlights child care concerns

    FAMILY support agencies have been cleared of blame in the report into the double-death tragedy of a mother who leapt from Hownsgill Viaduct clutching her autistic son. But the report has highlighted serious deficiencies in the system of caring for disabled

  • Club kicks off for the future

    A TOWN football club will hold a social night and memorabilia auction next month to kick start its future. Willington AFC is aiming for a place in the first division of the Albany Northern League and a revamp for its Hall Lane ground. In its heyday 10,000

  • Parents of truants face action

    PARENTS of youngsters who persistently play truant could be facing tougher action as the Government announces more crackdowns. The announcement comes after figures revealed there has been no improvement on truancy in the past year, despite town centre

  • Jail for vagrant with a Volvo

    WHEN gentleman of the road Mel Bird inherited £7,800 he thought his troubles were over - in fact they were just beginning. The bearded tramp - who is partial to an odd tipple or three - quickly decided to give his feet a rest by purchasing a 16-year-old

  • Wilkinson appointed new Black Cats chief

    Howard Wilkinson has been unveiled as Sunderland's new manager at a press conference this morning. Former Leeds boss Willkinson, who emerged as a late candidate for the post following the sacking of Peter Reid on Monday, was introduced to press at the

  • Braced for a boom in older population

    THE number of elderly people in England's largest county is set to soar in the next 20 years. By 2022 it is estimated that the number of 60 to 69-year-olds in North Yorkshire will have jumped by 35 per cent. And in some of the more rural areas of the

  • Heaps fight warms up

    RESIDENTS have handed in a petition protesting at plans to build houses on a green area. People at Blackfyne, near Consett, have collected 350 signatures so far against the development on the Blue Heaps, three-acres of grassland formed out of ore heaps

  • Tell the breast bullies to back off

    'MY baby trauma: New mum Gaby's heartbreak'. Reading the headlines this week, you could be forgiven for assuming TV presenter Gaby Roslin had suffered a miscarriage or even lost her child. But no, the 38-year-old BBC star says the first months of her

  • More gloom as steel manufacturer sheds 50 workers

    FAMILIES in job-starved Weardale were dealt another cruel blow when one of its last major employers announced major job cuts. Bosses at Weardale Steel, in Wolsingham, told workers that 50 jobs were to be axed at the 133-year-old steelworks last Thursday

  • Mallon returns to the fight against crime

    Mayor Ray Mallon plans to use Britain's biggest private policing force to slash crime in Middlesbrough by 15 per cent. Yesterday's unveiling of former policeman Mr Mallon's 90-strong Community Protection Unit formed the centrepiece of his ambitious crime

  • Pledge to stamp out racism in schools

    EDUCATION chiefs yesterday stressed their commitment to stop racism in Darlington schools. The pledge came as a report showed that in the school year to mid-July there were 32 alleged racist incidents reported to Darlington Borough Council's education

  • Phillips pledges future

    SUNDERLAND striker Kevin Phillips yesterday paid tribute to sacked manager Peter Reid - and pledged his future to the club. Reid plucked Phillips from the obscurity of Watford in a £650,000 deal over five years ago. It proved to be Reid's shrewdest move

  • Bramble waiting in wings

    OUT-OF-FAVOUR Titus Bramble is convinced he will not be sat on the sidelines with Newcastle United for much longer. The £5m centre-back has not started a game for the Magpies since the 2-0 defeat at home to Leeds on September 11. And he was not even included

  • Ex-NSK workers sue over lost jobs

    ENGINEERING firm NSK is facing a costly damages claim from workers suing for unfair dismissal. The Northern Echo has learnt that 27 former production staff at its steering column plant in Palmer Road, Peterlee, County Durham, have brought a case against

  • High Court overturns illegal tipping verdict

    A COMPANY run by a former football club chairman is facing a hefty legal bill after a lengthy court battle with the Environment Agency. Former Bishop Auckland Football Club boss Steve Newcomb and his company, R Newcomb and Sons Limited, have agreed to

  • Dancing through decades

    YOUNGSTERS in Tow Law are working with professional dancers and musicians to produce a lively show in the village this weekend. Schoolchildren have teamed up with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers for a series of workshops learning how to swing their hips in the

  • Last Night's TV: Tipping The Velvet (BBC2)

    Tipping the wink about blue Velvet AS the BBC is intent on selling this drama to viewers as a shocking lesbian love story, let's start with the facts. Not until the 46th minute of the hour-long, first episode does any girl-on-girl action took place. Writer

  • Safety moves for rail bridges

    MORE than half a million pounds is to be invested in safety measures on one of the region's railway bridges. Refurbishment work on the Neville's Cross bridge, on the A167 near Durham, got under way earlier this week and is due to be completed by mid-December

  • Fightback for jobs now begins

    THIS week marked the start of a fight to bring new jobs to the town of Spennymoor after it was left reeling by the news of mass job losses at Black and Decker. Shocked workers arrived at the factory on Thursday morning last week to be told that 550 full

  • College learning leads Laura to degree course

    A YOUNG woman who left school at 15 is starting a new life at university. Laura Dorling, 18, of Stanley, is studying at Bradford University to become a teacher. Her move follows a successful NVQ course in childcare at Derwentside College, which included

  • Isolated folk unite to fight for fair deal

    RESIDENTS of an isolated rural community who think their needs have been neglected by their district council have banded together to ensure their voice is heard. The South Derwentside Rural Partnership was created at a meeting packed by people from Hedleyhope

  • Police aim to get rid of boy racers

    POLICE have launched an operation to rid Bishop Auckland's streets of boy racers. The move comes after months of complaints from residents about dangerous driving, unacceptable noise, litter, harassment, and anti-social behaviour in the town's Forebondgate

  • Vocal support for church

    Singer, author and comedienne Joyce Shaw is to perform at Chilton and Windlestone Methodist Church. The performer, from Consett, regularly raises money for cancer charities. Proceeds from the show will be divided between the church and a charity of her

  • Police on the move

    THE authority responsible for running the police in North Yorkshire has been on the move. The county's police authority has transferred its headquarters to offices on the Melmerby Business Park, near Ripon. Since it was formed eight years ago, the authority

  • £1m bungalows for the elderly scheme

    A £1m development is providing 18 bungalows for elderly people on a former garage site near Spennymoor town centre. The Tower Coachworks building in King Street, where the Raine family ran a coach building and accident repair business until November last

  • Dad At Large: Over the moon with pride

    THERE is something deeply moving about seeing your little boy running out for football training wearing a new Arsenal shirt with his name and a number nine emblazoned on the back. BARRON looks good on the back of an Arsenal shirt, I thought to myself

  • Refuse collection aid

    HUNDREDS of people are receiving help with their rubbish collection, after the introduction of new scheme by Darlington Borough Council. The new system requires householders to leave rubbish in black bags on the kerbside for collection. The changes angered

  • New centre to help disabled people

    RESOURCES for disabled people in Darlington were given a boost yesterday by the opening of a valuable facility. A new resource centre for the Learning Disability Service has been opened at the former caretaker's house, in the grounds of the Arts Centre

  • Hailed for their champion efforts

    THE hard work of dozens of community champions from across the region was celebrated at special awards ceremony yesterday. The event, in Newcastle, recognised outstanding contributions of recipients of the Community Champions fund, set up by the Department

  • One last beat patrol

    BEAT Bobbies old and new are being summoned to a North-East police station one last time before it closes. Part of the 150-year-old building at Loftus, east Cleveland, is to be converted into affordable housing, worth £425,000, and the will close in early

  • Youngsters build up to construction challenge

    FIVE building companies have been launched by pupils for a construction challenge. More than 50 teenagers took up the Enterprise in Construction Challenge to form companies and draw up plans for the redevelopment of the Blue Circle Cement Works in Weardale

  • Squaring up to the urban terrorist

    Yesterday Ray Mallon outlined the second stage of his zero tolerance plan. Using letters from Middlesbrough MP Stuart Bell's postbag to illustrate the town's problems, Chris Lloyd reports. "My wife and I are separated. She is 39 weeks pregnant. She is

  • Deadline for VWF sufferers

    FORMER miners suffering from vibration white finger have been warned they have only days to make a claim under a government sponsored compensation scheme. The scheme, run by the Department of Trade and Industry, ends on October 31. More than £100m has

  • Jackie steals the scene for charity

    A PHOTOGRAPHER is selling some of her work to raise money for a mental health centre. Jackie Green has produced some of the photographs of Redcar she took with the town's Newlands Community Mental Health Resource Centre photography group, as postcards

  • Drivers face roadworks disruption

    WORK is to be carried out on the A1 this weekend. There will be lane closures from 9pm on Friday to noon on Saturday at Blaydon Bridge, near the MetroCentre junction. The northbound sliproad on to the A1 at the MetroCentre, and the northbound and southbound

  • International praise for project work

    THE Swale and Ure washlands project, in North Yorkshire, has been given a huge vote of confidence by a team of countryside professionals. The praise came after a week-long intensive study of the area by a multi-national countryside exchange programme.

  • Huntsman agrees £1m waste management deal

    A CLEAN-UP plan has been announced by a Teesside chemical complex. Under the £1m deal signed by Huntsman, effluent will be piped from its polyurethanes site at Wilton, near Redcar, to Northumbrian Water's treatment plant at Bran Sands, Teesport. Dave

  • Bypass repairs to cause delays

    MOTORISTS are being warned of road lay-out changes as the next stage of improvements on a town centre bypass begin tomorrow. The scheme to refurbishthe A167 in Chester-le-Street, between Ropery Lane roundabout and the A1(M) Blind Lane interchange, began

  • Tackling racism

    DELEGATES from across the region have attended a conference which focused on methods of tackling racism in schools. The equality and diversity conference was hosted for the first time by North Yorkshire County Council's education service. The event was

  • More Great North runners

    A MEMBER of staff from a housing association completed Sunday's Great North run dressed as a house. Following six months of training, members of the finance department at Broadacres, whose head office is based in Northallerton, competed in the half marathon

  • Seeking reunion of art students

    A UNIVERSITY is organising a reunion to inspire future art graduates. Staff at Sunderland University are searching for former art students to put on a special show "Friends Reunited 1996-2001" at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, in the Sunderland

  • News in brief: Wedding day wonderland

    BRIDES-TO-BE will be heading for Harrogate this weekend to sample the best of the region's wedding suppliers. The annual bride's show at the Pavilions complex, on the Great Yorkshire Showground, features a diverse range of exhibitors, including bridal

  • Take a few basic steps

    THE importance of home safety during the winter is being highlighted in the Hambleton district this month. The campaign hopes to encourage householders to take basic security measures and offers advice relating to crime prevention. The district's community

  • Struggle to open second care home

    THOUSANDS of pounds are needed to open a second autism care home in North Yorkshire. Clare Ballam and her husband Roy, of Sowerby, near Thirsk, have already successfully created a group home for four people with autism in their area. They are trying to

  • Journey's end ahead for hull

    AN enormous floating hull is making its way from South Korea to the choppy waters of the North Sea. The hull of the Bonga - a 300-metre long floating production, storage and offloading vessel which is the height of a 12-storey building - has already entered

  • Refuse collection aid

    HUNDREDS of people are receiving help with their rubbish collection, after the introduction of new scheme by Darlington Borough Council. The new system requires householders to leave rubbish in black bags on the kerbside for collection. The changes angered

  • News in brief: Increase in police presence

    POLICE are increasing their presence in communities in the lead-up to Halloween and Bonfire Night. As part of Operation Wytch, Northumbria Police will spend more time on the beat in north Newcastle in a bid to tackle youth disorder. Changes in shift patterns

  • Books week ends in style

    MORE than 400 primary school children have visited Darlington's main library during National Children's Book Week, which ends tomorrow. The children, mostly from reception and year one and two classes, have toured the library and been entertained by a

  • Pupils go casual for charity

    YOUNGSTERS left their school uniform at home on Friday in favour of jeans and sweatshirts to raise money for a cause close to their hearts. St Andrew's Primary School, in Bishop Auckland, took part in Jeans for Genes Day - a national charity drive. The

  • Grassroots: Gainford and Langton Parish Council

    PROBLEMS with vandalism seem to have calmed down, members reported to Acting Sergeant Brian Coates when he attended their meeting on Monday. Councillor Vera Robinson reported that the village hall committee was about £100 short in meeting its budget because

  • Grassroots: Neasham Parish Council

    A WOODEN seat made for a bus shelter on Teessway, has been removed by Darlington Borough Council workmen, Monday's meeting was told. Chairman Councillor John Weighell said the seat, made by him and two other villagers, had been replaced as part of a scheme

  • Ex-lover sent down after stabbing

    A JEALOUS ex-boyfriend who stabbed his former partner's new lover has been jailed. Gareth Burns, 23, hoped for a reconciliation with Ann-Marie Jackson but "snapped" when her new man Karl Dodd opened her front door. Newcastle Crown Court heard how Burns

  • Island murderers caught on the page

    A consultant anaesthetist with a taste for true murder stories is to have a book published. Keith Wilkinson, 46, formerly of Sacriston near Durham, has written Manx Murders, which details 21 murder cases on the Isle of Man between 1859 and 1982. Mr Wilkinson

  • Youth workers seen in good light - study

    YOUNG people in Hartlepool see youth workers as helpful, fun and approachable, an independent study has found. Youngsters who attend youth clubs in the town were given questionnaires and took part in interviews about how youth services could be improved

  • Bid to stamp out bullying

    PUPILS at a Teesside school have produced a poster aimed at discouraging children from bullying. The year seven youngsters from Newlands School, in Middlesbrough, designed the poster at an anti-bullying workshop. "The workshops are designed to allay pupils

  • Take a piece of the forest home with you

    NATURE lovers can foster their very own piece of a North Yorkshire forest this Sunday. Dalby Forest, near Pickering, is to be the stage for a free, seed gathering Sunday, between 10am and 4pm. Visitors can collect seeds from trees such as oak, beech,

  • Fair chance of diversions

    NEXT week sees the start of Yarm Fair and police would like to remind drivers that diversions will be in place. From 6pm to 10pm on Tuesday, when the fair arrives, and from 6pm to midnight from Thursday until Saturday, vehicles will be able to use the

  • Support acts for troubled theatre

    TWO well-known actresses from rival soaps got together to support a troubled theatre's recovery yesterday. Ann Marie Davies, best known for playing Katrina Evans in Brookside, and Leila Birch, who shot to fame as Theresa di Marco in EastEnders, posed

  • Hear All Sides: Gala Theatre

    MAY we express our deep disappointment at the departure of Rob Flower as general manager of the Gala Theatre, Durham (Echo, Oct 4). Having worked closely with Mr Flower for our summer production of Oliver!, we found him to be an honourable, understanding

  • Road for improvement

    PEOPLE in Middlesbrough are dissatisfied with street cleaning, highway maintenance and refuse collection services, according to an independent report. The Audit Commission found high levels of rubbish, problems with fly-tipping and a large number of roads

  • News in brief: Porsche stolen from village

    POLICE are trying to trace a grey Porsche 944, registration RTG 74, stolen from outbuildings near Barton between 8pm on Tuesday and 8am yesterday. BREAK-INS: Cars were raided in Durham Way South, on the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate, on Tuesday. A

  • Police hunt gunman

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a teenage gunman opened fire on a van driver. The incident happened shortly after 7.30am on Friday, on the Newton Cap Viaduct in Bishop Auckland. The bullet from the air rifle shattered the windscreen and sent

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    DARRELL Clarke insists he won't let his goal drought affect his game. The Hartlepool United midfielder has yet to hit the target this season, after ending the last campaign in style with five goals in ten games as he helped fire Pool into the play-offs