NETWORK Rail has launched an investigation after a train collided with equipment left on the track by a contractor. No one was hurt in the incident and the train sustained only minor damage when it hit the portable generator on Sunday morning. A passenger
We take a look at a dank and smelly, but vital piece of wartime heritage which helped us win the Second World War by tricking the German Luftwaffe into bombing fields instead of aerodromes. A SMALL, stinky brick hut standing in the middle of nowhere on
CHARGES were dropped yesterday against a Greek student suspected of being behind a terrorism plot. Charalambos Dousemetzis, 25, who studied at both Newcastle and Northumbria universities, has always denied being involved with the Greek terrorist organisation
NEWLY installed double glazing may have saved a school from being completely gutted by fire on Sunday. Several thousand pounds worth of damage was caused to St Anne's CE Primary School, Bishop Auckland, by the blaze, thought to have been caused by an
INFRASTRUCTURE and facilities management group Jarvis has completed a deal to build a fire brigade headquarters on Wearside. The project is part of an £87m private finance initiative deal with the Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority, which
RAILWAY enthusiasts were last night eagerly awaiting the arrival of a famous locomotive at a North-East museum. Blue Peter, a renowned name from the golden age of steam rail travel, will go on display at the weekend - two months after a Northern Echo-backed
CUBS and Beavers were given a prescription for healthy living from a hospital consultant who specialises in children's illnesses. Paediatrician Dr Heather Smith passed on lessons on diet and exercise to the youngest members of the 2nd Bishop Auckland
Darlington striker Barry Conlon has vowed to score the goals that will ensure Third Division safety, but admitted his place is anything but assured. Quakers welcome back top scorer Conlon for this weekend's visit of struggling Shrewsbury after a two-match
The UK "mental health czar" has opened a £2m hospital development in the region. Professor Louis Appleby, the National Director for Mental Health, is pressing hospital trusts around the UK to modernise out-dated facilities. Today he came to the North-East
Love and marriage in Soapland bears no resemblance to the real world where the basis of a long and happy marriage might be love, mutual respect or give and take. Getting hitched as the result of a bet, though, is not the best way to ensure you'll still
POLICE who raided a man's home found a computer packed with pornographic pictures of children - including a six-week-old baby. Magistrates at Harrogate, North Yorkshire, heard how detectives found the pictures when they raided the home of Timothy Sydney
Plans to build a new link road beside what is believed to be the world's oldest railway booking office have provoked anger from a local resident. The road, which will link Ingleby Barwick to Stockton, will run past the original booking office of the Stockton
THE future of 1,400 jobs and more than five million turkeys hangs in the balance after the collapse of the UK's biggest turkey supplier. Brandons, which employs 350 staff at a processing plant in Dalton, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, has been placed in
A NEW drug dependency centre could become the blueprint for Britain's battle against petty crime. Officials say they have seen a big drop in incidents of street crime since the centre opened last year. Now the £500,000 service could become a template
THE Teesdale branch of Cancer Research UK has tickets available for a trip to the Classic Bike Show, in Stafford, on Saturday, April 26. Tickets cost between £13 and £20, which includes return coach travel and entry to the show. Proceeds will go to the
AFRICAN asylum seekers in the North-East have gone into hiding because they fear deportation to their war-torn homeland. Dozens of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have gone underground in the past few weeks. Officials admit they have
ABOUT 30 contractors are on strike today at a North-East pharmaceutical firm over pay. Avecia, in Billingham, is building production facilities for bio-pharmaceutical products using natural or genetically engineered micro-organisms, a project which could
PLANNERS look set to rebuff a bid by discount retailer Matalan to build a new warehouse-type store in Bishop Auckland. Members of Wear Valley District Council's planning committee will be asked to throw out proposals for a 35,000 sq ft store when it is
PUPILS were treated to a concert during morning assembly by an up-and-coming boy band. Irish-born popstars D-Side played to about 275 year ten pupils at Acklam Grange School, in Middlesbrough, yesterday after a vote on a local radio show. Pupils bombarded
AN RAF driver from the Second World War has received a medal for his exploits - 58 years after the end of the war. Great-grandfather Leslie Iceton, 88, from east Redcar, said he qualified for the medal for serving as an RAF driver. But a recent TV documentary
LEADING members of Durham County Council could get inflation-busting pay rises of up to £6,000. An independent panel has recommended the rises for the Labour council's ten-strong cabinet. The panel is recommending a £6,000 rise to £16,764 for deputy leader
SPORTING DINNER: Alan Ball and Aaron Jones will be guests at the annual sportman's dinner, held by the Chester-le-Street branch of Sunderland AFC Supporters' Association, at 7.30pm, on Thursday, April 17, in the Stadium of Light. Tickets are £25. MP SURGERY
A SURVEY has found that families suffering from financial hardship in a North-East town are not claiming their full benefit entitlement. Results from a here to HELP programme, run jointly by British Gas and Middlesbrough Council, shows that many households
Councillor John Fletcher has promised to continue to press for a new footpath to the industrial park entrance in Durham Lane, Eaglescliffe. He said with more housing beyond Allen's West, and the Oakwood Centre having become popular for events involving
THE Teesdale branch of Cancer Research UK has tickets available for a trip to the Classic Bike Show, in Stafford, on Saturday, April 26. Tickets cost between £13 and £20, which includes return coach travel and entry to the show. Proceeds will go to the
PLAY TENNIS: Yarm Tennis Club presents Play Tennis free of charge on Sunday, April 27, from 10am to 4pm. Adults and children are welcome at the club, next to the cricket ground in Leven Road. There are adult club nights for all levels and a supervised
SUNDERLAND Trading Standards officers are the latest authority to issue a warning on toy Yo-Yo Water Balls. They consists of a stretchable cord attached to a squashable plastic ball covered with soft spikes and filled with liquid. There have been two
DURHAM hairdressers have proved they are a cut above the rest after coming top in a national competition. Saks, in Durham Market Place, beat off competition from the firm's 76 other branches to become the Saks National Grand Champion Du Service. The contest
What is it like when your husband is half-a-world away and under heavy fire, and you are left alone with the children. In the first extract from her diary, mother-of-four Hayley Kimsey tells how she is coping while Russ, a corporal with the Queen's Dragoon
DURHAM City was not untouched by the coal-mining activity that dominated much of the county. Apart from being the headquarters of the Durham Miners' Union and the venue of the annual Miners' Gala, Durham was home to several coal mines. Mining activity
Company directors have called for the Government to scrap its plans to set up elected mini-Parliaments in the English regions. According the the Institute of Directors (IoD), John Prescott's regional assemblies will only add another layer of bureaucracy
Three of the region's five centres of excellence have signed up as sponsors of Intertech 2003. The specialist centres of nanotechnology, life sciences and digital technology are committed to taking part in the international business partnering event for
A FORMER nightclub bouncer was fined £250 by magistrates yesterday for carrying an electric stun gun. The gun fell out of 40-year-old Kevin Lewis' hand while he was involved in a confrontation at The Lounge in Darlington town centre, two days before Christmas
CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown will have suffered the mother of all headaches in recent weeks as he seeks to calculate the incalculable. His troubles stem from the Coalition bombs falling on Iraq - not due to any moralistic stance, but because they are the precursor
Matrons are back - and they're making things better. A pilot scheme to bring back matrons onto hospital wards has proved so successful that now 2,000 are working in NHS hospitals and more are to be introduced in Accident and Emergency departments. Modern
ANIMAL inspectors seized a horse which they found living in a "sea of mud" a court heard yesterday. The horse, a grey gelding, was discovered by RSPCA inspector Ian Jackson in an allotment near Horden's Sea View Industrial Estate, in February last year
A LONG-standing preacher has resigned from his post over the "passive appeasement" by church leaders over the war in Iraq. John Richmond, a Methodist lay preacher on the Ripon circuit for 45 years and a former mayor of Ripon, said his decision to leave
A POPULAR rural event featuring dancing and music is set to bring a market town to life next month. Preparations for the 15th Teesdale Thrash, which will be held in Barnard Castle, County Durham, from May 2 to 4, will include two days of dancing and music
When the column left to put its feet up for a week, Sharon Gayter was slogging the streets of London. She still is. Sharon, it will be recalled, is the 39-year-old Teesside bus driver turned sports scientist and physiotherapist who faces the challenge
AT the beginning of the week we were fighting the flab, thanks to BBC1's Diet Trials, by Thursday the battle of the bulge was a sideshow. I'm finding it difficult to be my usual flippant self concerning what's happening in Iraq, mainly because my daughter's
DOCTORS have confirmed that mumps has broken out at a large North-East secondary school. One out of ten suspected cases of mumps has tested positive after doctors visited Carmel Technology College, in Darlington, to take samples. Efforts are now being
A DRUNKEN man threw a plate of food at his partner in front of one of their children before assaulting her, a court was told yesterday. The attack by Grant Metcalf, 29, on his then girlfriend, Louise Blakey, at their Darlington home left her with bruising
WAR AGAINST IRAQ: THE BBC2 Programme The War for Oil (March 26) gave an explanation for the extreme pressure by the Bush administration for war on Iraq. Declining oil supplies in Western countries, and the vast reserves in Iraqi oilfields (enough for
Tickets are still available for the Organist Entertains, with organist Nigel Ogden, at Saltburn Methodist Church, on Saturday at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and £4 from tourist information, Saltburn library and Kings, newsagents, or at the door.
THREE North-East inns have become the toast of a national pub chain. The Stonebridge Inn at Nevilles Cross, Durham, won the best drink category, the Northumberland Arms, in Felton, Northumberland, was judged best pub and The Clarendon Hotel, in Redcar
THREE North-East inns have become the toast of a national pub chain. The Stonebridge Inn at Nevilles Cross, Durham, won the best drink category, the Northumberland Arms, in Felton, Northumberland, was judged best pub and The Clarendon Hotel, in Redcar
SUNDERLAND Trading Standards officers are the latest authority to issue a warning on toy Yo-Yo Water Balls. They consists of a stretchable cord attached to a squashable plastic ball covered with soft spikes and filled with liquid. There have been two
A fundraising team from Stockton has thanked all those who attended a fundraising evening at Thornaby Nash club last month which raised £625 towards the creation of a sensory garden for the elderly patients of Albion and Crosby Centres at Stockton. The
THE shooting of two police officers in a North-East town 90 years ago will be remembered at a service this weekend. PC George Mussell and Sergeant Andrew Barton were killed while on duty in 1913 at a pub in Bedlington, Northumberland - a crime that shocked
SUNDERLAND Trading Standards officers are the latest authority to issue a warning on toy Yo-Yo Water Balls. They consists of a stretchable cord attached to a squashable plastic ball covered with soft spikes and filled with liquid. There have been two
THE cousin of a suspected gunman has denied lying under oath to protect him. Ashley Bethwaite told police Robert Fox arrived at her home in Luton at 11.30pm - more than four hours after James Bannon was shot at the Rovers Return pub in Sunderland last
THREE North-East inns have become the toast of a national pub chain. The Stonebridge Inn at Nevilles Cross, Durham, won the best drink category, the Northumberland Arms, in Felton, Northumberland, was judged best pub and The Clarendon Hotel, in Redcar
A PIONEERING charity which provides a valuable service to the community has won an award. Northallerton's Chopsticks, which is running an appeal to raise £850,000 to buy land and acquire premises in the town, has won an Duke of York Community Initiative
THE radio station that entertains Durham hospital patients is searching for more presenters. Durham Hospitals Radio has been broadcasting for 40 years, but was off air while Dryburn became University Hospital. During that time the station - which once
MORE than 4,000 customers have visited Darlington's tourism website to look for accommodation since it was launched last year. The site - www.visitdarlington.net - has had 37,687 visitors in its first year. It was launched with eight main menu options
CUBS and Beavers were given a prescription for healthy living from a hospital consultant who specialises in children's illnesses. Paediatrician Dr Heather Smith provided information on diet and exercise to the youngest members of the 2nd Bishop Auckland
THE following cases were heard by South Durham magistrates sitting in Darlington yesterday: SEX CHARGE: The case against Peter Large, 50, of Bisley Court, Darlington was adjourned until April 22. He is accused of indecently assaulting a girl under 14
A MAN assaulted a sailor because he was not fighting in the Iraqi war, a court heard yesterday. Steven Banks, 29, overheard Gary Stott talking about his work in the Royal Navy on his mobile phone in Darlington town centre, Simon Crowder, prosecuting,
Councillor John Fletcher has promised to continue to press for a new footpath to the industrial park entrance in Durham Lane, Eaglescliffe. He said with more housing beyond Allen's West, and the Oakwood Centre having become popular for events involving
SURFERS who want better access to the Internet have been urged to sign a virtual petition which could unlock the door to Broadband in Richmond. At the moment, the technology will only be installed where a demand has been established - and Richmondshire
AN innovative video showing churchgoers what happens to the money they put on the collection plate is launched on Saturday in the Anglican diocese of Ripon and Leeds. Delegates at a synod meeting in Harrogate will be given the first public showing of
THE artistic talent of seven youngsters won them tasty treats in an Easter competition. Pupils at Cockton Hill Infant School, Bishop Auckland, designed Easter cards for the competition, organised by local newsagent Chribec News. Staff at the shop, including
A NEW initiative, which aims to channel young people's energy into positive projects, is proving both popular and successful. Richmond YMCA was given a grant from the Local Network Fund for Children and Young People to launch Richmond Youth Focus. The
PHOTOGRAPHS of exotic creatures are going on display in County Durham. Indian wildlife photographer and conservationist DK Bhasker is visiting the country for six months and has brought some of his work with him. His pictures of tigers and elephants will
ORGANISERS are putting together a day-long programme of entertainment for the 33rd Sedgefield Medieval Fair, on the village green and in the grounds of Ceddesfeld Hall, on Saturday, May 17. The event is the annual major fundraising activity for Sedgefield
A PHARMACIST whose business collapsed admitted driving with excess alcohol and without due care yesterday. Gavin Davis, 28, crashed his mother's Volvo into another car on the A6072 at Bishop Auckland, while more than twice the drink limit. Helen Parkin
A MUSICAL extravaganza boasting some top names is coming to one of North Yorkshire's market towns this summer. The two-day open air concert is heading for Malton's Market Place, as The Shed Comes To Town launches in Ryedale. Malton centre marketing manager
The family of the horse and trap driver killed by a hit-and-run driver have urged the man to turn himself in. Wayne Walker, 33, of Springwell Village, Washington, Wearside, was driving his horse and trap along Washington Highway on Sunday lunchtime, when
CHANGES to Darlington Borough Council's refuse collection service over the Easter period have been announced. The following list shows the normal collection days, with the revised Easter collection days highlighted in bold type: Monday, April 14 -now
A SCHEME to build eight homes and six flats behind a well-known hotel has been turned down by councillors. Developers had planned to build the homes behind the Feathers Hotel, in Helmsley, and wanted to reduce the size of the hotel by removing some extensions
ELDERLY hospital patients from the Durham Dales could be making a speedier return home thanks to a new support service. Doctors in Wear Valley and Teesdale are offering help to people over 65, who are well enough to leave hospital, but may not be fit
FIVE male supporters of a Richmond rabbit refuge have put their names down for a "hare-raising" experience. The team will be having their legs waxed on Sunday to help raise cash for Bunny Burrows. The painful stunt is just one of the attractions at a
LOAN star Doriva could be handed another chance this weekend to prove he is worth a permanent contract at Middlesbrough. The Brazilian, on loan from Spanish side Celta Vigo until the end of the season, was impressive when he made his debut in the 3-0
'THAT'S a bit insensitive, featuring Jamie Theakston as a character using a lap dancing club," said my wife. The former children's show host's brush with the tabloid press over a sex scandal seemed to have encouraged the scriptwriters to play on his new
AN energy supplier is facing a large fine after misleading 35,000 customers into signing up to a price freeze promotion that actually increased their bills. Teesside Magistrates' Court heard yesterday how householders across the North-East were tempted
'THAT'S a bit insensitive, featuring Jamie Theakston as a character using a lap dancing club," said my wife. The former children's show host's brush with the tabloid press over a sex scandal seemed to have encouraged the scriptwriters to play on his new
IF you are looking for entertainment that is pure energy then Boogie Nights could be the show for you. Lively, funny and passionate, it was hard not to feed off the enthusiasm of the cast of this show, who at times, appeared to be enjoying themselves
THE FAMILY: Black and Decker worker Bob Warren lives in Spennymoor, County Durham, with his wife, Susan, 43, and two children, Becky, 11, and five-year-old Scott "I've worked in stores and as a forklift truck driver for Black and Decker in the town for
A DALES community is mourning a young driver who died when his car lost control on a country road. Landscape gardener Graham Pears, aged 20, was driving two friends back from a game of darts in a pub to their home village of Westgate in Weardale, on Thursday
THE owners of a Georgian country house are to rent their home out to couples looking for a taste of the high life. Sir William Gray and his wife, Juliet, are to let Eggleston Hall, in upper Teesdale, County Durham. Anyone taking up the offer can also
MIKE Newell wants Hartlepool United's supporters to relax - and enjoy the last few weeks of the season. A miserable March has seen Pool's lead at the top of the Division Three table to cut from 14 points to just one and the Victoria Park crowd have become
SUPERMARKET group Tesco has reported a 15 per cent rise in pre-tax profits thanks to strong growth in international sales. Total international sales rose 31.2 per cent to £5.2bn in the year to February 22. Britain's biggest grocer now has 45 per cent
UNDERSTANDABLY, most of the media's attention at the meeting between the US President and the Prime Minister concerned the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein. But while the fate of the Iraqi dictator has some short-term fascination, George Bush and Tony Blair
DISCOVERING Australia has put Captain James Cook in the history books as one of the world's greatest explorers. Yesterday, he was crowned as his home town's most influential son after topping a poll to honour the top 20 famous faces from Middlesbrough
Deprived communities in the North-East are to share £106m from the Government to help their regeneration. The largest chunk of the money will go to Sunderland, which will get more than £14m, over two years, starting next April. Middlesbrough is to receive
DURHAM are returning to Stockton for the first time for four years for a Frizzell County Championship match this season. They will play Worcestershire at the Grangefield Road ground on May 14-17, which are the same dates on which Kent visited in 1999.
GRAPHICS student Jody Moore looks set for a bright future after her work caught the eye of pop superstar Sir Elton John. She dashed forward from the crowd at a recent concert and persuaded her music hero to take one of her colourful designs. The 18-year-old
WHEN Jean Parvin applied to become a lollipop lady in her home village she was the only person who wanted the job. Thirty-five years later she is County Durham's longest- serving crossing patroller and has helped thousands of youngsters get safely to
A STRONG showing by David Beckham's range of children's clothing has failed to prevent a fall in fourth-quarter sales for Marks and Spencer. Despite good contributions from schoolwear and the England captain's DBO7 range, M&S said that other childrenswear
NEWCASTLE United's Gary Speed fears his season could over after suffering his latest injury setback. It was hoped that the influential midfielder would be in contention for Saturday's home game against Manchester United after missing the defeat at Everton
UNDERSTANDABLY the pay bonanza enjoyed by executives at Corus, the merged British Steel-Hoogovens business, attracted much attention in the North-East especially on Teesside where the Corus plant is under threat. Though the company hasn't made a penny
NINE part-time soldiers from the North are helping the Army keep in touch in the former Yugoslavia. The nine, from 34 (Northern) Signals Regiment, are among more than 40 who have volunteered to run the military communications system in the Balkans until
THOUSANDS of youngsters donned their trainers yesterday to stride out in the biggest schools' cross country event in England. Nearly 3,000 children from 121 primary schools across County Durham tackled courses of 1,000 or 1,500 metres in eight mass participation
A SECONDARY school will open its doors to the whole community after a multi-million pound revamp to bring it into the 21st century. St John's RC Comprehensive School in Bishop Auckland, is celebrating a windfall of £4.1m from the Department for Education
We take a look at a dank and smelly, but vital piece of wartime heritage which helped us win the Second World War by tricking the German Luftwaffe into bombing fields instead of aerodromes. A SMALL, stinky brick hut standing in the middle of nowhere on
RAIL passengers will face disruption to journeys when lines are closed for repair. Network Rail says services between Stockton and Saltburn, in east Cleveland, will be disrupted on Sunday, from 8am to 4pm. There will be no trains running between Middlesbrough
From approved school to millionaire football club owner, it's the stuff of a Boy's Own story - and now it's in print. Nick Morrison looks at the rags to riches tale of George Reynolds. AS the helicopter swooped down towards the makeshift landing pad,
EMMERDALE actress Christine Cox has enabled the show to go on at York Theatre Royal. She took over a leading role only days before the opening night of the English stage premiere of Abandonment, a play by York-born writer Kate Atkinson. Original cast
'THAT'S a bit insensitive, featuring Jamie Theakston as a character using a lap dancing club," said my wife. The former children's show host's brush with the tabloid press over a sex scandal seemed to have encouraged the scriptwriters to play on his new
IT was a splendid week off, thanks: a plodge around Whitby, a blow along the Northumberland coast at Craster and a walk over the lonely high road between Swaledale and Wensleydale, Muker to Askrigg. Just two farms dot that far-flung five miles and only
CUT-PRICE airline Ryanair has raised hopes that it could soon add a European destination to its flights from Teesside. The Irish company said there were plans to boost services from the North-East. Visiting Teesside Airport yesterday, its deputy chief
VIRGIN Mobile is creating about 200 jobs at a customer call centre in the Tees Valley. The operation, based at Centre North-East in Middlesbrough, will be managed by Garlands Call Centres, and will have 100 positions in place by the end of this month.
A radio station was launched in the region yesterday. Pool FM 107.5 is being broadcast from studios in the town for a trial period of four-weeks, and will have a mixture of local news, views and information. Playing a mix of music from the sixties to
MOROCCAN Talal El-Karkouri is on the verge of turning his back on Sunderland's doomed relegation fight. The centre-back, who only arrived from Paris St Germain in January, is understood to be in negotiations over a lucrative short-term move to the Middle
THE shooting of two police officers in a North-East town 90 years ago will be remembered at a service this weekend. PC George Mussell and Sergeant Andrew Barton were killed while on duty in 1913 at a pub in Bedlington, Northumberland - a crime that shocked
REGIONAL Development Agency One NorthEast is on course to pass key targets crucial in boosting the region's economy. Provisional results for the year to March 31 reveal the agency is likely to exceed its goals for creating and safeguarding jobs, creating
IT was a pleasant start to the morning. I opened my mail, whooped with delight and danced up and down the corridors with joy. I am sure that everyone else in the office at work thought that I must have won the Lottery or had been informed of a deceased
REDCAR'S Locke Park could receive a major facelift and people are being given a chance to have a say in its future. Historic landscape and environmental consultants Scott Wilson has been appointed to carry out an appraisal of the park and to develop a
A FORMER water company worker has turned his hobby into a living and exchanged permanent night shifts in London for an open air job at a County Durham beauty spot. Bobby Boyd has set up a mountain bike centre in Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland
AN initiative has been launched to offer free and impartial advice to rural business groups and associations across Yorkshire. The two-year Rural Business Network project is designed to reach out to groups to support their development and connect them
AN amateur golf tournament tees off in Stockton later this month with the chance for the winning team to play in Vilamoura, in Portugal. The Bass Ale Golfing Pub of the Year tournament will take place at Eaglescliffe Golf Club, Yarm Road, Eaglescliffe
Last weekend would have been a very good time for getting loads of gardening done. The weather was absolutely perfect. Gloriously bright sunshine, but with just enough chill in the air to prevent it getting uncomfortable whilst undertaking hard physical
TEMPERS flared when protestors lobbied a meeting in an attempt to persuade councillors to block a bid for new bus bays at Richmond School. At the moment, coaches delivering and collecting children have to squeeze into a limited number of spaces while
The founder of a group aiming to reinstate the 25-mile stretch of railway line between Harrogate and Northallerton via Ripon has expressed delight that the scheme is gathering a new head of steam. Chairman of Ripon Railway Reinstatement Association Adrian
THE Chinese ambassador has been presented with a gift by a primary school youngster from Norton. Emily Li, a year six pupil at Norton Primary School, entered a literacy competition being run by Northumbrian Water and was named as one of the winners. She
A FOOTBALL club has become the first in the country to be awarded secured car park status. Cleveland Police Chief Constable Sean Price presented the award to Hartlepool United Football Club for its facilities at Victoria Park. The Secured Car Parks scheme
A CONTROVERSIAL public-private partnership is to spend £60m on five schools on Teesside. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has this week been given permission by the Government to proceed with the programme. A private contractor, yet to be chosen by
I DID what everyone else did at the end of last autumn. I went out and bought the last of the tulip bulbs when they were going cheap in the sales. Then I completely forgot about them until Christmas. Between Christmas and New Year, I had a sudden yearning
Matrons are back - and they're making things better. A pilot scheme to bring back matrons onto hospital wards has proved so successful that now 2,000 are working in NHS hospitals and more are to be introduced in Accident and Emergency departments. Modern
A NORTH Yorkshire councillor has warned against the piecemeal exploitation of the lakes left behind by quarrying along the banks of the River Swale. Scorton's Councillor Michael Heseltine has been a leading light in the campaign for a comprehensive strategy
IT was a splendid week off, thanks: a plodge around Whitby, a blow along the Northumberland coast at Craster and a walk over the lonely high road between Swaledale and Wensleydale, Muker to Askrigg. Just two farms dot that far-flung five miles and only
BARTON and Scorton top the priority list for 20mph speed limits, councillors have agreed. North Yorkshire County Council has agreed to spend £23,000 in Barton and £2,000 in Scorton's Glebe Meadows. Also being considered for 20mph zones are areas in Middleham
A FORMER member of staff at a school, who stepped down at the end of last month after 25 years' service, will return tomorrow. Alma Kilgour, who retired as a supervisory assistant will return to judge Shotley Bridge Junior School's Easter egg competition
SUNDERLAND Trading Standards officers are the latest authority to issue a warning on toy Yo-Yo Water Balls. They consists of a stretchable cord attached to a squashable plastic ball covered with soft spikes and filled with liquid. There have been two
A NEW drug dependency centre could become the blueprint for Britain's battle against petty crime. Officials say they have seen a big drop in incidents of street crime since the centre opened last year. Now the £500,000 service could become a template
BOOK-LOVERS across North Yorkshire are being urged to do their bit in the latest search for the country's favourite reading matter. The Big Read is a project from the BBC, which aims to find the nation's favourite book. North Yorkshire's library service
The long-awaited and controversial inquiry into the Richard Neale scandal will get underway next month, it was revealed today. While an exact date has not been given, officials say the inquiry into how the NHS handled complaints against the disgraced
CHARGES were dropped yesterday against a Greek student suspected of being behind a terrorism plot. Charalambos Dousemetzis, 25, who studied at both Newcastle and Northumbria universities, has always denied being involved with the Greek terrorist organisation
Tim Easterby, fresh from a treble at Kelso on Monday, can successfully turn his attentions to the Flat with Only One Legend in the ladbrokes.com Handicap over six furlongs on the Polytrack at Lingfield this afternoon. Although comprehensively outpointed
PLANS for an £8m park and ride scheme to ease congestion in Durham City will be unveiled to the public today. Durham County Council plans to build three car parks on the outskirts of the city, where people can park and then ride by bus into the centre
PRIME Minister Tony Blair has admitted he is dreading turning 50. In an interview to be published in the May issue of Saga Magazine, out on Friday, Mr Blair, MP for Sedgefield, talks about his 50th birthday which falls on May 6. He reveals that he does
Six North-East men who were wrongly accused of having international terrorist links have rejected as too little offers of compensation. They were described last night as "a smack in the face". Durham and Cleveland police forces, who led Operation Icebolt
A PRIMARY school sprang into action to celebrate being awarded a top sporting accolade. Peases West Primary School in Crook, held a fun day packed with healthy activities in celebration of gaining an Activemark Gold award from Sport England. The award
Sunderland AFC plan to make a "significant" number of staff redundant after the relegation-haunted club announced losses of nearly £5m and debts of £26m. The Black Cats' accounts for the six months up to January 31 this year revealed an operating loss
A FUNERAL service will be held on Friday for a four-year-old boy who died in an accident at his father's workshop. Andrew Millns was with his father at A and M Kitchens, on the Gallowfield Industrial Estate, Richmond, North Yorkshire, when he was injured
THE artistic talent of seven youngsters earned them some tasty treats in an Easter competition. Pupils of Cockton Hill Infants School, in Bishop Auckland, designed Easter cards for the competition, organised by local newsagent Chribec News. Staff at the
WARM tributes have been paid to a North-East war hero who campaigned tirelessly against the murder conviction of paratrooper Lee Clegg. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Fitzroy-Smith, president of the Darlington branch of the Parachute Regiment Association
YOUNGSTERS at a Spennymoor nursery school have won £300 to help improve their environment after collecting the most Yellow Pages directories per pupil in a recycling initiative. The Yellow Woods Challenge, run by Yellow Pages, The Directory Recycling
THE cousin of a suspected gunman has denied lying under oath to protect him. Ashley Bethwaite told police Robert Fox arrived at her home in Luton at 11.30pm - more than four hours after James Bannon was shot at the Rovers Return pub in Sunderland last
When 40's naughty but not very nice. CHANNEL 4's new drama series 40 opened with a totally naked Eddie Izzard standing, arms outstretched, on the roof of a tall building somewhere in London. Goodness knows what the neighbours thought. This stark, not
GROWING traffic problems in a village near Darlington might be putting lives at risk, it has been warned. Hurworth Parish Council chairman Councillor Peter Foster issued the warning after a pedestrian needed hospital treatment after an accident involving
AMBULANCE bosses in the North-East have hit back at a report yesterday which claims their service is among the worst performers in the country. The Consumers' Association watchdog magazine, Health Which? says it has devised the only true picture of how
FAST food company McDonalds picked up an award for its efforts to help clean up the streets of Darlington yesterday. The restaurant, on Northgate, was presented with the borough council's Tidy Trader Charter award for introducing measures to reduce litter
A TEAM of County Durham youngsters is helping police in their fight against bogus callers who prey on the elderly. The pupils, from Tanfield Comprehensive School, near Stanley, are working on designs that can make older people's homes more secure, in
THREE North-East inns have become the toast of a national pub chain. The Stonebridge Inn at Nevilles Cross, Durham, won the best drink category, the Northumberland Arms, in Felton, Northumberland, was judged best pub and The Clarendon Hotel, in Redcar
A radio station was launched in the region yesterday. Pool FM 107.5 is being broadcast from studios in the town for a trial period of four-weeks, and will have a mixture of local news, views and information. Playing a mix of music from the sixties to
Newcastle's allotments are to get a £90,000 revamp. Two-thirds of the cash will come from the Allotments Regeneration Initiative which is funded by the Esme Fairbairn Foundation. The city council will provide the rest. The grant will support plot clearance
TWO call centre employees have received praise in a national award for sales workers. Julie Abbott, 38, from Blackhall, near Consett, and Gavin Johnson, 39, from Durham, who both work at npower's call centre in Peterlee, have finished runners-up in the
A BOYS hockey team has narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals of a national competition. The under-14s team from Red House School, in Norton, met Dean Close School, from Cheltenham, in a quarter-final of the Hockey Association Youth Cup at
THE Chinese Ambassador to the UK has praised the links between his country and a North-East city. His Excellency Zha Peixin met representatives from the University of Sunderland's Chinese student community during his first visit to the region. There are
40 (C4); First Wives (ITV1) Channel 4's new drama series 40 opened with a totally naked Eddie Izzard standing, arms outstretched, on the roof of a tall building somewhere in London. Goodness knows what the neighbours thought. This stark, not to say stark
A BID to re-open an historic railway line can now go full steam ahead after the announcement of two key appointments. Weardale Railway Ltd has appointed Tony Greenup as project manager and Dave Foxton as outdoor works manager. The move means the group
A WOMAN had to fake a panic attack in order to stop a man assaulting her boyfriend, a court heard yesterday. Ralph Stewart, 19, followed student Mark Jameson from Darlington town centre to his home in Cockerton before attacking him, South Durham magistrates
RADICAL proposals to create an exclusive zone for pedestrians in Darlington town centre moved forward last night. The borough council's cabinet approved the appointment of an external consultant to oversee the project. If a bid for funding is approved
THREE inspirational young people who have battled to improve facilities for their peers on a Darlington estate have been recognised in The Northern Echo's Positive Young People awards. Ashleigh Marriner, Annie Bowman and Michael Coates, of the Red Hall
A TOPICAL play questioning the use of war photography is coming to the Darlington Arts Centre. Unlimited Theatre presents Safety today and tomorrow, at 8pm. The play looks at the UK's involvement in distant violent conflicts and the media's role in portraying
COUNCILLORS heard yesterday how a fellow council member had been cleared of allegations that he broke a code of conduct. Labour councillor Gordon Plummer, who represents Lascelles ward on Darlington Borough Council, was reported to the National Standards
A PROJECT on domestic violence will be launched in West Cornforth tomorrow. Funding was secured from the British Council's youth initiative programme after work by Cornforth Partnership's Youth Integration Project with 15 to 20-year-olds from West Cornforth
PLANNING officials are likely to block a bid by discount retailer Matalan to build a store in Bishop Auckland. Members of Wear Valley District Council's planning committee will be asked to reject proposals for a 35,000 sq ft store tomorrow night. The
LAST POST: The post office, run by Bob and Glenna Douglas in Front Street, Frosterley, for ten years, closes today. Services will be switched to an office in the Stanhope and Weardale Co-operative Store. STEPPING OUT: A painting by Chris Mouncey of Stanhope
PEOPLE in Darlington are being offered free smoke alarms and advice after a house fire in the town. The cause of the blaze, on the first-floor of a semi-detached property in Starmer Crescent, is still being investigated. But Station Officer Steve Wharton
A GRADUATE from Darlington, who works for catering specialist Scolarest, is hoping to come top of the class after embarking on a graduate apprenticeship. Nicholas Byrne, 22, is studying at Oxford Brookes University for the first qualification of its kind
A MAN assaulted a sailor because he was not fighting in the Iraqi war, a court heard yesterday. Steven Banks, 29, overheard Gary Stott talking about his work in the Royal Navy on his mobile phone in Darlington town centre, Simon Crowder, prosecuting,
A PENSIONER who thought her market stall would only stay open for three months is closing it after six years. Vera Revill, 68, makes and sells heatable cushion used as therapy for sufferers of arthritis, rheumatism, stress and poor circulation. She set
A MEMBERS-ONLY club for the over-25s in Darlington will open tonight. Business partners Les Langley and Magnus Wilson have teamed up to bring something new to the North-East social scene. Tonight, the doors will open at The Atlantic Bar and Club, which
A TEACHER has reached the last four in the region for a national award. Mildred Howell, a maths teacher at Hurworth Comprehensive School, near Darlington, has been nominated for a BT Teaching Award. Mrs Howell, who has worked at the school for seven years
