Archive

  • Fresh row over MP's evidence on fleet

    A FRESH row has erupted over the deal to scrap 13 former US navy ships in the North-East - with an MP being accused of misleading politicians on a Parliamentary select committee. Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth (FoE) said Hartlepool

  • Wasps' late sting

    INTO every life a drop of rain must fall, and for Jonny Wilkinson it came at 4.35 on Saturday. The downpour had obligingly ceased for the man who has recently walked on water just before he and Lawrence Dallaglio paraded the Webb Ellis Trophy round Kingston

  • Disaster for Darlington as red cards cost Quakers win

    Darlington reached boiling point in an incident-packed game and paid for it by throwing away what would've been their first victory in two months. The team's indiscipline has been an unwelcome feature of the season and during the 20 League matches so

  • Disaster for Darlington as red cards cost Quakers win

    Darlington reached boiling point in an incident-packed game and paid for it by throwing away what would've been their first victory in two months. The team's indiscipline has been an unwelcome feature of the season and during the 20 League matches so

  • Waste team wishing for a green Christmas

    OFFICIALS say kerbside recycling has saved more than 5,000 tonnes of rubbish from going into landfill sites. They are urging people across County Durham to continue thinking green during the festive season. The Kerb-it scheme operates in Chester-le-Street

  • Calls to make Cardinal Hume a saint

    CALLS are being made for a football-mad cleric who was known as the quiet man of God to be sainted. In June, it will be the fifth anniversary of Cardinal Basil Hume's death and the point at which the Vatican can start looking at possible canonisation.

  • Wasps' late sting

    INTO every life a drop of rain must fall, and for Jonny Wilkinson it came at 4.35 on Saturday. The downpour had obligingly ceased for the man who has recently walked on water just before he and Lawrence Dallaglio paraded the Webb Ellis Trophy round Kingston

  • Rosy future for Sunny after six-month wait

    A DOG left for dead after a car accident has finally found a home after six months. Sunny, a two-year-old lurcher and greyhound cross-breed, suffered a punctured lung and a badly damaged leg after he was hit by a car and left in the gutter. But a driver

  • Asthma fundraisers get their skates on

    VOLUNTEERS yesterday took part in a sponsored skate to raise money for the Teesside Asthma Group. Twelve people, including a man in a wheelchair, attended the outdoor rink in Stockton High Street. Thirty-year-old Jeff Harrison, who has asthma and uses

  • Thanks a million for loan, grandad

    A STUDENT has promised to pay back her grandfather's loan after scooping £64,000 on television show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Alexa Ewart, 20, was hoping to win the £8,000 prize which would have paid off her debts in full and left a little to spend

  • Service to offer learning advice

    A PROJECT set up to co-ordinate learning and training services for adults has started operating in Ferryhill. Several groups offer a variety of courses across Sedgefield borough, each working to attract students. But a new service, called the Sedgefield

  • Celebrations as land is transformed

    A COMMUNITY group has transformed land donated by a steel company, into a park and play area. Members of the Change forum, based in Carlin How, near Loftus, raised funds for the land near Kennedy Crescent, which was donated 30 years ago by Skinningrove

  • All plain sailing for Santa at switch-on

    FATHER Christmas swapped his reindeer and sleigh for an inshore rescue boat yesterday afternoon. Crew members from Redcar Lifeboat Station pulled Father Christmas and Mayor Norah Cooney in the lifeboat on its launching carriage. The journey started at

  • Pitch battle as postponement leaves Cruddas in a ref rage

    The Albany Northern League Today: Durham City manager Billy Cruddas blasted the referee after the league leaders wasted a trip to Penrith on Saturday. Durham received a call on their bus from Penrith officials when they were within sight of the ground

  • How was it for your battery pack, darling?

    WOMEN who can't have orgasms can now have a device implanted in their spines that will trigger the sensation for them. Clinical trials of the "orgasmatron" have begun in the US, but despite all the coverage, few are volunteering for the trial, according

  • Mother's anger as colony of rats breed behind her home

    A WOMAN fears her council estate is overrun with vermin after catching 34 rats in five days. Chris Grimwood, who lives on the White Hill Crescent Estate, in Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street, realised the extent of the problem when she opened her back

  • Technological updates on offer at centre

    A COMPUTER centre has been created at a County Durham school to help teachers bring the latest technology to the classroom. The centre, with 30 laptops and interactive whiteboards, was opened in a ceremony at the Hermitage School, in Chester-le-Street

  • Yasmin signs up for Army career

    A TEENAGE martial arts champion with Olympic ambitions has joined the Army. Tae kwon do fighter Yasmin Smith, 16, from Spennymoor, has completed the first term of her military training but she is already aiming for international success. A former UK junior

  • Forestry group has new branch

    A FORESTRY group is hoping to improve the countryside around Darlington with the opening of a base in the town. North East Community Forests (NECF) has opened its first office in Darlington, in Whessoe Road, which is likely to create work for up to 20

  • Writing is on the wall for winner

    A SCHOOLGIRL won a writing competition set up to mark National Poetry Day. Katie Larvin, aged ten, from Redcar, wrote the winning poem Brilliant Sale after a shopping trip to the Barker and Stonehouse store, in Middlesbrough. The furniture retailer launched

  • Campaign to cut down on use of antibiotics

    HEALTH officials have launched a campaign to reduce the number of antibiotics prescribed to patients to prevent the evolution of superbugs. Patients are being urged to allow their bodies to cure themselves of a variety of common complaints rather than

  • Technological updates on offer at centre

    A COMPUTER centre has been created at a County Durham school to help teachers bring the latest technology to the classroom. The centre, with 30 laptops and interactive whiteboards, was opened in a ceremony at the Hermitage School, in Chester-le-Street

  • Calls to make Cardinal Hume a saint

    CALLS are being made for a football-mad cleric who was known as the quiet man of God to be sainted. In June, it will be the fifth anniversary of Cardinal Basil Hume's death and the point at which the Vatican can start looking at possible canonisation.

  • Remand for man over death of youth

    A MAN has been remanded in custody over the death of a youth who was allegedly struck by a car on playing fields. Ian Gourley, 15, from Peterlee, County Durham, died in hospital from severe head injuries after he was allegedly hit by a Ford Escort on

  • That's the spirit Mowden

    DISCONTENT over the link-up with Newcastle Falcons is helping to forge a strong spirit among Darlington Mowden Park's core of regulars and it showed in the 30-0 home win against Macclesfield. Although he isn't happy about being on the wing, former Falcons

  • 46 Iraqis killed attacking US troops

    US troops repelled two simultaneous attacks yesterday in the northern city of Samarra, killing 46 Iraqis, wounding at least 18 and capturing eight. Five US soldiers and a civilian were wounded. Many of the attackers were wearing uniforms of the Fedayeen

  • Moors furious at Tierney exit

    FA Trophy and UniBond League: Spennymoor are involved in a row with Horden over the departure of Steve Tierney from the club. Tierney was signed by manager Tony Lee from Horden in October, but has now returned to the Northern League club and has been

  • £2.5m work on bypass begins

    WORK is starting today on a long-awaited £2.5m bypass, which should boost business and create jobs in a North-East town. Contractors laying a 1km road around the centre of Crook, County Durham, were due to start in September. The scheme was delayed when

  • Man lucky to be alive as clothes catch fire

    A MAN was lucky to escape from a blaze in the early hours of yesterday morning. The fire, believed to have been started when bedclothes caught light from an unattended candle, severely damaged a ground floor flat and caused smoke damage to the flat above

  • Paedophile unlikely to have re-offended

    THE officer leading a hunt to find the murderer of a paedophile said yesterday there was nothing to suggest he had re-offended again despite sightings of youngsters entering his house. Detective Superintendent Brian Dunn said he had received information

  • Show home ready for public view

    PEOPLE wanting to get on the property ladder are being given the chance to look around a new show home from this week. On Thursday, the Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Ron Lewis, will open the property, which is a part of the 400-home Moorfields site,

  • Under-achievers? Don't believe a word, says Provett

    JIM Provett admits his Hartlepool United teammates were left dumbfounded last week, as the Pool keeper rounded on the critics. The 2-0 win over Swindon put Pool into fifth spot in Division Two - days after they were labelled under-achievers following

  • Warning to owners after cat killed in airgun horror

    A CAT lover is warning animal owners to be on their guard after her pet was shot dead. Hazel Mallaby's cat Ally was found dead in a garden in Sutton Close, Mowden, in Darlington, last Wednesday. The two-year-old ginger and white animal had been shot in

  • Wearside League

    Birtley Town took pride of place in the second round of the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup, despite New Marske fielding a weakened side, writes Malcolm Pratt. A goal ahead through Carl Pennington after a couple of minutes, the leaders never looked back and

  • Bandages gift helps burns girl

    LIFE-SAVING medical equipment has been sent to Romania to help a girl who was set alight. Seven-year-old Mariana Nechitescu was doused in petrol and set on fire, allegedly by Russian thugs, after her father refused to turn a blind eye to the theft of

  • Man lucky to be alive as clothes catch fire

    A MAN was lucky to escape from a blaze in the early hours of yesterday morning. The fire, believed to have been started when bedclothes caught light from an unattended candle, severely damaged a ground floor flat and caused smoke damage to the flat above

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Time for some to grow up

    WHAT a proud weekend for North-East sport as Newcastle Falcons' Kingston Park became the first club in the country to parade the rugby World Cup. But as England's humble hero Jonny Wilkinson showed off the glittering Webb Ellis Trophy to a sell-out crowd

  • Joy as daughter reunited with her father after 25 years apart

    A FATHER and daughter have described their joy at being reunited for the first time in 25 years -with help from the Internet. Lesa Ferguson, 29, who was separated from her father, Jimmy Caulfield, as a child, met him again days after finding his name

  • Santa lends support to college learning event

    FATHER Christmas will be at Woodham Community Technology College, in Newton Aycliffe, for a learning event this week. The college will be holding its annual Christmas family learning morning on Saturday, from 10.30am to 1pm. The theme of the event is

  • Club's learning bus to begin city tour

    A FOOTBALL club is hoping a bus packed with computers will help deprived youngsters to become interested in learning. Sunderland AFC's Black Cat Express, which is fitted with the latest computers, will tour run-down areas of the city over the next three

  • Artist returns to her roots for exhibition

    AN artist has returned to her home town after 40 years for an exhibition of her paintings. Barbara McMillan, formerly Robinson, left Darlington in the 1960s to study art at Bath Academy. She now works as a professional painter in Cornwall. In autumn,

  • Teenager to star in recital

    TICKETS for a concert featuring a teenage musician from Teesside are selling fast. Laura Barber, 17, leader of the Tees Valley Youth Orchestra, will be centre stage at a recital on Friday. A recent winner of the Darlington Young Musician of the Year Competition

  • Frustration got the better of me, admits Valentine

    Ryan Valentine admitted his frustrations had got the better of him after his red card ultimately cost his side victory. The former Everton youth team player, also dismissed at home to Hartlepool last season, was swiftly followed down the tunnel by teammate

  • Send MP a card to highlight Aids Day

    PEOPLE in the North-East are being urged to send their MP a greetings card with a difference to mark World Aids Day today. The card carries the message: "This card contains the single most effective technology in the fight against HIV/Aids" Inside is

  • Ultra-consistent Cill Churnain ready to boost Smith's record

    Sue Smith, who boasts an impressive 25 per cent strike rate with her chasers this season, looks to have solid claims of landing the valuable Tote Placepot Champion Chase over three miles and one furlong with Cill Churnain at Kelso this afternoon. The

  • Conmen target four old people

    THE urgent need for doorstep vigilance has been highlighted following a sudden spate of incidents involving bogus callers trying to con their way into pensioners' homes. Police are investigating four incidents which all took place within hours of each

  • Pensioner named

    THE pensioner who died in a hit and run smash has been named. Harold Thompson, 74, was crossing Stamfordham Road in Denton Burn, Newcastle, when he was knocked down. A silver BMW car ploughed into him at around 4.15 on Saturday afternoon. Mr Thompson,

  • McCarthy faces crunch decision

    SUNDERLAND boss Mick McCarthy last night paid tribute to Sunderland's new-look strikeforce. But he insists his side are still in desperate need of the goals to boost their promotion hopes. Michael Proctor was recalled to the Sunderland starting line-up

  • Knot the best taste

    A BUSINESSMAN with a bad taste in ties forced colleagues to give £200 to charity before agreeing to change his fashion sense. Work colleagues told David Amos to have a complete tie clear-out otherwise they would boycott management meetings. The most annoying

  • No points for presentation but Cooper delighted with win

    FOOTBALL managers sometimes take satisfaction in the most perverse of ways. Last season Mike Newell took more pride and joy than any other out of a single goal win at Boston in thick mud and snow which was as ugly as they come. Now Neale Cooper feels

  • Sun shines on fortunate Boro

    Middlesbrough's stubborn resistance in the face of a remorseless City onslaught was rewarded as they kept a fifth successive top-flight clean sheet for the first time since the days of Jack Charlton. You have to thumb back through the record books to

  • Santa cuts a dash with his huskies

    A FAMILIAR figure took to his sleigh to launch an eco-friendly Christmas tree initiative. But Santa left the reindeers at home and replaced them with a team of huskies. The Forestry Commission has unveiled a new-look sales outlet in its North York Moors

  • TV review

    The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments (C4) The Royal (ITV1) THE main pleasure of a programme like The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments is disagreeing with the results. The narrator keeps insisting "you have voted for..." so-and-so at number whatever, although the chances

  • Hunt continues after man falls into river

    POLICE were last night still searching for a man who plunged into the River Tyne early on Friday morning. Tony Dockerty, 25, of Finchdale Gardens, Throckley, Newcastle, fell into the water from the city's Swing Bridge at about 1.45am. Efforts to find

  • Karaoke star to sing for unemployed

    KARAOKE queen Lorraine Westray is looking forward to performing for the people who helped her set up in business. Lorraine, of Chester-le-Street, established Unique Karaoke with support from the Chester-le-Street Action Team for Jobs, part of JobCentre

  • Fighting Yasmin signs up for an army career

    A TEENAGE martial arts champion with Olympic ambitions has joined the Army. Tae kwondo fighter Yasmin Smith, 16, from Spennymoor, has completed the first term of her military training but she is already aiming for international success. A former UK junior

  • Bed launch for comedian

    COMEDIAN Alan Snell had to launch his new video from a hospital bed after he took ill on stage. The North-East funnyman suffered stomach pains a few minutes into his appearance in Easington, County Durham, and had to call a halt to his show. Mr Snell,

  • Rosy future for Sunny after six-month wait

    A DOG left for dead after a car accident has finally found a home after six months. Sunny, a two-year-old lurcher and greyhound cross-breed, suffered a punctured lung and a badly damaged leg after he was hit by a car and left in the gutter. But a driver

  • Tractor rally aids air ambulance

    A VINTAGE tractor rally in Teesdale has raised £260 for the Great North Air Ambulance. The Staindrop Vintage Tractor Run, which took place in September, attracted 43 participants from all over the North-East. The money was raised through a raffle and

  • Recycling scheme well above target

    OFFICIALS say kerbside recycling has saved more than 5,000 tonnes of rubbish from going into landfill sites. They are urging people in County Durham to continue thinking green during the festive season. The Kerb-it scheme operates in Chester-le-Street

  • Thanks a million for loan, grandad

    A STUDENT has promised to pay back her grandfather's loan after scooping £64,000 on television show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Alexa Ewart, 20, was hoping to win the £8,000 prize which would have paid off her debts in full and left a little to spend

  • Sporting chance for graduates

    GRADUATES from Teesside University battled against current students in a sporting clash at the weekend. Students took on graduates at basketball, hockey, rugby, canoeing and gaelic football in the new £6m Olympia Building, in Victoria Road, Middlesbrough

  • Town Crier rings in festive season

    THE festive season in Chester-le-Street was launched on Saturday when the town's Christmas lights were switched on. District council chairman Councillor Tom Harland turned on the lights that adorn the Christmas tree near the Market Place and which are

  • Theatre evacuated

    HUNDREDS of people were evacuated from a theatre twice on the opening night of its pantomime after false fire alarms. The cast of Aladdin joined the audience of more than 400 to take shelter from the cold in shop doorways and beneath canopies outside

  • Celebrations on hold as Burnley leveller gives Kyle the grumps

    IT should have been celebration time for Kevin Kyle on Saturday night - but things rarely go according to plan on Wearside. The Sunderland striker had many of his Scottish family at the Stadium of Light to witness his return to action in a red and white

  • Mum fights on in battle to leave estate where son died

    A GRIEVING mother who wants to be moved from the estate where her son was murdered has vowed to continue her battle despite a setback. Theresa Cave, who is demanding demolition of the flat where her son died, has been told she is unlikely to be rehoused

  • Accolade for Fiona

    DENTAL practice manager Fiona Speck was one of only four people to gain a merit in an examination. Fiona, from Fulwell, Sunderland, who works at Whitburn Dental Practice, was among the highest performers out of 117 students who sat the dental sedation

  • Panto audience will be seeing double

    AUDIENCES watching a pantomime produced by a North-East drama group can be excused for thinking they are seeing double - they are. In Cinderella, being staged this week by the Glenholme Theatre Club at Crook, County Durham, there are two fairy godmothers

  • Campaign to cut down on use of antibiotics

    HEALTH officials have launched a campaign to reduce the number of antibiotics prescribed to patients to prevent the evolution of superbugs. Patients are being urged to allow their bodies to cure themselves of a variety of common complaints rather than

  • Pupils boost charity

    ENTERPRISING youngsters have helped to raise £300 for Children in Need. Pupils at Hurworth Primary School, near Darlington, came up with a series of fund-raising ideas to boost the annual BBC appeal. Headteacher Mark Allison said a host of events, including

  • Accolade for Navy trainee

    A DARLINGTON man has been commended for his selfless support and encouragement to others during his Royal Navy training. Weapons Engineering Artificer Philip Sanderson, 18, recently completed his basic ten-week training at HMS Raleigh, at Torpoint, Cornwall

  • Plenty of drama as school scoops prizes

    PUPILS at Teesside Prep and High School, in Eaglescliffe, are celebrating success at the Stockton Music and Drama Festival. In the speech section of the event at Teesside High School, the school won 18 first prizes, 14 second prizes, 22 Certificates of

  • MP greets laws on violence

    GOVERNMENT action to help stamp out domestic violence has been welcomed by a Teesside MP. Redcar MP Vera Baird said she hoped the changes in the domestic violence provisions in the Queen's speech would help victims. She said the tough action was long

  • Ultra-consistent Cill Churnain ready to boost Smith's record

    Sue Smith, who boasts an impressive 25 per cent strike rate with her chasers this season, looks to have solid claims of landing the valuable Tote Placepot Champion Chase over three miles and one furlong with Cill Churnain at Kelso this afternoon. The

  • Driver escapes death

    A MAN escaped death when steel girders on the back of a lorry went through his van windscreen, yesterday. The 40-year-old man was driving a transit van when it collided with a lorry at the Birtree interchange on the A1M just out side Darlington. Inspector

  • Free Dublin flights on offer for Northern Echo readers

    THE Northern Echo has secured free flights to Dublin from Teesside International Airport for every one of our readers. The offer, which begins today, means readers can enjoy a visit to the Irish capital by collecting three passwords in The Northern Echo

  • 01/12/03

    EDUCATION: I AM writing in response to the letter from a correspondent (HAS, Nov 26) regarding the closing and merging of North-East primary schools. Your correspondent is well wide of the mark with reference to teaching staff employed at North Blunts

  • Paedophile battered to death in his home

    POLICE have launched a murder inquiry after a North-East paedophile was found battered to death at his run-down home. The body of 73-year-old convicted sex offender Arnold Hartley was discovered by police at the weekend. Officers were called to the house

  • A victory for 'magnificent' defence

    STEVE McClaren watched his Middlesbrough side climb to tenth place in the Premiership - and then set his sights on a top-six spot. Boro needed an own goal by Manchester City right-back Sun Jihai to claim a 1-0 victory over Kevin Keegan's side. McClaren's

  • Sex just ins't waht it was...

    The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments (C4): The Royal (ITV1): THE main pleasure of a programme like The 100 Greatest Sexy Moments is disagreeing with the results. The narrator keeps insisting "you have voted for..." so-and-so at number whatever, although the

  • New hope as missing patient is spotted

    A NEW sighting of a missing North-East man has raised hopes among his friends in Canada and Poland who are desperate for him to get in touch. John Pedelty, went missing three weeks ago from Darlington Memorial Hospital and the last sighting of him was

  • Svengali to dog stars (and hedgehogs too)

    Sue Potter has trained animals from greyhounds to hedgehogs for film and television. But her heart is in training wayward pets to become models of decorum. Emily Flanagan meets the dog whisperer. BY the age of four, Sue Potter was bringing stray dogs

  • Show home ready for public view

    PEOPLE wanting to get on the property ladder are being given the chance to look around a new show home from this week. On Thursday, the Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Ron Lewis, will open the property, which is a part of the 400-home Moorfields site,

  • Agency helps boost fish stocks revival

    FISH stocks in the Tyne and Wear rivers have been given a boost thanks to the Environment Agency. About 8,000 roach and 7,000 chub have been put in both rivers as part of the agency's long-term commitment to regenerate urban fisheries and help rejuvenate

  • Free entry for children at busy museum

    THE Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery is offering free admission to under-16s for the next two months.. Admissions will be free for everyone on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, which have been popular in the past. Among the events running

  • Proposals for shake-up of local authorities due today

    PROPOSALS for the biggest changes to the shape of local government in generations will be released today. Six months after the start of its review, the Boundary Committee will publish its draft recommendations for new structures of local government in

  • Robson hails his dynamic duo after battling display

    WHEN it comes to decision-making on which players to rest from his starting XI, Sir Bobby Robson could not be accused of taking an obvious route. No quick check of his players' guide to single out the most senior squad members for the Newcastle manager

  • When the fighting had to stop

    After 10 years, 25,000 sufferers, a Parliamentary campaign and thousands of pounds of her own money, steroids battler Janice Fairbridge has called it a day. Nigel Burton reports. A modest terraced house in South Bank, Middlesbrough, is probably the last

  • That's the spirit Mowden

    DISCONTENT over the link-up with Newcastle Falcons is helping to forge a strong spirit among Darlington Mowden Park's core of regulars and it showed in the 30-0 home win against Macclesfield. Although he isn't happy about being on the wing, former Falcons

  • Helping hand extended to homeless youngsters

    THE number of children who go missing from home in the region makes for shocking reading. Often, young runaways are being abused by a family member or, in many cases, they are unable to cope with changes in lifestyle when a step-parent moves into the

  • Letters

    EDUCATION I AM writing in response to the letter from a correspondent (HAS, Nov 26) regarding the closing and merging of North-East primary schools. Your correspondent is well wide of the mark with reference to teaching staff employed at North Blunts

  • How was it for your battery pack darling?

    WOMEN who can't have orgasms can now have a device implanted in their spines that will trigger the sensation for them. Clinical trials of the "orgasmatron" have begun in the US, but despite all the coverage, few are volunteering for the trial, according

  • Councils 'failing to help' region's runaway children

    THOUSANDS of runaway children in the region are at risk on the streets because councils are failing to provide help, a report has revealed. A survey by The Children's Society released today has found that many local authorities do not have policies in

  • Concerns grow over dangers of cage fight plan

    MEDICAL experts last night told of their fears as plans were unveiled for the North's first cage fighting event. The controversial combat sport, which combines martial arts with boxing, kick boxing and wrestling, made its debut in the UK a year ago. Already

  • Rapist's court plea for prison release

    A RAPIST who targeted vulnerable women asleep in their homes hopes to have his conviction quashed. Timothy Din, a married-father-of-five, from Hartlepool, Teesside, was given a 20-year jail sentence after being found guilty of rape last year. But now

  • Molineux fixture farce infuriates skipper Shearer

    SIR BOBBY ROBSON and Alan Shearer have reiterated their anger at being forced to play two games in 40 hours - and warned it could cost the club its chance of a Champions League spot. Newcastle took to the field at Molineux on Saturday lunchtime following