Three cheeky chocolatiers have been sacked by factory bosses after they printed a rude message on thousands of Aero bars. The production workers at Nestle Rowntree's York factory altered the sweet wrappers so the words 'S**t bar' appeared where the best
Villagers were in mourning today after the death of a school boy who drowned at a Tyneside beauty spot. The 13-year-old, was playing at the River Derwent, near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, when tragedy struck. It is believed he was playing with friends when
ECSTATIC Matthew Bates has told how defeat in last year's final proved the perfect motivation for Middlesbrough in their quest to lift the FA Youth Cup for the first time. The powerful defender formed the bedrock of the successful Boro side that clinched
DARLINGTON have been forced to cancel Sunday's charity match at the Reynolds Arena because of poor ticket sales. The game had been arranged to raise funds for the club, which was put into administration last December. The club raised over £130,000 when
Hopes that interest rates would remain unchanged and a strong performance from financial stocks drove London shares higher yesterday. A surprise 0.2 per cent fall in the annual rate of inflation gave rise to positive sentiment as the FTSE 100 Index climbed
CAPTAINING a first-class cricket side used to be easy. You helped pick the starting XI, called heads or tails at the start of the match, and then spent the next four days trying to lead your side to victory. The job needed a certain degree of talent and
FEELING a bit feeble this morning? A bit fed up? Looking for someone to blame? Then think of Sabine Dardenne. She is 20 years old and has been giving evidence in a Belgian court. When she was just 12, she was kidnapped, drugged and chained by her neck
THE race is on to find a North-East beauty capable of taking on the world. Sedgefield Racecourse is to stage the final of the first official Miss Durham beauty contest. The competition, to be staged on the course at the Ladies' Night race meeting at the
Almost 500 police officers took part in a huge blitz on known criminals across Teesside this morning. Called Operation Sabre, it was the biggest operation ever carried out in the Cleveland force area and targeted wanted offenders in crime hot spots. Operation
IT has become the stuff of legend - big cats roaming wild in the English countryside. But now it appears pumas, lynxes and other big cats do exist in ever greater numbers and could even be breeding. According to an exhaustive study by the British Big
WHEN Tony Blair boasted to the Labour Party conference last year that he had no reverse gear, we warned that it was a dangerous statement to make. Sometimes, when the road ahead is blocked, a reverse gear can come in very handy. Since the Prime Minister
TELEVISION star Tony Robinson last night took time out from archaeological digs and filming to speak about his life as a Labour Party activist. The actor and presenter of the popular Channel 4 programme Time Team was special guest of Darlington Labour
A SIGHTING of strange lights in the sky prompted a hunt for an unidentified flying object on Monday night. But instead of a flying saucer, it was a military aeroplane being refuelled by an aircraft tanker over the North Sea, off Whitby, North Yorkshire
COMPENSATION payments to sick miners and their families have reached £2bn, the Government has said. The landmark figure is as a result of more than 780,000 applications under the lung disease and Vibration White Finger (VWF) schemes. Both schemes have
DARLINGTON will be back to virtually full strength for tonight's Durham Cup semi-final at Stockton, writes TIM WELLOCK. After missing Saturday's defeat by Halifax, brothers Craig and Paul Lee return, along with another former Stockton man, flanker Martin
Tony Blair took the biggest gamble of his political life yesterday and declared that Britain's destiny in Europe would be decided by the result of a referendum on the proposed EU constitution. The Prime Minister said the poll would take place - giving
NEWCASTLE midfielder Kieron Dyer last night refused to call time on his Euro 2004 dream despite his latest hamstring injury ruling him out of the rest of the domestic season. The England international played the full 90 minutes of Sunday's goalless draw
Darlington Football Club looks set to survive tomorrow's deadline to come out of administration. April 22 was the date set by creditors for a workable deal to be found to keep the Quakers alive, or else the club would go into liquidation. But the Reynolds
THE US owners of Terry's were urged yesterday to think again about their decision to close the York chocolate factory. GMB union organiser John Kirk hopes to put forward a survival plan to Kraft Foods to keep Terry's in the York area. He said the workforce
TWO North-East companies have won Queen's Awards. Domnick hunter, in Birtley, County Durham, has won an International Trade award, while Integrated Display Systems (IDS), in Wallsend, North Tyneside, was recognised in the Innovation category. Domnick
THE region's ports could cash in after the Government rejected plans for a new terminal in the South. Transport Minister Tony McNulty turned down an application by Associated Brit-ish Ports to build a £750m container terminal at South-ampton Water. ABP
THE funeral of North-East football legend "Gentleman George" Hardwick will take place at St Mary's Cathedral, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, on Friday, at 1pm. Hardwick, 84, who died in his sleep on Monday morning following a long illness, was a football
A coatings company is tackling its very own Mission Impossible by taking on the job of painting the Forth Rail Bridge. The structure is infamous for being so big that as soon as painting is finished at one end, workmen have to start with a fresh coat
DETECTIVES say they are still filling in the gaps into what happened the day a businessman was kidnapped. Tony Pattison, 45, was snatched from his car as he ate sandwiches at the seafront at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool. He was bundled into a white Ford
A testament to one man's courage in the face of almost insurmountable odds is helping to tell the story of the greatest seaborne invasion. Company Sergeant Major Stan Hollis, of the Green Howards, was the only man to be awarded the Victoria Cross for
TESCO is to create a further 20,000 jobs worldwide as it bids to break the £2bn profits barrier. Analysts believe the supermarket group could achieve the milestone within the next two years after seeing another set of record results. Tesco's profits over
PENSIONS: MRS Little (HAS, Apr 16) asks why MPs are allowed a second income while pensioners exist on the state handout. The answer lies in her question. MPs, like many of us, have two jobs, work very hard and pay into private pension schemes to ensure
A COUNCIL will today decide whether to approve plans for a factory that could create 200 jobs. Able UK has applied to Hartlepool Borough Council for planning permission to build the units at its Graythorp site. The development would enable the manufacture
A DOOR manufacturer has been saved from receivership by a management buyout that will save 65 jobs. Hartlepool company Industrial Building Components was rescued by four managers who will become company directors of the renamed Bridgman IBC Ltd (BIBC)
COUNCILLORS hope new waiting restrictions on two key routes into a town centre will tackle traffic congestion. Skipton Road and Wetherby Road, in Harrogate, carry nearly 50,000 vehicles a day between them. The borough council has imposed more no-parking
DURHAM'S organisation for pub landlords has called time on itself after more than a century. The Durham and District Licensed Victuallers Association was formed in 1889 and modernised its name to include the word traders instead of victuallers in the
FIRE chiefs are appealing for help in tackling the escalating problem of blazes in the Eston Hills. The call comes at the start of spring when the hills, near Middlesbrough, become a popular attraction. The number of hill fires has risen dramatically
A NURSERY in the former village school at Burneston, near Bedale, has received a national award. Jack and Jill's day nursery won the Quality Counts kitemark from the National Day Nurseries Association. The scheme aims to promote quality day care and education
A boy died and three others were lucky to be alive last night after a dramatic rescue from a swollen river. The teenagers were believed to have been playing on a weir beneath a bridge over the River Derwent, near Burnopfield, County Durham, when they
My Foetus (C4); One Life: Billboard Love (BBC1): PROGRAMMES that cause an outcry before being shown often prove an anti-climax because they're nowhere near as shocking as promised by the advance publicity. But few people, whatever their feelings in the
A HOSPITAL could soon be boosting its eye care services thanks to a million-pound gift from a former patient. Plans for a new eye suite at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital are on the drawing board after it received the bequest from an unnamed
A PENSIONER from the North-East has won bronze in a 10km road race at the World Veterans Championships in New Zealand at the weekend. Jim Caddy, 79, from Redcar, ran in the 75-80 age group and recorded 57 minutes, eight minutes behind Raymond Langmead
A ROBBER who held a replica gun to a students' head was spared jail yesterday. Gavin Wudinge, 18, said he was playing cowboys when he forced his victim to his knees and ordered him to hand over cash, a mobile phone and cigarettes. The 18-year-old told
PUPILS have been told to stop dropping litter on their way to and from school or risk being fined. New bylaws introduced in east Durham mean children as young as ten could be fined or even brought before the courts for dropping litter. Among the problem
A FARMER has been fined £500 for failing to record the movements of livestock he transported between marts and abattoirs. George Bruce Anderson, of Seven Acres Farm, Haswell Plough, near Easington, east Durham, pleaded guilty to five charges of transporting
NEIGHBOURHOOD wardens in the North-East have been hailed a success with fewer youngsters drinking on street corners and a decrease in bullying. An independent report has praised the scheme in Sedgefield, County Durham - one of the first in the country
VOLUNTEERS who run their village pub are planning a St George's Day celebration. The fun will start at the Rookhope Inn, in Weardale, on Friday at 7pm. The Sound of the Bee Gees, featuring Robin Gibbs, is one of the highlights. There will be patriotic
PEOPLE who live near a riverside footpath want it closed to the public. Householders, who own the land either side of the footpath behind their houses, say no one uses it. But the Chester-le-Street Group of the Ramblers' Association wants the footpath
TEESSIDE Hospice is on the look-out for brave souls to abseil from one of Middlesbrough's most distinctive landmarks to raise funds for its vital services. And to help jump start the promotion for the charity's two events next month, Middlesbrough match
DURHAM will decide this morning whether to give Gareth Breese his debut against Nottinghamshire today after the query over his registration was cleared by Lord's. The West Indian all-rounder is in the same squad of 12 which travelled to Hampshire, where
FEELING a bit feeble this morning? A bit fed up? Looking for someone to blame? Then think of Sabine Dardenne. She is 20 years old and has been giving evidence in a Belgian court. When she was just 12, she was kidnapped, drugged and chained by her neck
BAINBRIDGE, prosaically so called because it is where a bridge crosses the River Bain, is a pleasant village with a large green about two thirds of the way up Wensleydale. Almost 2,000 years ago it was Virosidum, home from Rome for 500 shivering squaddies
IN May last year, Tony Blair could "see no case for having a referendum" on the proposed EU constitution; two months later he said a referendum would only be justified if it changed the basic relationship between Britain and the EU, adding: "I don't believe
WHEN Britain's licensing laws were relaxed it was confidently predicted that by removing the pressure to sup up fast the extended drinking time would spell the end for Britain's notorious "booze"culture. Well, the term "booze" has certainly gone out of
WOOD built and fuelled the early centuries of the British Empire. Nothing moved unless it was made of wood and, if it did not have a horse attached to it, unless it was burning wood. As the empire stretched around the globe, so Britain's wood was thrown
STAFF working for one of the region's NHS trusts will be given training in basic English and maths as part of a £500,000 programme. The Tees and North-East Yorkshire NHS Trust has devised the innovative scheme to help deliver crucial skills- for-life
Darlington have been forced to cancel Sunday's charity match at the Reynolds Arena because of poor ticket sales. The game had been arranged to raise funds for the club, which was put into administration last December. The club raised over £130,000 when
RACING NORTH ten-to-follow pick Jeepstar (2.55) is worthy of an each-way investment in the Great Metropolitan Stakes at Epsom. With a maximum 20-runner field going to post it's bound to be a wide-open betting heat and I anticipate Jeepstar's starting
BAINBRIDGE, prosaically so called because it is where a bridge crosses the River Bain, is a pleasant village with a large green about two thirds of the way up Wensleydale. Almost 2,000 years ago it was Virosidum, home from Rome for 500 shivering squaddies
Thousands of North-East NHS patients are to have their operations in the private sector at no extra cost, thanks to a new deal struck by the Government . Patients facing long waits for hip and knee operations from York to Newcastle will be asked if they
A police drug squad has raided a suspected heroin den just metres from a nursery school. More than 60 officers piled into a bedsit on Beach Road, South Shields. After battering down the front door, search teams smashed down 10 bedsit doors and made several
Despite an indifferent start to the new season, Cleveland rider Russell Hodgson remains confident of challenging for the Virgin Yamaha R6 Cup. The 23-year-old, known as Rusty and from Skutterskelfe, near Hutton Rudby, came a creditable eighth in the championship's
A MAN who carried out a sex attack on a vulnerable teenager at a North-East beauty spot has been jailed for four years. Former council worker Michael Sharpe pushed the 15-year-old to the ground and jumped on top of her before carrying out the assault
ANTI-WAR campaigners will take their electoral battle to Tony Blair's doorstep by launching their campaign for European parliament in his constituency tomorrow. Respect, the unity coalition, has chosen journalist and author Yvonne Ridley as its lead candidate
Ten people were taken ill after an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning in a North-East hospital's restaurant. The victims - two needed hospital treatment - were staff and visitors who dined at Bede's Restaurant at the University of North Durham, Durham
WORK started yesterday on a £1.3m scheme to convert a town's biggest eyesore into 16 luxury apartments with riverside views. Residents were delighted after scaffolding was put up on the side of the near-derelict Thorngate Mill, overlooking the Tees in
BLB Investors, a consortium based in the US, has emerged as the front-runner in the race to acquire gaming group Wembley. The group, which has backers that include resorts and casinos business Kerzner, has outbid Las Vegas casino group MGM Mirage with
AN engineering company that cut its workforce by 209 when work dried up has won two contracts worth £1.2m. Cleveland Bridge's Darlington fabrication facility will produce plate girders for the Encana Buzzard Field Development. The announcement will come
SUNDERLAND midfielder Carl Robinson isn't just looking to secure a place in the Premiership over the next month - he is playing for his long-term future at the Stadium of Light. The Wales international has been in a state of footballing flux ever since
A 17TH Century country pub is to host the first beer festival in a part of the region for several years this weekend. The Strathmore Arms, in Holwick, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, will be offering more than 20 guest ales from both local
COMPENSATION payments to sick miners and their families have reached £2bn, the Government has said. The landmark figure is as a result of more than 780,000 applications under the lung disease and Vibration White Finger (VWF) schemes. Both schemes have
THE world's largest producer of phenol and acetone chemicals has awarded AK Engineering Services (AKES), of Stockton, the contract to upgrade a plant in Belgium. Ineos Phenol wants to increase production capacity at its site in Doel. The company's products
Toddler Evan Bates fell 15ft from a fire escape on to concrete and miraculously escaped with just cuts and bruises. The two-year-old lay unconscious for 24 hours in intensive care as his parents kept a bedside vigil. But, just as doctors began to fear
TESCO is to create a further 20,000 jobs worldwide as it bids to break the £2bn profits barrier. Analysts believe the supermarket group could achieve the milestone within the next two years after seeing another set of record results. Tesco's profits over
A MAN was taken to hospital early yesterday after a house fire in Darlington. Firefighters were called to a terraced house in Grainger Street at 3.46am, after reports of a small fire. Two appliances from Darlington Fire Station attended the ground-floor
NEALE Cooper says he has no problems keeping his Hartlepool United players focused on the job ahead. Pool could clinch a play-off place when they go to Rushden on Saturday, after four straight wins lifted them into the top six. With 69 points in the bag
THE operators of a private North-East vaccination clinic have denied cashing in on public concern over MMR after a big price increase. The cost of immunising a toddler against mumps has risen from £90 to £140 a shot in recent months. But there is no shortage
CAMPAIGNERS at Durham University have sent a 1,346-name petition to the Government calling for gay marriage. The petition was organised by the university's Durham Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Association (LGBTA) and sent to the Government's
A COUNCILLOR has called for more police and community warden patrols in the Linthorpe area of Middlesbrough. At a public meeting held in Linthorpe School, Councillor Jackie Elder and more than 30 people turned up to ask the police what they intended to
THE husband of a village postmistress admitted falsifying post office accounts to cover up a £15,000 shortfall in cash when he appeared before magistrates yesterday. For ten months, Richard Ormerod entered incorrect figures on the weekly cash accounts
A DRINK-driver who pretended to be his own brother when stopped by police, was banned from driving yesterday. Ian Ditchburn, 38, had drunk twice the legal limit when he was stopped at about 3am on February 1, Darlington magistrates heard. As he drove
CAMPAIGNERS who fought to stop pasture land in Richmond disappearing under concrete have been urged to attend a public meeting tomorrow night to decide their next step. There was a public outcry when it emerged Richmondshire District Council was reviewing
POLICE are appealing for help to track down a mugger who targeted a disabled woman as she walked along a footpath in Coulby Newham. The woman, who is disabled and is in her 40s, was left with bruising to her hand after the young attacker snatched her
VANDALS have caused thousands of pounds of damage at a community farm and other recreation amenities on Teesside. The damage occurred throughout the school Easter holidays at parks in Stockton borough. Clarences Community Farm, Billingham Beck Valley
A fire brigade group is declaring war on arsonists in North Yorkshire. The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has already introduced initiatives to cut the number of cases and has seen a ten per cent drop over the past 12 months. Now a Government
POLICE have arrested seven people on a crime-stricken east Cleveland estate as part of an operation to clean up the area. A taskforce, involving police, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, the fire brigade, Coast and Country Housing and other agencies
TEN "ladettes" have descended on a peaceful dale to take part in a new reality television series. Eggleston Hall, in Teesdale, County Durham - a former finishing school - is to house the girls as they try to learn new skills in an attempt to become ladies
WORK started yesterday on a £1.3m scheme to convert a town's biggest eyesore into 16 luxury apartments with riverside views. Residents were delighted after scaffolding was put up on the side of the near-derelict Thorngate Mill, overlooking the Tees in
RACING NORTH ten-to-follow pick Jeepstar (2.55) is worthy of an each-way investment in the Great Metropolitan Stakes at Epsom. With a maximum 20-runner field going to post it's bound to be a wide-open betting heat and I anticipate Jeepstar's starting
MORE than £250,000 is to be spent on work to ensure public buildings in the Chester-le-Street area meet with new disability legislation. The decision to improve disabled access was approved by Chester-le-Street District Council on advice from finance
A HOUSING Association is seeking funding to establish a £1m Women's Refuge in Peterlee. The existing safe haven in the town has been in use for more than 15 years and is too small and in need of extensive refurbishment. The Endeavour Housing Association
My Foetus (C4) One Life: Billboard Love (BBC1) PROGRAMMES that cause an outcry before being shown often prove an anti-climax because they're nowhere near as shocking as promised by the advance publicity. But few people, whatever their feelings in the
ART works will help to raise funds for a Bedale organisation that helps older people and a breast cancer charity. Proceeds from a preview of the event, at Tennants' auction house, in Leyburn, will be divided between DalesCare and the Carey Dickinson Fund
A BUS has been attacked by youngsters on a Darlington estate only days after community leaders pledged to stop them throwing stones at vehicles. The Green Bus Company vehicle was attacked in the Coombe Drive, Bisley Court area of the Red Hall estate,
PARENTS are to be offered advice and support thanks to a project being launched at a primary school. Saltburn Primary School's deputy headteacher, Penny Walkley, family worker Christine Fletcher and school nurse Margaret Dalby have formed the Saltburn
THE Tom Leonard Mining Museum is appealing for help to compile a 40th anniversary display on the closure of the last mine in the Great Cleveland Iron Ore Field. North Skelton Mine was closed in 1964 and staff at the museum, which has now been purchased
WEEDS are to be blitzed in the next few weeks to improve the look of east Cleveland. The spraying, which started on Monday, is being carried out by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Operators will use a systemic herbicide, which is absorbed through
RESIDENTS in Crook's Leonard Cheshire Home, Bradbury House, will be following the progress of support worker Sian Myers when she takes a ten-day trek along one of the most famous hiking routes in the world. Sian, 26, from Willington, will be following
A PASSENGER on a bus telephoned his girlfriend to tell her he was on his way to meet her minutes before a crash that claimed his life. Egyptian-born Mohammed Eltahtawy called Carol Knowles as he took a bus into York from the Ikon and Diva nightclub, on
THE visit of a former New York gang leader to a North-East church has proved so popular that a second night has been arranged. Nicky Cruz now travels the world sharing the message of how he received forgiveness, love and new life through Jesus. He has
A stolen vehicle, which ploughed through fencing into a cemetery, destroyed more than ten headstones marking the graves of soldiers and members of their families. The powerful Land-Rover Discovery careered through a wooden fence, uprooting a tree and
A COUPLE were inspired to start their own business by their three-year-old twin daughters. Darren and Andrea Peckitt were struggling to find anywhere for Annabel and Niamh to play, so they decided to invest in their own adventure playground. It took several
A man who was filmed on CCTV trying to kidnap a teenage girl was told he faced a jail sentence after he pleaded guilty. Dieter Graw, 46, appeared at Hull Crown Court charged with kidnapping the 16-year-old girl on June 27 last year. Graw, of Booty Cottage
TWO gipsy sites in the region will undergo major refurbishment. The sites in Darlington and Stanley, County Durham, have been given a total of almost £400,000 from the Gypsy Site Refurbishment Grant. The Honeypot Lane site, in Darlington gets £312,210
