A MAN faces prison after threatening two people, including a police officer, with an axe after a late-night drinking session. Darren Oxley, of Park Lane, Darlington, became abusive and wielded the axe above his head, South Durham Magistrates' Court was
A PROPERTY management company yesterday pledged to beat a court guideline to demolish a landmark building and mark the start of a new era of prosperity in a former pit village. Magistrates this week recommended Westnew Management Limited be given four
LONG DISTANCE raider Stallone (4.10) can make his marathon journey from Malton to Brighton pay off by winning the Montpelier Handicap at Brighton. The Noel Wilson-trained gelding has disappointed on his last couple of starts, but if you ignore those two
A STUNNING country home owned by former England manager Kevin Keegan has been put up for sale. The mansion is set in grounds 24 times the size of Wembley, on the Wynyard Hall estate, near Billingham, Teesside. The Newcastle United hero and ex-England
GUY WILKS is aiming for a hat- trick of wins in the 2004 Kwik-Fit/Pirelli British Rally Championship Super 1600 class when he takes his Suzuki Ignis to the Ulster Rally on September 3 and 4. The event is significant in many ways, as the team, Wilks and
IN one of those infrequent moments when the column seems close to being on its uppers, the conversation in the pub turned to segs and, inevitably, to segs appeal. Remember segs, the joy of segs? They were those little things hammered into the toe and
PERSIMMON Homes' new Teesside office helped the York housebuilder record a 45 per cent rise in pre-tax profits. Jeff Fairburn, managing director of the North-East division of Persimmon, said the operation, which has created 300 jobs directly and is responsible
Hundreds of people with teeth problems in the North-East and North Yorkshire are being treated in hospital because they cannot find a dentist, new figures suggest. The number of people admitted to hospital for emergency dental treatment has almost trebled
MORE than 6,000 residents have been questioned about their concerns in an attempt to cut crime. The survey, by community safety partnership Safer Ryedale, asked residents what their main worries were about crime and anti-social behaviour in their community
PARKING misery for people living near Darlington Memorial Hospital could be resolved as part of planning proposals. Durham NHS Trust has applied to improve parking and access at the hospital for when it becomes a trauma centre for South Durham. The plans
SUDDENLY my Great Uncle Tom makes a lot of sense... And now, when owning even a half decent house can make you a super tax payer when you're dead, he could be a role model. Uncle Tom left school at 13 to go down the pits and had the coal-filled blue scars
BISHOP Auckland is to take a step towards setting up its own town council next week. Wear Valley District Council members are expected to back a bid from campaigners keen to give the town its own voice. A special district council meeting on Tuesday would
TORRENTIAL rain is playing havoc with the region's tourist industry, as well as hard-pressed farmers, ahead of the crucial bank holiday weekend. It has already been the wettest-ever August, with twice as much rain as normal, and yesterday there were more
ALWAYS excepting the committee that concocted the King James' Bible, none of my favourite authors produced more passages that I hold dear than the Victorian nature writer, Richard Jefferies. Perhaps because, in my formative years, I walked daily up and
Whisky distiller Glenmorangie has announced that it is in talks with a number of potential suitors about a takeover. The company, one of the largest remaining independent companies in the Scotch whisky industry, said it was in preliminary discussions
England's selectors can afford to overlook one of the successes of the summer from the squad for this winter's five-Test series in South Africa. Chairman of selectors David Graveney will unveil the 16-man squad at Lord's today and one of the batsmen used
IT may not have been the prettiest of games, but Sunderland eased their way past Chester City, the club propping up the Football League, in front of a record low crowd at the Stadium of Light last night. An own goal from Sean Hessey was the only difference
A UNION is mounting a legal challenge to prevent a company from moving jobs to India. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) hopes to use the Data Protection Act to prevent Siemens Business Services from exporting 250 administrative posts - including
SIR BOBBY Robson has been signed up to coach a Premiership Legends XI to face a celebrity side, as part of a new reality TV show. The Newcastle United boss will pit his wits against fellow former England manager Graham Taylor, whose squad will live and
PROTESTORS against a waste depot being built near their homes have pledged to monitor its every move after it was granted an operators' licence. The Waste Management Licence granted by the Environment Agency means the controversial waste transfer station
YOU can't help but feel there is something Freddy Shepherd is not telling us. Has Patrick Kluivert already had enough of playing second fiddle? Are Craig Bellamy or Shola Ameobi about to be sold? Or is it that Alan Shearer is about to take on his first
ONE student proved that disability need not stand in the way of success after she achieved top grades. Aisha Hussain, from Prior Pursglove College, in Guisborough, east Cleveland, who has been blind since birth, received her exam results in Braille. The
Heart attack survivor Alan Kennedy was reunited with the paramedic who saved his life today. The retired miner was the first patient in the area covered by the North East Ambulance Service to be given a clot-busting drug by an ambulance crew member rather
COMPLAINTS of bullying in the region have reached record levels, according to a leading children's charity. Calls to ChildLine - the charity set up by TV star Esther Rantzen - have reached their highest level in the organisation's 18-year history, with
Around 150 mourners gathered at a tiny village church today for the funeral of an elderly couple found murdered in their home. Mourners packed St Mary's church in Strensall, near York, to pay their last respects to retired British Rail surveyor James
CYCLISTS: I WOULD like to know what the law is regarding people riding bicycles on public footpaths. My mother, who is 87 years old, loves to walk into Northallerton from her home in Romanby, but constantly has to look over her shoulder for bikes coming
Rents are rising at the strongest pace for three years, with the North leading the way, according to research. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said while overall demand for rented homes remained firm, the recent stall in house price
NY-LON (C4) : THERE'S something quaintly old-fashioned about this new romantic drama. Perhaps it's the 1960s-pioneered split screen process as the story of a transatlantic love affair unfolds and the fact that its leading man Michael is a city trader
A GRIEVING father is to tackle the Great North Run in memory of his son, who died during an asthma attack a few months ago. Mike Ritchie, of Hartlepool, will raise money for charity Asthma UK on September 26 - the day that would have been his son Jacob's
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren will enjoy mixed emotions at Craven Cottage tonight with £4.5m striker Mark Viduka's debut countered by an injury to Michael Reiziger which will keep the right-back out for out for two months. Boro's early season sick-list
A NURSE failed to carry out emergency resuscitation on an elderly lady because she was worried about upsetting other care home residents, an inquiry heard yesterday. Dorothy Dhliwayo, 57, appeared to panic as the 84-year-old woman stopped breathing and
A TEESSIDE nature reserve has been given £60,000 to encourage the public to become more involved in a campaign to attract birds and animals to the area. The money has been given by the Government to help improve the 350-hectare Teesmouth National Nature
Exam pressures played no part in the tragic death of an 11-year-old schoolboy who collapsed during a Sats test, an inquest heard today. Talented athlete Leslie Elkington reported feeling unwell just 10 minutes into a maths exam at Shields Row Primary
EAST Durham youngsters were on hand to help launch a centre they have helped to create. More than 30 young people have been involved in the creation of the Easington Colliery Youth Project devised to provide a well equipped and safe meeting place for
THE new owner of a mansion that is home to one of the region's most enduring ghost stories believes he is inches from the truth that spawned the centuries-old legend. The Grey Lady is supposed to have suffered a tragic death following a doomed romance
A Government scheme aims to givemore youngsters the chance of participatingin US-style summer camps. Sarah Foster visits one in the North-East and finds out what goes on. A GRINNING giant of a man comes bounding up the steps at Featherstone Castle to
STUDENTS at a college for the blind and visually-impaired have been doing their bit to keep thousands of youngsters safe. For the 12th year running, students at Henshaws College, in Harrogate, have been playing a vital part in North Yorkshire's annual
OIL prices fell further from record highs yesterday on a brighter outlook for the production of crude in Iraq. A barrel of oil cost $45.76 in New York as traders welcomed the first exports from Iraq's northern terminal at Kirkuk since May. This was lower
A TEENAGER who nearly died from a brain haemorrhage is a step closer to fulfilling his ambition of becoming a teacher. Ian Forster, 17, was paralysed down his left side after a brain haemorrhage in February 2002. He said: "I went to bed with a bit of
THE Highways Agency has given £40,000 to support a campaign, Handle It or Lose It, which aims to cut the number of motorcycle accidents. A web-based route planner has been launched to provide information to bikers about accident blackspots and problem
SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night insisted Newcastle may never have a better opportunity to acquire Wayne Rooney's services - claiming Manchester United are out of the running for the Everton star's signature. The conspiracy theories have been in overdrive
EXTRA "panda" car drivers are to be trained to meet a police force's expected need for more frontline officers. Durham Police chiefs plan to invest in a training programme to produce 120 qualified drivers a year - 40 more than are currently taking to
IN one of those infrequent moments when the column seems close to being on its uppers, the conversation in the pub turned to segs and, inevitably, to segs appeal. Remember segs, the joy of segs? They were those little things hammered into the toe and
DURHAM will be praying that Worcestershire beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in tonight's totesport League match, otherwise the soggy end of season will become even more of a damp squib. If Nottinghamshire win then beat Scotland at home tomorrow they
NY-LON (C4) THERE'S something quaintly old-fashioned about this new romantic drama. Perhaps it's the 1960s-pioneered split screen process as the story of a transatlantic love affair unfolds and the fact that its leading man Michael is a city trader seems
An ambitious scheme to reintroduce Britain's biggest bird of prey to the skies has seen numbers of the threatened species soar, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said yesterday. The Red Kite has experienced a dramatic increase in its population
BREWING group Foster's said that higher annual profits from sales of beer overseas had been eroded by a sharp drop in US wine sales. The Australian group said international beer sales rose by 8.5 per cent in the year to June 30. This beat the performance
BISHOP Auckland is to take a step towards setting up its own town council next week. Wear Valley District Council members are expected to back a bid from campaigners keen to give the town its own voice. A special district council meeting on Tuesday would
TEESSIDE'S Chinese community is celebrating a £300,000 boost towards the development of a home for its members in the region. Work is under way on the site, in St John's Wood, Middlesbrough, to build apartments and communal facilities. The development
SUDDENLY my Great Uncle Tom makes a lot of sense... And now, when owning even a half decent house can make you a super tax payer when you're dead, he could be a role model. Uncle Tom left school at 13 to go down the pits and had the coal-filled blue scars
HARTLEPOOL United last night laid their Macclesfield jinx to rest, but they made hard work of it. From one bogey team to another in the space of three days - first Blackpool went home without losing, then Macclesfield almost managed it. Pool had never
TIM GARDNER'S ambition of a career in film-making remains on course following his impressive AS-level results. The 17-year-old, who attends Woodham Community Technology College, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, gained A grades in media studies and English
BARRY Conlon may not have been the most prolific striker in Darlington's record books, but he is exactly the sort of player manager David Hodgson currently craves. Conlon made a winning return to his former club in the first round of the Carling Cup last
A MOBILE skate park has been launched in a bid to prevent youngsters using busy public places as ramps. The skate park will be at Stockton Sports Centre, Tilery Road, Stockton, until Friday and is open daily from 1pm to 4pm. Admission is free and the
A BUILDING firm boss who gives up many hours of his own time to help keep his local community secure has been honoured for his work. Knaresborough Special Constable Ken Barnes is the winner of the North Yorkshire force's 2004 Glenn Goodman Memorial Trophy
A MAN has been found guilty of abandoning two pets after he left them alone in a house for almost four days. Magistrates heard yesterday that Roy Bell, 29, of Dale Road, Chilton, left a cat and a gerbil without fresh food or water for 91.4 hours at his
YOUNGSTERS were yesterday quick to take advantage of the opening of an upgraded play area. The Northlands recreation area, in Chester-le-Street, was chosen for a revamp by the district council. It was singled out because of its high use by youngsters
THE parents of a teenager who drowned in a reservoir have thanked his friends for making a desperate attempt to save his life. Friends of Darren Ian Dey dived in to Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, North Yorkshire, but failed to save him. Now his
Residents living close to a busy rail line have successfully campaigned to stop train drivers sounding their horns unnecessarily. The problem began in May when Network Rail put up a new whistle board instructing drivers to sound a warning to alert anyone
FIVE generations celebrated the 100th birthday of great, great-grandmother Rosemary Ludbrook. Mrs Ludbrook's daughter, also called Rosemary, granddaughter Pat Gatenby, great-grandson Tony Gatenby and great, great-grandsons, two-year-old Cameron Gatenby
For almostfive decades, Ernie Roe has tried not to think about a horrific plane crash - until a chance sequence of events led him to confront his worst nightmares. Cartherine Jewitt reports. THE engine of the aircraft began to stutter as it skimmed just
THE new owner of a mansion that is home to one of the region's most enduring ghost stories believes he is inches from the truth that spawned the centuries-old legend. The Grey Lady is supposed to have suffered a tragic death following a doomed romance
Seven bikers have paid a visit to the region as part of a 357-mile charity cycling challenge. The team, from Chrysalis Radio, cycled from London to Newcastle in five days to raise funds for a number of charities, including thousands for local children's
SIR BOBBY Robson has been signed up to coach a Premiership Legends XI to face a celebrity side, as part of a new reality TV show. The Newcastle United boss will pit his wits against fellow former England manager Graham Taylor, whose squad will live and
TORRENTIAL rain is playing havoc with the region's tourist industry, as well as hard-pressed farmers, ahead of the crucial bank holiday weekend. It has already been the wettest-ever August, with twice as much rain as normal, and yesterday there were more
MODELS who have overcome, or who are in the throes of fighting cancer, will parade new fashion lines at a charity night next month. The fashion show is the first of two events staged in support of St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham, which provides respite
SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night insisted Newcastle may never have a better opportunity to acquire Wayne Rooney's services - claiming Manchester United are out of the running for the Everton star's signature. The conspiracy theories have been in overdrive
A 40-year-old man remained in a critical condition in hospital last night after he was beaten unconscious. Police believe Mark Burns was assaulted shortly before 1am on Monday in Stockton High Street. Mr Burns, of Norton, near Stockton, was taken to the
