The future of an RAF base remains uncertain after a Government announcement that new aircraft will be stationed elsewhere. A defence shake-up earlier this year left RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, preparing to lose both its Tornado F3 squadrons by 2008
Jonathan Kerrigan is moving from Merseybeat to Heartbeat, despite declaring his days as a fictional copper were over. Steve Pratt reports on the latest arrival at Aidenfield as the series reaches episode 5. The latest recruit to ITV's nostalgic police
Actor Tom Wisdom is going into uniform to play a World war One officer facing the nightmare of a suicide mission. He talks to Viv Harldwick about the attractions of anti-war play Journy's End and his Mile High exploits on TV. ONE of the world's greatest
A man who drowned as he attempted to swim across the River Tees in Cleveland has been named. Gary Simpson died despite the desperate effort of two friends to save him, Cleveland Police said. The body of the homeless 26-year-old was recovered from the
A MAN was bitten on the leg by a police dog after football fans clashed with police at a railway station, a court has heard. Andrew Baker, 28, allegedly kicked the animal in the head during the violent disturbance at Thornaby railway station, Teesside
ONE thing our grandson's taken home from his latest visit to us is a fine lesson in adult hypocrisy. It wasn't meant to be that way. I blame the wasps. Have you noticed how many there are about this year? But I'll come to them in a bit. It all began well
THE club trip used always to go to Redcar, the Sunday School trip to Durham or somewhere thought equally edifying and the mystery trip nine times out of ten to South Shields, though no one had much of a clue why. No offence to Shields, of course - canny
Firefighters were called to a blaze on the roof of Darlington Civic Theatre today. Twenty staff had to be evacuated after smoke leaked into the building in Parkgate at lunchtime. The fire was believed to have been started by workmen using a blow torch
Breaking news: students leave university in debt. It may not be scoop of the year, but The Push Guide to Money has calculated the average student debt to be £11,830. To make things worse, they also reckon the average price of a pint in a union bar has
JESSOPS has unveiled a new weapon in the battle to remain a major force in the digitally-driven photographic industry. The photographic retailer has started a joint venture with Pixology, a supplier of digital photography software and networks, to offer
MORE then 200 people attended the funeral yesterday of a 15-year-old boy who died after suffering an epileptic fit. There were tears in the congregation when a letter by Arron Smith's younger sisters, Alisha, five, and Chelsea, nine, was read by vicar
Children left petrified by the prospect of major dental surgery could be offered an alternative to general anaesthetic, the findings of a new study carried out on Teesside revealed today. Specialists in working with nervous patients hope techniques tested
Weekends are not what they were. Thank Goodness. A survey by a London tourist organisation has revealed that we're not making the most of our weekends. Too many of us spend the time working, shopping or doing the housework. And after a few carefree hours
THE World Trade Organisation (WTO) has authorised the European Union and other leading trade partners to impose sanctions against the United States in response to illegal anti-dumping rules. EU Trade Commission Pascal Lamy welcomed the ruling, saying:
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT I TOO noticed the slanted use of images in the Government booklet on the Regional Assembly Referendum (Echo, Aug 28), and I share the view that this crude manipulation calls into question the fairness of the vote. But there is another
A man has made his first appearance at crown court faced with sex offences against a girl under 16. Paul Ahmed, 45, spoke only to confirm his name during a short hearing at Newcastle today. The charges, of gross indecency and another serious sex offence
A SMOKING ban came into force at one of the region's largest indoor shopping centres yesterday. Eldon Square in Newcastle city centre barred smokers after successfully lobbying the city council and Government for a bylaw. It followed recent research that
FOUR-year-old Catherine Parkin starts school tomorrow with a special spring in her step. Catherine, from Shildon, County Durham, is one of a group of pre-school nursery pupils to benefit from daily food supplements containing a unique blend of fish oil
MIDDLESBROUGH striker Massimo Maccarone went from despair to joy last night after completing his on-off loan move to Parma. The Italian international has finally moved back to his homeland after Parma agreed a season-long loan deal with Boro - hours after
The Northern Echo is experiencing technical problems at the moment and therefore our online newsfeed is limited. We apologise for any inconvenience to our readers.
AS the vacant managerial post at Newcastle United appears to have been dismissed by many of those qualified for the position, Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is in the frame for taking on the role. Sources in Birmingham have suggested O'Leary would welcome
Viv Hardwick talks to ex-Lindisfarne star Billy Mitchell about going solo and how he became Alan Hull's friend. WHEN North-East singer-songwriter Billy Mitchell first met the Newcastle musical genius and later creator of Lindisfarne Alan Hull the two
The phoney war over the proposed regional assembly came to an abrupt end yesterday with the official launch of the Yes 4 The North East campaign. Tony Kearney watched the opening round of what promises to be a keenly-fought tussle. The campaign for the
A MAN was bitten on the leg by a police dog after football fans clashed with police at a railway station, a court heard. Andrew Baker, 28, allegedly kicked the animal in the head during the violent disturbance at Thornaby railway station. Teesside Crown
THE mother of a terminally-ill child has criticised thieves who stole her daughter's wheelchair. Julia Mangan, 11, who has a muscle-wasting disease, relies on the chair to get around because she is unable to walk. The chair was taken in the early hours
CONSUMERS' appetite for debt eased during July amid further signs that the housing market was slowing down, figures have shown. People increased their borrowings by £10.41bn during the month, the weakest figure since December last year and £1.1bn below
DEFENCE specialist Joyce Loebl has won a £6m tank fleet contract - one of its biggest deals to date.\par The company which is based in Gateshead has signed the deal with Alvis Vickers, in Newcastle, to provide computerised engine and gearbox controls
Weekends are not what they were. Thank Goodness. A survey by a London tourist organisation has revealed that we're not making the most of our weekends. Too many of us spend the time working, shopping or doing the housework. And after a few carefree hours
DARLINGTON boss David Hodgson last night delivered his verdict on the season so far - and believes inconsistency has cost his side a place among the early League Two pacesetters. After six league games Quakers lie 11th in the table ahead of this Saturday's
On the day the "Sport of Kings" was rocked by 16 arrests in a nationwide race-fixing investigation, Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson joined punters in the sunshine on the Knavesmire at York and asked: Are we all being taken for a ride? ROYAL Distant was
A WEBSITE has been launched to allow Ryanair workers to speak out against management anonymously. The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) said www.Ryan-be-fair.org will protect the rights of the budget airline's staff and provide an opportunity
TWO brothers who admitted possessing live wild birds were given community rehabilitation orders by a court yesterday. An RSPCA inspector found four caged birds and baited traps when he raided the home of 44-year-old John Dugdale, in Shafto Street, Byers
PARENTS Iain and Marie Readshaw are calling for greater awareness of the rare medical condition which claimed the lives of their son and daughter. And it is a call which we are happy to support. It is impossible to imagine how the Readshaw family have
A CANDIDATE in the Hartlepool by-election has given up his well-paid job after an ultimatum from his boss to choose between the campaign or his work. Businessman and former Conservative election hopeful Gus Robinson gave UK Independence Party candidate
A CANADIAN senator, whose brother was a member of Second World War airman Andrew Mynarski's crew, has backed The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal. William Kelly's brother, Jim, was the last surviving crew member of the fateful flight from the Royal
Former EastEnders Joe Absolom spent more time playing golf than acting in new comedy series Doc Martin, but he's ended up with a Cornish accent to be proud of. The actor talks over Walfoird woes. Steve Pratt reports. Being away from home for three months
A MAN drowned as he attempted to swim across the River Tees yesterday - despite the desperate efforts of two friends to save him. They were unable to reach the man, in his early 20s, and a major operation was launched, involving a helicopter and rescue
THE Government collected £3.2m as a result of fines paid by motorists trapped by speed cameras in the North-East's biggest police force area, a report has revealed. The Northumbria Safety Camera Partnership's first annual report showed that more than
A £500,000 grant has been awarded to a project based at Teesside University aiming to encourage more young people to consider a future in engineering and science. The SETPOINT North East scheme, based at the Centre for Lifelong Learning, runs courses
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: JOHN Prescott states assemblies have nothing to do with Brussels, but that it is home grown by the Labour party. What rubbish. Regionalisation was put on the agenda for this country as far back as 1937 in the book, which after being
A DRINK-DRIVER who killed his teenage passenger when he crashed his car into a taxi after a night out has been jailed. Apprentice joiner Karl Howell, now 20, had been drinking Smirnoff Ice during a night out with his friend, Lee Wise, in Crook, County
ONE of the North-East's oldest shipping companies has invested £1.5m to expand its fleet. GT Gillie and Blair, which lists Corus and Cleveland Potash among its clients, has bought three new cargo ships as part of expansion and modernisation programme.
MERVYN King is unlikely to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor. In 1998 Eddie George, the former governor of the Bank of England, was quoted as saying that the haemorraghing of manufacturing jobs in the North-East was a fair price to pay for keeping
MUCH heralded, the grotesquely titled Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary - a bit like Eats, Shoots and Leaves but described as "a delightful compendium rather than a zero tolerance guide" - is published tomorrow. Compiled by Vivian Cook, professor
MOROCCAN international Hicham Zerouali is the latest player manager David Hodgson has turned to in his search for a striker after agreeing to join Darlington on trial. The 27-year-old arrived in the country on Sunday evening and played in yesterday's
MUCH heralded, the grotesquely titled Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary - a bit like Eats, Shoots and Leaves but described as "a delightful compendium rather than a zero tolerance guide" - is published tomorrow. Compiled by Vivian Cook, professor
Viv Hardwick talks to ex-Lindisfarne star Billy Mitchell about going solo and how he became Alan Hull's friend. WHEN North-East singer-songwriter Billy Mitchell first met the Newcastle musical genius and later creator of Lindisfarne Alan Hull the two
Actor Ron Perlman has made being recognised by the public into a little game. "I'm saying, 'This one is going to say Name Of The Rose because he looks intellectual and bookish. And this one's going to say Police Academy, because he looks like a total
ONE thing our grandson's taken home from his latest visit to us is a fine lesson in adult hypocrisy. It wasn't meant to be that way. I blame the wasps. Have you noticed how many there are about this year? But I'll come to them in a bit. It all began well
The Northern Echo is experiencing technical problems at the moment and therefore our online newsfeed is limited. We apologise for any inconvenience to our readers.
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant managerial position at North-East neighbours Newcastle. The Magpies board met yesterday to discuss their options in the light of Monday's decision to sack former boss
PLANS to expand a quarry near an ancient monument have been likened to dropping Stonehenge into the River Avon. The comment comes from archaeologists backing protestors fighting the expansion of Nosterfield Quarry, close to Thornborough Henges, near Bedale
SACKED North-East workers last night staged a protest outside the new Wembley Stadium during a star-studded ceremony to mark a milestone in the rebirth of the famous ground. Prime Minister Tony Blair, England captain David Beckham and head coach Sven-Goran
DENTAL experts in the region have developed a revolutionary method of sedating frightened patients. They believe the approach could relieve pressure on hospitals and allow patients to avoid potentially risky general anaesthetics. Clinical trials were
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save the last remaining building which formed part of what was once Europe's largest mental institution. Much of the former Winterton Hospital at Sedgefield, County Durham, has already been developed to make way for housing
THE wife of a North Yorkshire racehorse trainer arrested along with reigning champion jockey Kieren Fallon in a nationwide police investigation into race fixing said last night: "He is innocent." Middleham trainer Karl Burke was arrested in a dawn raid
TOM TUN is the each-way banker bet of the day provided he's in the right frame of mind for the £20,000 BASF Handicap at York. Despite significant market support on his penultimate outing in the Great St Wilfred Handicap, Tom Tun threw the toys out of
Voters in the North East are likely to back plans for England's first regional assembly, a poll revealed today. The poll, which was carried out on behalf of the Yes4theNorthEast campaign group, shows support for a Yes vote is running almost 2-1 ahead
Police forces in the North East are to team up with national experts to tackle the problem of alcohol-related crime and disorder. A director of Alcohol Concern and senior government figures from the Home Office will hold a meeting with representatives
LAURENT Robert last night revealed that he was "really mad" when Sir Bobby Robson told him he had been sacked as manager of Newcastle United. The French midfielder was one of the players Robson gathered together at Newcastle's Benton training ground on
DETECTIVES have admitted they are baffled after a blood-spattered woman claimed she had attacked a man. A police operation was launched on Monday, after the bloodstained woman flagged down a car and told the driver she had assaulted a man. Officers and
Nearly 100 life-saving heart-start machines are to be installed at public places around the North-East and North Yorkshire. The sophisticated heart difibrillators are being allocated to ambulance services across the region as part of a big push to save
