CHEMICALS group Huntsman was poised to pull out of Teesside if it did not receive Government support for its plans to build a £200m polyethylene plant, The Northern Echo can reveal. The US company yesterday announced plans to build the world's largest
THE inquest into the death of Nusrat Ali, who sustained multiple stab wounds at her home in Lothian Road, Middlesbrough, heard she died of haemorrhaging and shock. The 25-year-old call-centre worker died on August 17. Her body was formally identified
THE first British soldier to be charged with the murder of a civilian in Iraq appeared in court yesterday. Trooper Kevin Lee Williams, 21, assigned to the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, is accused of murdering Hassan Abbad Said on or before August 3 last year
HOPES that North-East patients would be the first in the UK to benefit from a cancer breakthrough have been dashed. After five years, a major drug trial involving ovarian cancer patients has ended in failure. The so-called International Smart trial (Study
Former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson formally stepped down as a Member of Parliament today to take up his new position as European Commissioner. Mr Mandelson's departure from Westminster will trigger a by-election in his Hartlepool constituency. Although
the latest figures have shown that the ongoing drive to reduce crime in the Teesside area has been a success, with the number of incidents falling. The figures show overall crime in the Cleveland Police Force area fell by 18.3 per cent in August, compared
THE Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal has received a boost from former servicemen and women. The Darlington branch of the Royal Air Force Association has donated £1,000 to the paper's fund to get a £40,000 statue of Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski
Top rider Ian Pattinson has told how the family of a team-mate killed on the Isle of Man race persuaded him to continue racing. The 36-year-old from County Durham was devastated by the death of friend Tommy Clucas who suffered fatal injuries at Ballaugh
CYCLING - The law states that riding on footpaths is illegal. To make the law more readily enforceable, from August 1, 1999, for anyone over 16 it was made subject to a fixed penalty fine of £30. Thus, the police no longer have to take these offenders
HARTLEPOOL United are still waiting to discover if Kevin Betsy is returning to Victoria Park - but no-one is holding their breath. Port Vale yesterday dropped out of the running to sign the former Barnsley midfielder, leaving Pool and Oldham in a straight
The Grid (BBC2) - You knew where you were with the bad guys in the old days. They had but one ambition - to take over the world. And you knew that someone like James Bond would come along and, after a few preliminary difficulties, would blow both villain
THE Darlington branch of the Parkinson's Disease Society is holding an information event today. Visitors to the Carmelite Convent, in Nunnery Lane, will be offered professional advice on coping with the condition. The event was set up to help get newly-diagnosed
YOUNG people have used graffiti art to redecorate a vandalised youth shelter. The team from Cockfield, worked with graffiti artist Paul Richards after vandals damaged their youth shelter. The youth shelter was built in 1999 but recently had to have metal
COUNCILLORS have agreed to pay the remaining money owed to a company for the provision of a village playground once a new drain has been installed. Middleton St George Parish Council still owe £5,945 to Wicksteed, the firm responsible for installing equipment
A COUNCIL may encourage pubs, clubs and restaurants to ban smoking. Durham City Council's cabinet will consider a report on stubbing out cigarettes in enclosed public spaces. Although it has no powers to order a ban, it could try to influence businesses
A record high in the price of polymers is likely to have a major impact on the performance of British Polythene Industries (BPI). The company, which employs about 350 staff at Visqueen, in Stockton, released interim results in line with market expectations
A PRINTING company which recently relocated in Darlington said the move had been met with a positive response from customers. After almost 30 years on Bondgate, Prontaprint Centre closed its shop and moved to a more customer-friendly and accessible location
A NUMBER of companies from the region are looking East in a bid to win business in the oil and gas sector. Five companies from the region are among a delegation of 25 to sign up for a trade mission to Malaysia and Singapore. Organised with the help of
An event held to crack down on crime and the fear of crime has been hailed as a success. Harrogate's first Say No to Crime Day took place last month when a mobile police unit was stationed in the town centre. Police officers, community beat teams and
A concert is being held to raise funds for charity on behalf of three brave schoolchildren. The aim of the concert, organised by The Marske Town Centre Partnership, is to raise money for charities relevant to three youngsters from St Bede's RC Primary
A POPULAR series of public lectures on war-time themes begins its 20th anniversary season later this month. Peter Hart, of the Imperial War Museum, will give the first talk, called Mesopotamia: The First Gulf War, at the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery
AN MP is calling for her constituents to nominate local volunteer groups for this year's Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. More than 300 community and voluntary groups in Britain have won the award, now in its third year, which was created to mark
FORMER Middlesbrough striker Craig Hignett will learn whether or not he has a future at Leeds United this morning, with Darlington manager David Hodgson standing by to make a move. Hodgson will step up his efforts to bring in at least one new face before
The Wensleydale Creamery in the Yorkshire Dales has won the title of best cheese in Britain at the World Cheese Awards in London. The cheese maker swept the board at the event, picking up three gold medals, four silver and one bronze. The Hawes-based
Royal Mail workers recruited asylum seekers to launder stolen benefit books and cheques in a massive fraud operation, a court was told. Benefit books stolen from Dagenham, Essex, were doctored and cashed within days at village post offices across the
The mother of a British soldier charged with the murder of a civilian in Iraq today said she was standing by her son. Trooper Kevin Lee Williams appeared before Bow Street Magistrates' Court in central London yesterday. The 21-year-old member of the 2nd
A £3.6m industrial and warehouse development that could create more than 250 jobs will be opened this week. The Maple Way development, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which comprises 70,000sq ft of industrial space, will be opened at a launch event
A MAN whose battered body was found under a pile of logs in woodland died of severe head injuries following a sustained assault, an inquest heard. The details of how Darren Manders, known as Dougie, suffered multiple skull fractures to the front and rear
FOUR young footballers were arrested following reports of pot-shots being fired at pedestrians from passing cars. Three teenage Sunderland players have admitted being involved in the firing of pellets from a BB-type gun at passers-by in city streets,
RACECOURSE owner Northern Racing yesterday reported a fall in profits after the weather and uncertainty over the UK racing industry's future adversely affected the first half. Northern Racing, which owns courses at Newcastle and Sedgefield, was formed
A company has secured a £2m contract to help build three power stations in Nigeria. Osprey Shipping, of Wallsend, North Tyneside, will be involved in the transport, marine engineering and installation of generating equipment for the power stations. Launched
construction workers sacked during the building of the new Wembley stadium have been treated abysmally, a union leader said yesterday. Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB, visited the sacked steelworkers, who have been picketing the site since
GRAEME SOUNESS will be handed the financial backing to give the Newcastle United squad his personal attention as soon as the January transfer window opens. Known as a manager to adopt the hard-line approach, Souness is expected to be ruthless in his judgement
CHARISMATIC Mayor of Middlesbrough Ray Mallon is being lined up to front the campaign for a directly-elected assembly for the North-East, The Northern Echo can reveal. Senior figures in the Yes 4 The North East group have confirmed they have made overtures
DARLINGTON have completed the signing of former Middlesbrough striker Craig Hignett. The 34-year-old has joined Quakers after failing to earn a long-term deal with Leeds United. Hignett passed a medical at the Williamson Motors Stadium this morning before
HORSES suffer from a variety of skin conditions which can be seasonal in nature. We are all familiar with "sweet itch" in summer as just such an example. There are however, a group of skin diseases which tend to occur mostly in the winter months, some
FRANCK QUEUDRUE has suggested Middlesbrough's season will be a failure if a place in the top six for the first time in the club's Premiership history is not achieved. After Boro's opening four games, Steve McClaren's men sit fifth in the table having
Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn must ''think hard and deep'' about whether he is sufficiently committed to politics to return to the Cabinet, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock said today. The possibility of a return to the political frontline for
Royal Shakespeare company actor Forbes Masson tells Viv Hardwick why he's bringing a belly-laugh to one of the Bard's bloodiest plays. LAUGH-a-minute doesn't quite cover Forbes Masson's dramatic contribution to the Royal Shakespeare Company's production
HUNDREDS of people have backed a campaign against post office closures in Durham. The branches at Nevilles Cross and Gilesgate are among 11 across the county that face the axe under a national closure programme by the Post Office to get rid of unviable
THE fears of many people in the south of our region is that a North-East Assembly will be dominated by the conurbations of Tyneside and Wearside. It a legitimate concern for those who have seen Newcastle become firmly established as the regional capital
I WAS nine years old when my uncle loaned me his sons' 13.2 h.h. pony for two weeks whilst they went on holiday. To say I was euphoric would be an understatement. My excitement was exceeded only by my incompetence. At that time my riding was limited to
The number of people contesting the Hartlepool by-election has risen to ten following the announcement of a further two candidates. Ed Abrams, 34, from Cheshire, will represent the English Democrats Party, and Alan Howling Laud Hope, 62, from Hampshire
Bus drivers on Tyneside have called off two days of strike action. At the end of last month, around 750 members of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) voted in favour of one-day strikes on 10 and 17 September. Three depots in the region - Slatyford
IT may be a simple statement, but remember that a horse's heart is a pump. It pumps blood which is used to carry oxygen, nutrients and waste products to and from all parts of the body irrespective of whether the horse is grazing in a field or winning
A mother had to call the fire brigade this morning after she locked herself out of the house while her baby was inside. A fire crew from Durham City were called out shortly after 10.45am when the woman rang for help to get back into her home in the luxury
A child rapist who became a prison pal of Soham murderer Ian Huntley has been banned from returning home to haunt his victims after being shopped by his own brother. William Blower, 49, was released from prison last week but is prevented from returning
AFTER being rescued from the wilds of the A66 in torrential rain, Paul Buckingham eventually found and directed me to his family home at Scargill, near Barnard Castle, to meet and talk to his daughter, Tanya. Celebrations were in order, and for good reason
A church is preparing to celebrate its centenary. Yarm Methodist Church will mark its anniversary on September 29, with a short service at 4pm. On Sunday, October 3, a Songs of Praise-type event will take place at 3pm. Stuart Grundy, who used to work
WOMEN are being given the chance to get back into learning. New Start for Women is a free course run by Redcar Adult Learning Service. The 30-week course is four hours a week during term time and is aimed at helping women to build self-confidence, develop
A WIDE-RANGING action plan to bring primary NHS dental care to an extra 150,000 people has been put together by a health authority. If the plan is a success, it would see an extra 80 dentists recruited by the end of 2009. Problems with the lack of NHS
A PIONEERING scheme that will see schools in Darlington provide wider services for pupils, families and communities is to be launched. Council officials have been awarded £168,000 by the Department for Education and Skills to develop the Extended Schools
A FOOTBALL-MAD boy was left devastated after thieves stole his bike, which had been adapted by his favourite football club. Bryan Walker, nine, of Billingham, made a trip to the Sunderland AFC club shop to buy the £180 bike. But thieves took the cycle
Wallace and Gromit are not the only ones to profess a love for Wensleydale cheese. The country's most famous proponents of the delicacy have been joined by the judges of what is billed as the cheese 'Oscars'. For the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, North
THE public is to get a rare chance to see the inside of a court and its cells this weekend - without the usual consequences. Northallerton Courthouse, which has only recently reopened after an extensive programme of refurbishment, is throwing open its
POLICE last night warned Middlesbrough fans planning to travel without tickets to the club's first European away trip that they could not guarantee their safety. Officials are expecting huge demand for tickets, with just 900 being made available for the
A PHOTOGRAPHIC competition to capture the spirit of County Durham has been launched. Durham County Council is looking for images that sum up life in the county for its 2005 calendar. Marketing officer Andrew Dean said: "We want people in County Durham
A COUNCIL with a budget of £700m a year has been told by a citizens' panel that 41 per cent of them are satisfied with the condition of roads - but 37 per cent are not. Now North Yorkshire County Council says it hopes to rectify this through increased
CHILDREN found they could write as if by magic on their teacher's whiteboard as their school entered the space age this week. Oaktree Primary School, in Stockton, has installed 17 computer appliances called interactive whiteboards at a cost of about £60,000
A COUNCIL that axed its main gardening event has paid almost £2,000 to support smaller shows. Durham City Council is making grants of £160 to 12 gardening and craft shows. One of the recipients is this weekend's inaugural Durham Horticultural and Craft
THOUSANDS more householders will join the wheelie bin brigade next week. About 12,000 homes in Stokesley, Great Ayton, Brompton and villages surrounding these areas will start using the bins. Hambleton District Council is introducing the system of wheeled
RESIDENTS whose homes were flooded with sewage-contaminated water in Hartlepool are being asked to share their experiences with council officers. Hartlepool Borough Council's environment and regeneration scrutiny forum hopes their stories can be used
A blind adventurer climbed behind the wheel of a car for the first time in two years today and raced to more than 170mph as he began training to break a land speed record. Steve Cunningham, 41, took the helm of a Mercedes SL sports car with a professional
One of the world's biggest development companies flew into the region today and said it was "serious" about transforming the Tees Valley. Emaar Properties, responsible for turning Dubai into a thriving city from a desert outpost, is planning to perform
A bakery firm has announced plans to rebuild its plant which was destroyed in an arson attack earlier this year. Peter's Cathedral Bakers - which has 71 shops and 700 employees across the North-East - said that work will begin on the site at Dragonville
THE man credited with transforming Dubai into an economic powerhouse flies into Teesside tomorrow bringing with him the hope of thousands of jobs. His Excellency Mohamed Ali Alabbar will be met by Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon and North-East businessman
WILLIAM Hague is a likeable chap. Everyone is agreed on that. Retaining his warm West Riding accent, he comes over as genuinely friendly and unaffected. Lively mind, of course. Sharp wit. Brilliant speaker. The Tories probably reckon they dumped him prematurely
IT'S almost 15 years to the day when Terry Butcher, his white England shirt turning crimson from a head wound, helped Bobby Robson's side claim the precious point in Stockholm, Sweden, that ultimately led to them earning World Cup qualification. So, at
This ride originated from Hexham Race-course in the late Eighties and has moved around over the years. Although the organisers, Eileen Charlton and Janet Lennard, used the beautiful setting of the racecourse for the return of this ride in 2002 and 2003
TAXI drivers have warned that any attempt to increase the number of cabs on the road would affect safety standards. Richmondshire District Council currently grants 65 hackney carriage licences, but the Department of Transport has told the authority to
A MAN head-butted his 63-year-old mother and threatened to pour boiling water over his stepfather, a court was told yesterday. Peter Charles Hutchinson, 40, launched the late-night attack on Shirley and Malcolm Hutchinson last month, while their young
A pensioner is facing a prison sentence after being convicted of subjecting a girl to a persistent course of sexual abuse. David Bell, 72, was today found guilty of five charges of indecency with the girl between July 1991 and August 1995, when his victim
SUNDERLAND'S injury-plagued winger Matt Piper would love to put two-years of frustration behind him by making a comeback at former employers Leicester City. Piper has finally resumed ball work in training after stepping up rehabilitation following a major
The Bedale and West of Yore hunts pony club camp was held this year at Thorp Perrow near Bedale by kind permission of Sir John and Lady Ropner. The estate park has been used for camp for many years now. One can only say it is the most perfect setting
Whitehall 'Sir Humphreys' will ambush the Bill to set up the North-East elected assembly in a bid to weaken its powers, MPs were warned today. Tony Travers, a leading local government academic, told a Commons committee that Government departments would
Environmentalists say the North Sea is facing a crisis but those accused of causing it say the situation is over-exaggerated. Where does the truth lie? In the first of a two-part series, John Dean looks at the environmentalists' claims. THEY may only
A VICAR who risked his life to tend the sick and dying when cholera swept through a North-East town will be recognised in a book. The epidemic killed 145 people in two months in Barnard Castle, County Durham, and many people fled the town. But the Reverend
THE number of people contesting the Hartlepool by-election has risen to ten after the announcement of two more candidates. Ed Abrams, 34, from Cheshire, will represent the English Democrats Party, and Alan Howling Laud Hope, 62, from Hampshire, will represent
PREPARE for an electrifying performance from High Voltage, fancied to storm away with this afternoon's £50,000 Portland Handicap on day one of Doncaster's St Leger meeting. Trainer Karl Burke and jockey Darren Williams could both do with a boost after
