OLIVIER Bernard last night challenged Newcastle's board to make him an improved contract offer before January. The French full-back becomes a free agent in May and if he is still to sign a new deal by the turn of the year, United will be powerless to
MORTGAGE lender Northern Rock took evidence of a faltering property market in its stride yesterday after reporting a continued strong trading performance. The company, based in Newcastle, has an estimated 8.4 per cent share of the mortgage market. Northern
STEVE McCLAREN knows the 'Rooney factor' will have to be curbed if Middlesbrough are to maintain an outstanding recent record at Old Trafford. Boro head to the Theatre of Dreams holding the record for the best run of results in United's backyard, having
As Michael Palin's latest journey begins on BBC1 tomorrow, the intrepid traveller talks to Steve Pratt about his adventures in the Himalaya. The ghost of Monty Python, the wacky British comedy phenomenon, follows Michael Palin as he travels the world
WITH Fatty and Skinny, sorry Susannah and Trinny, on the case the current state of women's clothing seems to suggest that nearly all females are badly dressed. Nobody of maturity should wear bold floral patterns, lively pinks, hoops or anything with lapels
TONY Blair is sitting on a £300,000 nest egg thanks to property price rises in the North-East. The Prime Minister's constituency home, Myrobella, in Trimdon Colliery, County Durham could now be worth up to £400,000, making it his best property investment
POLITICIANS are adept at applying gloss to election results, no matter how bad they really are. A silver lining can always be found. Labour lost more than 14,000 votes in the Hartlepool by-election but the party's candidate, Iain Wright, hailed his narrow
BUSINESS leaders say new Government regulations introduced yesterday, including a 35p rise in the minimum wage, will cost firms in the region millions of pounds. Dubbed Red Tape Day by wary business leaders, yesterday saw the introduction of rules on
WITH Fatty and Skinny, sorry Susannah and Trinny, on the case the current state of women's clothing seems to suggest that nearly all females are badly dressed. Nobody of maturity should wear bold floral patterns, lively pinks, hoops or anything with lapels
ANTIQUES experts Bonhams are hosting a valuation day to raise money for hospice patients. Supporters of the Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland can take items to St Mary's Church Hall, in Barnard Castle, on Wednesday, October 13, from 11am to 3pm. Admission
TWO toddlers became VIPs for the day when they officially opened a new £550,000 Sure Start centre. Three-year-old James Kinghorn and Sophie Lawther, two, who had rainbow-painted faces, cut a ribbon to officially open Sure Start Redcar Coast and Dormanstown's
Scouser Craig Hignett sees his return to the North-East Darlington as a homecoming. The former Middlesbrough favourite tells sports writer Lee Hall of his love affair with the region. Darlington subs (from): Price (gk), Hughes, Maddison, Clark, Coghlan
A MAN has changed his plea and denied driving a killer motorist away from the scene of a fatal crash. Thomas Magnum, 47, initially admitted perverting the course of justice by driving Derek Pallas back to Sunderland after he killed motorcyclist Leslie
BOTH Newcastle United and Middlesbrough booked their placed in the next round of the UEFA Cup on Thursday evening following comfortable wins in their respective first-round ties. United negotiated their passage through courtesy of a 5-1 victory - 7-1
Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted he was "absolutely fine" last night after hospital treatment for a recurring heart problem. A smiling Mr Blair returned to 10 Downing Street earlier than expected following the two-and-a-half hour procedure. The Premier's
CRAIG HIGNETT may have been born and bred in Liverpool, but the adopted Teessider couldn't be more at home in the North-East. It was in 1992 that the boy from Whiston first walked through the gates of Ayresome Park. There were high hopes for Lennie Lawrence's
A VILLAGE pub will host a fundraising event this afternoon to help send poorly youngsters on the trip of a lifetime. The Green Tree, in Tudhoe Village, near Spennymoor, will host the event in aid of KIDS (Kids with Immune Deficient Systems). The charity
Real life stories have long been a Hollywood staple, but two new films eschew the standard biopic in favour of an unconventional approach. Steve Pratt reports. British comedy actor Peter Sellers was to be found wandering the corridors of a London hotel
TO some of us, it should at once be admitted, a shopping centre is the approximate equivalent of hell on earth, a place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and, quite possibly, of nervous palpitations. To the Rev June Robson it is a bustling
A BIRD breeder threatened to go on hunger strike yesterday after being jailed for failing to pay a £150,000 court order. Harry Sissen, 66, was sent to prison for 21 months by Northallerton magistrates. As he was led from the court in handcuffs he threw
A MUCH-LOVED community theatre looks to have been saved from demolition after it became a listed building yesterday. Campaigners trying to save Billingham Forum Theatre in Billingham, near Stockton, say the theatre is now almost certain to be saved. However
MAGISTRATES courts in North Yorkshire dealt with 7,000 more cases during the past 12 months than in the previous year, according to a new report. The county's magistrates' courts committee has published its annual report for 2003-2004. It shows that the
A SCHOOL band is to entertain visitors at its annual open day today, with music ranging from military marches to Michael Jackson. The musical entertainment will provide an opportunity for Barnard Castle School Band to practice for their forthcoming tour
A CORONER ruled yesterday that a woman who died after the car she was driving overturned on an isolated farm road may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Amrit Kaur, 51, from Thornaby, Teesside, was travelling in a Vauxhall Vectra with her 13-year-old son
NORTHERN Echo photographer Brian Clough is in the spotlight at a gallery where he has taken scores of pictures. Brian, who has won a number of awards, including Rothmans Press Photographer of the Year, is displaying photographs at Seaton Holme, in Easington
WORK has started in earnest for a team of volunteers sending aid to Romania. In six weeks time the annual consignment of aid from the New Life for Romania team, in Northallerton, will leave for the towns of Aiud and Simeria. This year is the tenth anniversary
Celebrated cook Delia Smith and gardening expert Gay Search have a lot in common. Delia loves using fresh produce and Gay loves growing it. With this in mind, the two women, who have been friends for 35 years, have joined forces to give both cooks and
A DESSERT that could be one of Britain's most expensive is on sale in the North-East for £67.50. Pink Blush went on the menu at Hide restaurants in Yarm, Durham and Newcastle yesterday, with all proceeds going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The designer
MANUFACTURER Torque Tension Systems (TTS) has won an order to supply hydraulic equipment to an Alaskan oil and gas pipeline. The company, based in Bedlington, Northumberland, was the only UK manufacturer invited to tender for the work as part of a $250m
A BID to keep artwork depicting a historic moment in a North-East town's history appears to have failed. The painting portraying the opening of the South Dock, at Seaham, County Durham, in 1905, went under the hammer at London auctioneers Bonhams earlier
THE Pitcairn Islands, way out in the Pacific Ocean, are Britain's most isolated inhabited possession, but this week they've been making headlines in the heart of the old Empire with the lurid court case involving half of the islands' males. A Briton called
TO some of us, it should at once be admitted, a shopping centre is the approximate equivalent of hell on earth, a place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and, quite possibly, of nervous palpitations. To the Rev June Robson it is a bustling
GATHERED around a television screen on Thursday night, the family of James Morrison sat biting nails, screaming and shouting as Middlesbrough looked to book a place in the inaugural group stage of the UEFA Cup. As time gradually ticked down on Banik Ostrava's
A DESSERT that could be one of Britain's most expensive is on sale in the North-East for £67.50. Pink Blush went on the menu at Hide restaurants in Yarm, Durham and Newcastle yesterday, with all proceeds going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The designer
NEWCASTLE Falcons entertain Leicester today, hoping to impress a 10,000 capacity crowd and the Sky TV audience with a similar thriller to Tigers' last visit in early April. Dave Walder's 80th minute conversion of a try by Jon Dunbar earned the Falcons
PRIME Minister Tony Blair can look forward to a quick recovery after undergoing treatment for an irregular heartbeat, a cardiologist said. The procedure, called catheter ablation, is a simple technique that thousands of patients in the UK undergo each
A POLICE spotter plane came within seconds of disaster after a powerful light was shone into the cockpit - blinding the pilot, a court heard. The beam was so bright that pilot Glenden Keeting had to abort the landing above Durham Tees Valley Airport,
A 45ft-high picture of someone sitting on the toilet greeted workers on a North-East industrial estate yesterday. The image is on the side of a trailer that is touring the UK raising awareness of colon or bowel cancer, which kills more than 16,000 Britons
ONE of the most eye-catching works of art to go on display in the North-East is to be officially unveiled next week. The roof of the new Debenham's store, at Gateshead's MetroCentre, is now home to a 22ft glass sculpture called Look Out, which has taken
Tow Law manager Geoff Young admits he is worried about the team's immediate future. Lawyers discovered subsidence on their pitch in midweek, and home games will be a non-starter until the problem is resolved. Young said: "From my point of view as manager
POLICE have hit back at criticisms that they failed to protect a candidate as the Hartlepool by-election result was announced early yesterday. Liberal Democrat Jody Dunn, from Gainford, near Darlington, was left in tears after a purple flour attack by
REGIONAL ASSEMBLY: THE Great North Run has once again highlighted the fantastic spirit of the North-East and the cohesiveness of the area. We have a strong regional culture, often reflected in sport and how we enjoy ourselves. North-East residents will
CONTINUITY is not a word you would often associate with Darlington manager David Hodgson - especially when it comes down to team selection. But that is exactly what Hodgson is hoping to achieve next after adding the latest piece to his Quakers jigsaw
A POLICE spotter plane came within seconds of disaster after a powerful light was shone into the cockpit - blinding the pilot, a court heard. The beam was so bright that pilot Glenden Keeting had to abort the landing above Durham Tees Valley Airport,
A BIRD breeder threatened to go on hunger strike yesterday after being jailed for failing to pay a £150,000 court order. Harry Sissen, 66, was sent to prison for 21 months by Northallerton magistrates. As he was led from the court in handcuffs he threw
AFTER a lifetime as a staunch Methodist, a former lay preacher had a special sermon to deliver to mark her 100th birthday. Ethel Walker recited a psalm and spoke about her faith to a small congregation sharing a service in the Willington care home where
BRITISH Energy blamed quarterly losses of £115m announced yesterday on operating and one-off costs. The group, which employs 500 people at Hartlepool Power Station, said its performance in the three months to June 30 had been affected by lower than expected
NATIONAL Health Service carers who look after people with mental health issues and disabilities have been given awards for their work. Individuals and teams were given awards at a special night in Guisborough. The ten Teesside winners were chosen from
POLICE last night pledged no mercy for Middlesbrough football fans if they are found guilty of violence in the Czech Republic. About 200 supporters had to be separated by riot police during trouble at Middlesbrough FC's Uefa Cup match again Banik Ostrava
A RECORD number of North-East problem drug users have had specialist treatment for their addiction, according to new figures. Nearly 7,000 drug users received specialist treatment during the last financial year. Statistics published by the National Treatment
THE proposed regional assembly for the North-East looks increasingly likely to be given the power to complete the dualling of the A1, The Northern Echo can reveal. The Government is thought to be on the verge of agreeing to hand over the running of the
MOTORISTS are warned of possible delays as traffic plans are put in force for the arrival of freshers at Durham University tomorrow. Most of the new intake of 2,700 first years are expected to arrive in Durham by car with their parents for the start of
POLICE have named the young woman killed when a car crashed as it sped away from a patrol car. Katharine Jane Davis, who was 20, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in Hartlepool in the early hours of yesterday. Miss Davis was a passenger
PATRICK Kluivert expects his strike partnership with Alan Shearer to be worth 40 goals this season, and has insisted that the duo's competition to be top scorer can only work to Newcastle's advantage. The Dutch international was in sparkling form as the
MARK SCHWARZER has admitted his future may lie away from Middlesbrough when his contract expires at the end of the season. The Australian goalkeeper is being courted by Manchester United and Arsenal and will have another chance to prove his worth at Old
PATRICK Kluivert expects his strike partnership with Alan Shearer to be worth 40 goals this season, and has insisted that the duo's competition to be top scorer can only work to Newcastle's advantage. The Dutch international was in sparkling form as the
As Michael Palin's latest journey begins on BBC1 tomorrow, the intrepid traveller talks to Steve Pratt about his adventures in the Himalaya. The ghost of Monty Python, the wacky British comedy phenomenon, follows Michael Palin as he travels the world
THE proposed regional assembly for the North-East looks increasingly likely to be given the power to complete the dualling of the A1, The Northern Echo can reveal. The Government is thought to be on the verge of agreeing to hand over the running of the
A HEARTBROKEN father made a sad pilgrimage yesterday to the scene where his 16-year-old daughter lost her life exactly a year ago. Terri Ellwood had been on her first holiday without her parents in Filey, North Yorkshire, when she fell to her death from
CONTINUITY is not a word you would often associate with Darlington manager David Hodgson - especially when it comes down to team selection. But that is exactly what Hodgson is hoping to achieve next after adding the latest piece to his Quakers jigsaw
ENERGY company Powergen is asking parish councils in North Yorkshire to suggest sites where small wind farms might be established. According to Greenpeace, a poll by ICM shows that 76 per cent of people in the region support Government plans to increase
A service is being set up to provide emergency accommodation for young homeless people in Teesdale. Figures show that homelessness in the dale has drastically increased, and a new charity is being set up to try and help. Stop2Night Teesdale will provide
FOR Micky Barron the wait is nearly over. Following a summer of rest, recuperation and more rest and recuperation, the Hartlepool United skipper is back in the first-team picture. An hour of football in Tuesday's LDV Vans Trophy win over Hull was - ten
