EACH year the World Markets Research Centre publishes a list of Europe's most cost-effective car plants. Manufacturers jockey for position lower down the ranks but one name always sits proudly at the top - Nissan Sunderland. For the past two decades Nissan's
Geraint Jones is relishing the opportunity to emulate Adam Gilchrist as England press for double success in South Africa. Wicketkeeper Jones has been entrusted with a new role as opener as Michael Vaughan's tourists seek to follow their 2-1 Test series
Bungling council bosses today apologised to a grieving family for trying to bill a road accident victim for wrecking the lamppost that killed him. The elderly mother of Jason Bennett, 32, spoke of her shock when the council demand arrived through the
COUNCILS in the region are spending less than a £1 per week providing vital services to youngsters, according to figures released yesterday. The GMB union has condemned some local authorities for the lack of funding for youth clubs and other community
Armed police were called to a benefits office yesterday after a man in an "agitated state" began brandishing kitchen knives. The 28-year-old man became abusive towards staff at the JobCentre Plus offices in Stockton before he pulled out the knives. Armed
THERE are fears that trials being undertaken by Orange in India could lead to job losses. As the biggest private sector employer in Darlington, employing about 2,400 workers at its Yarm Road site, possible plans to outsource the company's call centre
THE UK's manufacturing sector grew at its slowest pace for 18 months as the strong pound took its toll on orders, figures showed. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply's key activity barometer eased to 51.8 in January - down from 53.7 in December
GASKETS blown and cylinder heads seriously overheated, the region's railway buffs are steamed up - and worse - about a sale at a Darlington auction house. It involved a nameplate depicting the A3 steam locomotive Merry Hampton, named - like many more
GAINFORD once called itself the Queen of Durham, and it is true that there can be few prettier villages. The splendid houses of the High Row overlook the village green with the River Tees babbling by at the bottom. It is a typically
PROPOSALS to strip the North-East of its only specialist children's burns unit could force seriously ill youngsters to travel hundreds of miles for treatment. If the Newcastle Hospital Trust Burns Service closes, children living in the North-East and
IT was the two Englishmen sharing her hotel who made Wendy feel uneasy. One in his 50s, the other perhaps late 30s, and both with Filipino companions. The girl with the younger of the two men was around 16, the other girl looked just 14. It was one of
AN exclusive country home once owned by Newcastle United legend Kevin Keegan has been sold in a multi-million pound deal. The mansion, on the Wynyard Hall estate, near Billingham, Teesside, had been on the market since August. The guideline for offers
A LIFELINE has been thrown to parents and children fighting the closure of their swimming pool. There have been protests and a petition organised by Hartlepool Swimming Club since Mayor Stuart Drummond decided to close Rossmere Swimming Pool. However,
DENNIS Hobbs is determined to repay the faith shown in him after joining British Superbike outfit Team Nvidia. The Guisborough rider, who has raced as a privateer in the British Superbike Cup for the past two seasons, has had to fight back from serious
POPE JOHN PAUL II, who has been suffering from breathing problems and the flu, was taken to hospital last night, Vatican officials said. The 84-year-old has been suffering from influenza since Sunday and apparently suffered a "breathing crisis", an unnamed
MANAGEMENT at condom and medicine maker SSL International said last night its 300-strong workforce in the region was secure - despite plans to close its Derby factory and shift production to India. Scholl footwear manufacturer SSL announced plans to close
PASSENGER numbers are up on a rail franchise that changed hands 12 months ago. Train operator First TransPennine Express reported a growth of six per cent, with an extra 750,000 people using its service than when it took over the franchise on February
NISSAN has turned to the North-East to create its new flagship vehicle, safeguarding 5,000 jobs and creating up to 1,000 more in the region. As revealed in The Northern Echo yesterday, the motoring company announced the latest model will be manufactured
Two of the biggest names in the coach tour business have announced plans to join forces in a £200m deal. Coach Holiday Group (CHG), which owns Wallace Arnold, and Shearings are to merge to form one of Europe's largest coach holiday companies, CHG shareholder
MICKY Barron will this afternoon continue his comeback from injury, with a new contract in the bag and praise from his manager. The Hartlepool United captain has only played ten times this season - a double hernia operation and knee surgery ruling him
The North-East and North Yorkshire have an unenviable place in the hearts of con artists who net more than £1 billion a year of other people's money nationwide. Despite the best efforts of Trading Standards officers householders across the region are
NISSAN has turned to the North-East to create its new flagship vehicle, safeguarding 5,000 jobs and creating up to 1,000 more in the region. As revealed in The Northern Echo yesterday, the motoring company said the latest model will be manufactured at
DARLINGTON new boy Bobby Petta admits the chance to play regular first-team football was too good an opportunity to turn down. The Dutch winger signed a short-term deal with Quakers on Monday which will keep him at the Williamson Motors Stadium until
BOC announces 13% profits: Gases group BOC lifted first quarter profits by 13 per cent yesterday, but said its semiconductor arm continued to face challenging trading conditions. The group, which employs 46,000 people across the world, and 80 in Teesside
Peterlee are looking for a new manager again following the resignation of John Charlton, writes RAY SIMPSON. Charlton, appointed in October, has resigned because of business commitments. Peterlee are currently in the bottom three of the First Division
A WOMAN is to swap the palatial settings of a County Durham museum for volunteer work in an African community. Jenny Wayman, 20, a group events organiser at the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, is to travel to Arusha, Tanzania, in April. She will spend
SERVICE centre staff were on call yesterday after a council introduced changes to its recycling and refuse services. Workers braced themselves for an influx of calls after Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council began a four-day collection week. To ease
A SHORTLIST of companies wanting to share in the £500m transformation of a derelict North-East dockland will be announced today. Scores of developers showing an interest in the Middlehaven redevelopment, in Middlesbrough, have been whittled down to six
A regional rail link that once looked doomed but was saved thanks to public demandcelebrated its 150th anniversary yesterday. Civic leaders and staff from the Wensleydale Railway travelled between Bedale and Leeming Bar, in North Yorkshire. The short
A MAN has admitted attacking a woman during a domestic violence incident. Edward Linton, 25, of West Auckland Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to assaulting Danielle Dixon. However, he denied three further charges arising from
A hotel is to get a £1m extension which will create 16 new bedrooms and a function suite. Work at the New Grange Hotel, in Southend Avenue, Darlington, will be carried out in two stages over 11 months to minimise disruption to people who are planning
PEOPLE living in Durham may be asked to pay only 2.75 per cent more for city council services from April. The ruling Lib Dems have announced plans to levy the lowest percentage rises in the council's share of the council tax in recent years. If agreed
A stalker has admitted bombarding his victim with telephone calls and text messages for more than a year. Lee Withycombe, 22, made threatening and abusive calls and texts to Lynn Taylor between March 1, 2003, and August 5, 2004. During the campaign, Withycombe
A GUIDE to help young people through their teenage years is to be published. The Pocket Guide to Services in Redcar and Cleveland offers advice on topics from drugs and drinking to careers and leaving care. It also contains useful contact numbers and
YOUNG people are being asked to help design and create a sculpture for a newly-opened skate park. The Arts Council has allocated £8,000 to the Northallerton project to produce an artwork that will reflect skating. An artist will work with boarders, bladers
A SUPPORT group which hopes to send a team from the North-East to help survivors of the Asian tsunami is gathering support. Geordie Aid holds its next meeting at 6.30pm tonight in the Quaker Meeting House, Jesmond, Newcastle. The group has recruited barristers
HARD-up young prisoners have chipped in part of their wages to help send £1,500 to the tsunami disaster fund. Some of the inmates gave £3 or £4 towards the appeal at Deerbolt Young Offenders Institution, at Barnard Castle, County Durham. They sponsored
KITE-flying lessons are on the timetable during half-term for schoolchildren. An exhibition of handiwork by kite-maker Kelvin Woods is to be unveiled at Redcar's Kirkleatham Museum. The handyman has also arranged kite-making and flying school sessions
A family fighting for justice for their son who died in a Greek hospital have hit their fundraising target. The parents of Christopher Rochester, 24, of Chester-le-Street, fly to Rhodes on Saturday for an appeal by three doctors convicted of his man-
A RECRUITMENT drive to hire lifeguards for North-East beaches has been launched. Councillors agreed to reinstate the lifeguard service at Hartlepool and Seaton Carew last year following the death of an eight-year-old boy, who was swept away by a wave
A MAN who led police on a hair-raising high-speed chase has been jailed for nine months. John Dowson, 25, jumped traffic lights at 80mph and also drove the wrong way around a roundabout, narrowly missing a heavy goods lorry, Teesside Crown Court heard
GRAEME SOUNESS fired a parting shot at bad boy Craig Bellamy, by claiming the striker wasn't good enough to play for Newcastle United. The Magpies' boss reckoned the Wales international, who on Monday reluctantly joined Celtic on loan until the end of
A SHOPWATCH scheme has proved a success on its first day. Launched on Friday in Easington Colliery, shopkeepers who joined the scheme were issued with radios. Only hours after the scheme started, one retailer needed its services. PC Malcolm Pugh, who
A MAN who led police on a hair-raising high-speed chase has been jailed for nine months. John Dowson, 25, jumped traffic lights at 80mph and also drove the wrong way around a roundabout, narrowly missing a heavy goods lorry, Teesside Crown Court heard
A TEENAGER from Consett has led a group of air cadets on an exploration of Hadrian's Wall. Seventeen-year-old Cadet Corporal Damon Coates said: "It was an excellent day, the weather was glorious and the route was fascinating to explore and pretty easy
A MAN has been handed a ten-year anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) banning him from entering major stores. David Fletcher, 46, of Berberis Way, Newburn, Newcastle, has been banned from entering any Tesco, B&Q, Safeway, Sainsbury, Morrisons, Somerfield
A £10M project to boost the region's economy and help thousands of long-term unemployed back in to work was announced last night. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said The Northern Way would aim to bring 100,000 people in the North back into employment
EMMANUEL SCHOOLS: I WAS most concerned to see the link you made between "evangelical Christian schools" and schools sponsored by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation in your report headlined "Schools inspector warns of threat" (Echo, Jan 22). The figures for
It is astonishing that, in the week when the world remembered Auschwitz with particular poignancy on the 60th anniversary of its liberation, our Government chose to announce Gestapo-like measures that would allow indefinite detention without trial, purely
Brat Camp (C4); CSI; Crime Scene Investigation (five) SEVEN desperate families, one drastic solution" is how the return of Brat Camp was billed. It soon became clear why these parents wanted to find a cure for their out-of-control teenage sons and daughters
LET'S all laugh at the lunatics. Or we could just watch Ali G. Or Dom Joly. Or just about any TV reality show. It's all to do with laughing at victims, at people who aren't in on the joke. And Victoria Wood has described it as "horrible". "It's all got
POLICE last night appealed to the region's hoteliers or guest house owners who may have taken in four men from the North-West on Sunday. It follows what police described as a a professional break-in at the Duke of Wellington pub-restaurant at Nevilles
LET'S all laugh at the lunatics. Or we could just watch Ali G. Or Dom Joly. Or just about any TV reality show. It's all to do with laughing at victims, at people who aren't in on the joke. And Victoria Wood has described it as "horrible". "It's all got
GASKETS blown and cylinder heads seriously overheated, the region's railway buffs are steamed up - and worse - about a sale at a Darlington auction house. It involved a nameplate depicting the A3 steam locomotive Merry Hampton, named - like many more
A man charged with breathing new life into an area's ailing hostelries has been barred by his council bosses. Len Alderson had what looked like the job of a lifetime - being paid £15,000- a-year to encourage people to go to rural pubs. The 52-year-old
Two more challengers to one of the country's most high-profile mayors have come forward. Former councillor Stephen Allison and current councillor John Lauderdale will contest the election in Hartlepool in May. The pair join long-serving councillor Stan
WHEN companies are looking at potential locations for investment, the quality and flexibility of the local workforce is a key consideration. And if any investor wanted evidence of what the North-East has to offer, it need look no further than the Nissan
Ernie Els will skip the 7.5 million US dollars Accenture Match Play for the second year in succession as he dedicates himself to Major glory. The European number one won a record sixth HSBC World Match Play title at Wentworth last year but has a poor
WHEN companies are looking at potential locations for investment, the quality and flexibility of the local workforce is a key consideration. And if any investor wanted evidence of what the North-East has to offer, it need look no further than the Nissan
Brat Camp (C4) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (five) SEVEN desperate families, one drastic solution" is how the return of Brat Camp was billed. It soon became clear why these parents wanted to find a cure for their out-of-control teenage sons and daughters
Transport chiefs have ordered a review of rail services in the North-East which could herald a cutback in the number of trains and an increase in fares. The Strategic Rail Authority is appointing a team of consultants to look at services provided by the
AFTER having to settle for second spot three times in a row, Le Biassais (1.20) should finally go one better at Newcastle this afternoon. Lenny Lungo's promising six-year-old has run up against two above-average performers in the guise of Bewleys Berry
RACEHORSE trainer Michael Steel defied a driving ban to keep a date with police, a court heard yesterday. The former jockey, who earns £1,750 a week helping his partner Kariana Key run the Merryvale Stud, in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was banned
A "devastated'' charity champion has resigned from the organisation he set up - rather than see it damaged by an admission of his criminal past. Rod Jones, 57, founder of Teesside based Convoy Aid, is stepping down as the driving force of the Romanian-based
THE former Dressers store in Darlington will become a Waterstone's bookshop, The Northern Echo can reveal. The landlord of the unit, in High Row, last night said a contract had been signed with the bookseller. The news has come as a relief to council
PASSENGER numbers are up on a rail franchise that changed hands 12 months ago. Train operator First TransPennine Express reported a growth of six per cent, with an extra 750,000 people using its service than when it took over the franchise on February
FINALLY a celebrity couple has managed to make the ultimate declaration of love without involving anyone else. There were no helicopters flying overhead, obscene deals with glossy magazines or fights over official photographs when comedians Meera Syal
AN alert passer-by thwarted three conmen posing as council workers. The men tried to obtain £200 from the resident, in Billingham, Teesside, after convincing him they were council staff looking for extra work. After building a dropped footpath crossing
ONE of the region's senior MPs has given a detailed response to criticisms after he tried to spruce up his garden at taxpayers' expense. Stockton North MP Frank Cook was criticised for claiming £1,450 for gardening work at his London home. The claim was
Calls for a local authority to pull its funding from the North-East Assembly have been overwhelmingly rejected by councillors. Members of Durham County Council today rejected a motion proposed by two Independent councillors calling on the authority to
DARLINGTON new boy Bobby Petta admits the chance to play regular first-team football was too good an opportunity to turn down. The Dutch winger signed a short-term deal with Quakers on Monday which will keep him at the Williamson Motors Stadium until
UK tax laws which stop companies offsetting overseas losses against domestic profits are in breach of EU rules, it was claimed yesterday. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg was hearing a landmark case by Marks & Spencer which could force
A NORTH Yorkshire industrial bag manufacturer has changed hands in a deal that will make it part of the largest firm in its field. Storsack UK Ltd, in Bradford, has bought Dorton Packaging, which employs about 50 people at its site on the Dalton Airfield
THE North-East's first national railway museum will hold a charity ball at the weekend. More than 220 people will dance the night away in the collections centre at Shildon's Locomotion: National Railway Museum on Saturday night to raise money for The
STEVE McCLAREN has told Middlesbrough's confidence drained squad to pick themselves up and start focusing on turning round the side's ailing fortunes. Boro's defeat at Portsmouth last night has left McClaren's men still searching for their first win of
THE UK's manufacturing sector grew at its slowest pace for 18 months as the strong pound took its toll on orders, figures showed. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply's key activity barometer eased to 51.8 in January - down from 53.7 in December
NEARLY 50 schools and colleges across the region have been identified as outstanding by the chief inspector of schools. The 393 schools on the "best" list were selected from the 4,300 schools and colleges that were inspected by Ofsted during the 2003
TEENAGE sensation Mathew Tait is hoping to emulate World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson when he makes his international debut in Saturday's Six Nations opener in Cardiff. Wilkinson was also a fresh-faced 18-year-old when he made his England bow as a replacement
IF JANUARY was a poor month for Middlesbrough then February showed no signs of being any kinder to Steve McClaren's men last night. Boro are having to seriously consider the prospect of dropping outside the top six for the first time since October after
JOHN and Tracey Chad planted a tree yesterday to remember the child they lost to a rare spinal disease. The Darlington couple wanted to do something to commemorate the short life of their son, Matthew, who died, aged three months, last September. Because
AN elderly man was recovering in hospital last night after being attacked in his home by an axe-wielding robber. The man demanded jewellery and, following a brief struggle, struck the pensioner with the axe after he burst into his home at about 5pm on
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy was so badly beaten in a school playground that police had to be called in. Police decided to take no further action against his eight-year-old attacker after he was excluded from St Helen's Primary, on the Headland, at Hartlepool
MUSICIAN and artist Arnold Johnson found himself surrounded by family and friends yesterday, as they helped him to celebrate his 100th birthday. Although his big day is today, they held the birthday party a day early, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Plans for a large store development on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland have been given the go-ahead. The outline planning application for a 30,000sq ft non-food retail unit off Watling Road, at Tindale Crescent, was passed by members of Wear Valley District
A regionaL rail link that once looked doomed but was saved thanks to public demand celebrated its 150th anniversary yesterday. Civic leaders and staff from the Wensleydale Railway travelled between Bedale and Leeming Bar, in North Yorkshire. The short
RACEHORSE trainer Michael Steel defied a driving ban to keep a date with police, a court heard yesterday. The former jockey, who earns £1,750 a week helping his partner Kariana Key run the Merryvale Stud, in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was banned
PLANS to improve a village's water quality will go on display tomorrow. Yorkshire Water will be holding a drop-in session at Bainbridge Village Hall, Wensleydale, from 5pm until 7pm. The company hopes to improve the quality of water by cleaning, re-lining
The FTSE 100 Index ended yesterday above the 4900 barrier as takeover talk sent a buzz through the City. The Footsie broke the 30-month high again during the session, closing 53.9 points ahead at 4906.2. Logistics firm Exel led the pack higher after speculation
TRADERS and residents will batten down the hatches in a County Durham village when a centuries-old tradition is upheld next week. Hundreds of people are expected to take to the streets of Sedgefield next Tuesday afternoon for the annual Shrove Tuesday
A GRANDMOTHER afraid of driving big cars has got a new job - driving 75-tonne monster trucks. Margaret Gray was bored with her former cleaning job and heard about a vacancy at the wheel of a mechanical giant. Now the grandmother-of-ten, from Middlesbrough
TEENAGE twins Jonathan and Christopher Best are finally to be separated later this year - despite both receiving offers of places at Oxbridge universities. The 17-year-old Durham brothers, near identical twins, have been class-mates throughout their school
Hambleton's collections of green wheelie bins begin again this month after a ten-week lay-off. Valentine's Day, February 14, will mark the return of alternate weekly collections of green and black wheelie bins for the 30,000 householders who are signed
A FORMER soldier has been jailed for a rape committed more than 20 years ago after he was identified by his DNA. Andrew William Rome, now 40, burst into the young woman's flat in Heworth, York, on January 18, 1984, a court heard. He threatened to kill
A DOCUMENTARY about Newcastle's famous funfair has been released on DVD and VHS video. The Story Of The Hoppings has never been broadcast on television. It tells a fascinating tale from the perspective of visitors, as well as going behind the scenes with
SHOPPERS in a North-East shopping centre will be sampling the Chinese New Year when lion and unicorn dancers join the celebrations. The dances, believed to bring good luck and happiness and scare off evil spirits, will be performed in Newcastle's Eldon
A MAN indecently assaulted a teenage girl as she walked home, police said last night. The 18-year-old came out of Consett bus station and was at the junction of Egglestone Drive and Knitsley Lane when she realised she was being followed. She speeded up
IN its glory days, the unique character of one of English football's most northerly outposts gave it a special place in the hearts of supporters. But now Feethams, the former home of Darlington Football Club, stands, according to Quakers manager David
A MAN cleared of supplying drugs has had his string of houses and luxury cars seized by police. Andrew Pickering's £495,000 four-bedroom detached house in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, is up for sale. The home and its contents, seven other houses and two
AN inmate was found dead in the segregation unit of a North-East high security prison, an inquest heard yesterday. The death of Paul Day, who had told fellow prisoners and staff that he was an informer, has already been the subject of three separate investigations
FOR more than a hundred years, thousands of fans have visited the original home of Darlington Football Club, eager to watch their local heroes play. Now, 18 months after Feethams hosted its last match, it seems only an untraceable security guard has access
