A JUDGE last night ordered a teenager to be locked up after he and his 11-year-old accomplice subjected a child to a "degrading ordeal" after kidnapping him at knifepoint. The 14-year-old boy will be detained in youth custody for three years after Judge
CABLE operator ntl will pull the plug on Middlesbrough Football Club's television channel unless more investment is found. Boro TV, based at the ntl headquarters, on Stockton's Preston Farm Business Park, has been broadcasting on the ntl cable network
CHRIS Westwood started his new career yesterday and admitted one of the worst performances he was part of at Hartlepool United helped shape his decision to move on. While his former club started pre-season training, Westwood was meeting up with his new
A survey of export orders has eased fears of a manufacturing recession. Although the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) found that UK manufacturing had contracted for the third month in succession, its research suggested a return to growth
Foster's ECB North-East Regional Premier League: Captain Allan Worthy is confident that Chester-le-Street's mid-season blip is behind them and they will challenge on a number of fronts for honours. After losing successive games to Norton and Stockton,
A JUDGE last night ordered a teenager to be locked up after he and his 11-year-old accomplice subjected a child to a "degrading ordeal" after kidnapping him at knifepoint. The 14-year-old boy will be detained in youth custody for three years after Judge
HELM BANK'S recent return to the winners' enclosure spells big trouble for his rivals in Sandown's £100,000 totescoop6 Stakes, one of the richest one-mile handicaps on the calendar. The former 2002 Royal Ascot Chesham Stakes scorer appeared to have a
Q You recently told a couple they could claim a discount on their council tax because one of them was a student. How will this affect our family? I am 64 and my husband is 65 and our 16-year-old granddaughter lives with us. I am a part-time student doing
WITH just 14 days to go until Newcastle's first competitive fixture of the new season, boss Graeme Souness continues to draw a blank as he desperately trawls Europe for a new striker. Christian Vieri and Alan Smith became the latest players to give the
BRITAIN'S fastest 1500m runner of the summer, Nick McCormick, races in Cork today as he continues his impressive build-up to next weekend's Norwich Union World Trials and AAA Championships in Manchester, writes Frank Johnson. The 23-year-old Morpeth Harrier
A HOLIDAYMAKER was critically ill last night in a Spanish hospital after he is thought to have contracted Legionnaires' Disease. Chris Gill, 53, developed the symptoms - a form of pneumonia - while on a luxury Mediterranean cruise. His two children have
Looking for all the world like God's goalkeeper, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle was warmly welcomed into a jubilant team at Gainford. THE church which Thomas Witham built, or at least had built and wholly paid for, marked its 150th
A KILLER jailed for manslaughter after punching a student to the ground has been released after serving 11 months of a two-and-a-half year sentence. Lloyd Smith was imprisoned after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 22-year-old Lee Walker in Darlington
A BUSINESSMAN who threw chairs at opposing fans during clashes in the Czech Republic has been banned from going to football matches for three years. Mark Jones, of Nunthorpe Gardens, Middlesbrough, is a self-employed information technology consultant
PROPOSED laws to protect firefighters from a growing risk of assault as they tackle blazes will be blocked by the Government, The Northern Echo can reveal. Ministers are preparing to stop a backbencher's attempt to ensure yobs who attack emergency staff
THE legal team acting for a police chief who resigned amid claims he urinated on a presidential palace has lodged a second appeal against his conviction. Former Chief Superintendent Kevin Pitt will travel to Lithuania for the hearing after his first appeal
WITH just 14 days to go until Newcastle's first competitive fixture of the new season, boss Graeme Souness continues to draw a blank as he desperately trawls Europe for a new striker. Christian Vieri and Alan Smith became the latest players to give the
THE Twenty20 expertise of holders Leicestershire proved too much for Durham as they slumped to a 32-run defeat at Riverside last night. They were totally unable to break the stranglehold of a team so sharp and innovative in the field they were unrecognisable
Readers Durham County League: Willington have improved from their moderate start and gradually moved up the table. They are second ahead of their game at Kimblesworth this afternoon. After four defeats, they trail unbeaten Esh Winning by 26 points. They
A TOWN hit by flash floods two weeks ago has seen more freak weather with the sighting of a twister above the rooftops. Residents in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, saw the phenomenon at about 4pm on Thursday during a heavy thunderstorm. The funnel cloud moved
A COMMUNITY was in mourning last night for two young fathers killed in a car smash. The tightly-knit village of West Cornforth, in County Durham, was rocked by news that the two dads - best friends since childhood and who lived one street apart - had
THE North-East sent a message of support for London's 2012 Olympic bid yesterday. Tim Cantle-Jones, One NorthEast board member, handed over a London 2012 flag to GNER at Newcastle Central Station. GNER is transporting the flag to the capital in a train
Jonathan Aitken's time in prison comes under the spotlight in his new autobiography, Porridge And Passion. The disgraced former Tory minister tells Hannah Stephenson about how, despite his loss of wealth, he has been spiritually enriched. He was once
THE dedication of a band of charity volunteers in Darlington has been formally recognised. The St Cuthbert's Care organisation has 45 volunteers, with 31 working at its charity shop in Skinnergate. Some have been doing voluntary work for more than ten
DARLINGTON may seem an unlikely location to shoot a film, but the spotlight will be on the town this summer for a new Bollywood-style movie. The short film, still to be named, will be produced at Darlington Railway Centre and Museum and residents are
A COUPLE who met at a dance have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. Reg and Nancy Scott shared a passion for ballroom dancing since they met at the event in Stanley in 1939. Mr Scott, 84, served in their air force and Mrs Scott, 83, worked
CONSTRUCTION students at a North-East college have swept the board at a regional competition. Students from New College Durham won four of the five sections they entered in the regional finals of the Skillbuild construction challenge, held at the college
A CONTROVERSIAL council survey has revealed that 60 per cent of people in Stanley are against the creation of an independent town council. Derwentside District Council sent letters to 24,500 people in the town and surrounding villages to seek their views
PLANS to turn a farmhouse into a children's home have provoked a flood of objections from residents who fear it could be used to house violent or abusive youngsters. Under the proposals, Prospect Farm on the edge of Northallerton would be used as a home
COUNCIL officers are recommending a planning application for a large edge-of-town DIY store and garden centre should be rejected. Planners say the 36,000-sq-ft Focus DIY store proposed for the Walkerville Industrial Estate, in Colburn, would damage nearby
THE owners of a nursery are appealing for donations to fill a plant bank for people whose gardens have been swamped by floods. Many gardens were washed out by the torrents of floodwater that poured off the North York Moors two weeks ago. Now Malcolm and
THE future of a hospital's maternity unit will be discussed at three public meetings. Following the call for serious debate regarding the future of Guisborough's maternity unit, Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust (PCT) has arranged the meetings to gauge local
UNDERCOVER stake-out operations are to be launched to catch identity thieves preying on a town. Hidden video surveillance cameras will film thieves at work, rooting through bin bags for personal documents which could be used to unlock and clean out entire
MORE than 80 racing pigeons have been killed in a suspected arson attack on an allotment. Devastated owner George Skidmore, 72, says he cannot bear to look at the burnt remains of his pigeon loft, which was found ablaze late on Thursday. Mr Skidmore,
FAMILIES are helping with research which will mould the shape of future childcare in the region. Sure Start County Durham, managed by Durham County Council, has commissioned independent research to investigate current and future childcare needs of parents
LIBRARIES across North Yorkshire are encouraging children to go on a voyage of reading this summer. Youngsters who sign up to North Yorkshire County Council's summer reading challenge will be given a log book and will collect stickers and bookmarks as
A TOTAL of £450,000 is to be spent providing much-needed yacht berths in Scarborough's historic harbour. Scarborough Borough Council's head of engineering, John Riby, says there is a long waiting list for berths, and Yorkshire Forward, the regional development
TEAMS from Sunderland and Gateshead have been shortlisted for the Northern regional finals of the health and social care awards. One of the Sunderland schemes is aimed at people who have had their voice box removed, and the other to provide better urgent
Durham Coast League: Leaders Murton meet third-top Seaham Park in the match of the day this afternoon at the start of a weekend double programme. Contrary to expectations, Seaham have stayed the pace and at the halfway stage are only 16 points off the
A DOG charity is appealing for a new home for this friendly and fun-loving puppy called Sox. Sox is about five months old and tan coloured. He is being cared for by the National Animal Sanctuaries Support League (NASSL), near Sadberge. He has been fostered
A SCHOOL'S efforts to encourage youngsters to embrace the healthy eating message has paid dividends. Hurworth School, Maths and Computing College, near Darlington, has won a council award for helping pupils shun burger and chips. Canteen staff have introduced
AN award-winning poet was given an honorary degree yesterday. US-born writer Anne Stevenson was presented with her degree in her adopted home of Durham. Fellow countryman Bill Bryson, the new chancellor of Durham University, presented the 71-year-old
Schools debate: HERE'S a few facts and opinions for consideration on the merger. 1. The council is not listening to rural Darlington or the parents of urban Darlington who chose Hurworth's environment for their children. 2. The council cite falling roles
HUNDREDS of people formed a human ring around a North-East landmark as the region marked the Make Poverty History campaign's Global White Band Day yesterday. On the eve of the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, more than 500 people of all ages encircled Penshaw
A GROUP yesterday outlined plans to cut crime and drug abuse over the next three years. The Wear and Tees Community Safety Partnership is made up of police, community safety officers, local authorities, drug action officers and members of the Farmwatch
A FORMER champion golfer has achieved her last ambition in the sport - days before her 100th birthday. Marjorie Wycherley will turn 100 tomorrow and is planning to celebrate her birthday with family, friends and staff at The Millings residential and day
CHILDREN will be given free admission to four visitor attractions a week tomorrow. Passes will be given to over 4,500 pupils at schools in Richmondshire. The pass entitles the child and their family to get in free to the Green Howards Museum, Georgian
TWO crime-busters have won a commendation for their dedication. Police community support officers (PCSO) Kirstin Anderson and Graeme Handley gave chase when they saw two known criminals breaking into a car in Hartlepool. They saw the duo run into a house
A GIFT from Teesside will be at the heart of communities in impoverished Romania. Small family firm Athenian Marble, of Stockton, is donating six tonnes of imported Italian marble and granite to help the rebuilding of two of the scores of churches destroyed
JUST NOT CRICKET: AFTER a noisy football season, is there no rest from it? Teams have still been playing and lost no time in showing next season's fixture list. At present, we have one of the finest cricket teams here, namely the Australians, and there
BOOKWORM Dave Punshon is making the supreme sacrifice to help a charity. The 57-year-old chief executive of Age Concern, Teesside, is selling his highly collectable political history books to help the cause he has devoted the past 15 years of his life
THE first mobile wellness centre has taken centre stage at a celebrity charity golf day. Wellness on Wheels (Wow), a travelling gymnasium aimed at improving public fitness and health, was developed in County Durham as part of a collaboration involving
HUNDREDS of people formed a human ring around a North-East landmark as the region marked the Make Poverty History campaign's Global White Band Day yesterday. On the eve of the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, more than 500 people of all ages encircled Penshaw
IT is easy to be sceptical about the Live8 project. Why should we listen to multi-millionaire musicians preaching about world poverty? Why should we believe that Live8 will make a lasting difference when Live Aid didn't? Scepticism has to be set aside
THE prospect of walking over the Swilken Bridge, up towards the Royal and Ancient clubhouse, just as so many great names have done in the past, looms large. "It would be like a dream, more than a dream if that's possible," admitted one of the North-East's
NORTH-EAST actress Jill Halfpenny returned to the region to open a breast-screening centre yesterday. The Gateshead-born actress, a former EastEnders star and winner of last year's Strictly Come Dancing, was in the region to open a £4m breast screening
A TEENAGE girl had an amazing escape after she was crushed by an overturned car that hit the telephone box she was in. The 15-year-old had to be freed by firefighters from under the wreckage of a Toyota car and the phone box in the accident in Evenwood
LIVE8 organisers were last night making the final preparations for the biggest music event the world has ever seen. Crews were working through the night to turn London's Hyde Park into a concert arena for 150,000 people. On a smaller scale, screens were
A DEVELOPER has announced plans to more than double its investment in a logistics centre that could create 900 jobs. HelioSlough intends to spend £45m on two distribution centres at the Wynyard One development, on Teesside. The enlarged development will
SO, an important guest comes round your house. You open the door and let them in. As they walk across the doormat, in their ear you blast a whistle so loud it deafens them and one so shrill it clears the neighbourhood of cats and dogs. The 200th anniversary
STEWART Downing last night issued Middlesbrough with an ultimatum - pay me what I'm worth or face the consequences. On the same day the Teessiders revealed they had rejected a formal offer, believed to be in the region of £7m, for Downing from Premiership
STRANGE things happen in the middle of summer. Tennis rackets are dusted off, park courts are full and dads are convinced they can serve like Federer. It's the Wimbledon factor. Interest in tennis reaches a peak and more children take up the game than
SO, an important guest comes round your house. You open the door and let them in. As they walk across the doormat, in their ear you blast a whistle so loud it deafens them and one so shrill it clears the neighbourhood of cats and dogs. The 200th anniversary
A DEVELOPER has announced plans to more than double its investment in a logistics centre that could create 900 jobs. HelioSlough intends to spend £45m on two distribution centres at the Wynyard One development, on Teesside. The enlarged development will
SHARKS and other monsters of the deep have gone on display to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. A life-size shark's jaw bone, great whites and hammerheads, and Jurassic sea creatures will be on display at the Monsters of the
Under the glare of television and in front of a capacity crowd, Yorkshire were made to blush the deepest red in the Twenty-20 Roses match at Old Trafford yesterday as Lancashire thrashed them by the embarrassing margin of 110 runs, the widest in the competition
TWO robbers who punched a woman in the face ran off empty-handed after her dog bit one of them on the leg. Police said a 20-year-old woman was walking her dog in James Steel Park, near the Washington Wildfowl Park, on Wearside, at 4.45pm on Wednesday,
IT'S a little daunting being in a Range Rover teetering on the edge of a 45-degree hill -especially when you are behind the wheel. The downhill view, stretching a few hundred yards, ended with rocks and trees and even a water jump for horses. Slipping
For some years Diane Parish has been talking about how broody she is. But as the heavily pregnant actress - best known for her two-year stint in The Bill as DC Eva Sharpe - sits down to be interviewed it's obvious she won't be repeating herself. ''Yeah
A HEADTEACHER will break new ground when she is ordained in Durham Cathedral tomorrow. Following her ordination, Durham High School for Girls headteacher Ann Templeman will become the only minister in secular employment heading an Anglican secondary school
A 15-YEAR strategy championing the use of trees to tackle climate change and poor health was launched yesterday. The Forestry Commission, working with the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber and Yorkshire Forward, have published a forestry
Durham Senior League: With the programme reaching its halfway stage this afternoon only 23 points separate the top five sides, with Hetton Lyons the only unbeaten team. The Lyons entertain struggling Horden today. Although their two front line bowlers
MORE than 80 racing pigeons have been killed in a suspected arson attack on an allotment. Devastated owner George Skidmore, 72, says he cannot bear to look at the burnt remains of his pigeon loft, which was found ablaze late on Thursday. Mr Skidmore,
NYRON Nosworthy will be turning back the clock to his days as a teenage trainee when he begins his new life with Sunderland on Tuesday. The 24-year-old defender is hardly lacking in experience after making more than 160 senior starts for his former club
POLICE eager to catch a yob who threw a stone through a train window have vowed to treat witness information confidentially. Inquiries are also taking place after a distinctive silver mountain bike was found, which could be owned by the culprit. Finding
A NUMBER of changes to bus services in Darlington will come into effect from tomorrow, replacing services formerly offered by the Green Bus Company. The most significant change is the withdrawal of Services 17A and 17C. Alternatives have been put in place
HOMEOWNERS have been warned to ensure their personal details do not become public property, after an operation to cut down on identity theft in Darlington caught three suspects in one night. Wardens combing streets and back lanes in the Neasham Road and
A SCHOOL at the centre of a merger debate is celebrating after another landmark achievement. The day after Hurworth School achieved an award for excellence, it found out its year nine pupils had achieved record-breaking results. The 13 and 14-year-olds
Fred Rudkin, who left GlaxoSmithKline in 2002 after 30 years' service, is now going back to the Barnard Castle factory twice a week to teach guitar playing to his former colleagues during their lunch breaks. He is busier than ever since he took voluntary
TEAMS from Sunderland and Gateshead have been shortlisted for the Northern regional finals of the health and social care awards. One of the Sunderland schemes is aimed at people who have had their voice box removed, and the other to provide better urgent
THOUSANDS of residents are being asked to work to a colour-coded plan for kerbside rubbish collection. Almost 7,000 households in Hartlepool's Fens, Greatham, Newton Bewley and parts of Owton Manor, Rift House and Rossmere wards are being asked to adopt
A TALENT showcase for young singers is one of the attractions of this weekend's Durham Summer Festival. Sixty youngsters aged seven to 13 will take to a stage put up in the Market Place today and tomorrow in the festival's Mini Idols event. Vocalists
POLICE searching for the killer of 11-year-old arson victim Dean Pike have revisited the scene - a week after the tragedy - in an attempt to find anyone with information. The move came as the condition of his pregnant mother Janine Dodd, 29, who was critically
TONNES of recycling materials are helping raise cash for the Save The Children Fund. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's contracted collector, Abitibi, donates £1 for every tonne collected and, since February, that has amounted to more than £2,000.
BUS passengers are in for a pleasant surprise when they arrive in Durham City on Monday morning. For years, there have been complaints about the shabby and unwelcoming aspect of the city's 1970s-built bus station in North Road. It has also been an unpleasant
TWO robbers who punched a woman in the face ran off empty-handed after her dog bit one of them on the leg. Police said a 20-year-old woman was walking her dog in James Steel Park, near the Washington Wildfowl Park, on Wearside, at 4.45pm on Wednesday,
A SOLDIER is a step closer to competing in one of the world's toughest competitions. Captain Louise Brown, who serves with First Battalion, the King's Regiment, at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, is through to the final elimination stage for a place
POLICE have established a comments box in a village so residents can raise concerns about crime and disorder. Officers in Langley Park set up the StreetSafe box at the Derwentside District Council housing office in Thomas Street. Residents are welcome
YESTERDAY'S devastating news that Sharmardal has been retired due to a chipped ankle robbed us all of a mouth-watering clash between the Godolphin star and Epsom Derby hero Motivator in Sandown's Group 1 Coral Eclipse. Rarely has the fragility of fine-boned
AN advice session to explain the help available for war widows and war pensioners is to be held in Durham City next week. The War Pensioners' Welfare Service, part of the Veterans' Agency, is to hold information days at Durham Masonic Hall, 36 Old Elvet
YOUNGSTERS on motorbikes are putting passengers at risk in the waiting area of a bus station, according to a councillor. The young bikers are alarming passengers by revving their way through the narrow passenger waiting areas at Harrogate bus station,
A MAJOR car-sharing scheme to cut traffic jams has been launched in North Yorkshire. Harrogate Car Share (HCS) takes in Harrogate itself, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham. HCS is a free scheme linking drivers and passengers
AN 11-year-old boy admitted stealing alcohol for a dare when he appeared at Darlington's youth court yesterday. The youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was given a four-month referral order and made to pay £35 in court costs. His mother
WITNESSES to a car accident in Darlington have been asked to come forward. A red Renault Clio car collided with fencing on the junction of Corporation Road and Union Street last Wednesday, at about 5.35pm. No one was hurt but anyone who saw the incident
A WEAR Valley community will celebrate the centenary of its local church next week. Our Lady and St Thomas RC Church in Willington was opened on July 5, 1905, and is still regularly used by the town's churchgoers. They have organised a host of events
AN eagerly-awaited minibus was handed over to school pupils yesterday during a day of celebrations. Youngsters at St Peter's Primary, in Brotton, east Cleveland, can now head out on the open road and enjoy school outings. Pupils, staff and local residents
Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division: A year ago Great Ayton looked doomed for an immediate return to the First Division. Without a win, they propped up the table and there looked no escape, but their form suddenly took off
POLICE searching for the killer of 11-year-old arson victim Dean Pike have revisited the scene - a week after the tragedy - in an attempt to find anyone with information. The move came as the condition of his pregnant mother Janine Dodd, 29, who was critically
TWO senior police officers have taken up new posts. Chief Superintendent Sue Day is now the commander of North Yorkshire Police's eastern area. She replaces Chief Superintendent David Short, who has moved to the force headquarters at Newby Wiske as head
As part of The Northern Echo's Lifeblood campaign, which aims to encourage people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region: Monday Civic Hall, Medomsley Road, Consett. 10am-7pm Richard Hind Site, Yarm Road, Stockton.
A DOG owner was warned he could face prison after leaving his pet to starve to death. Magistrates heard how the Rottweiler dog had been locked in a darkened dining room with no food or water for weeks. It had been so desperate for food that it had eaten
