BRITAIN is about to be overrun by an invasion of killer crabs, North-East researchers are warning today. Chinese mitten crabs - named because of the distinctive tufts of dark brown fur on their claws - are multiplying at an alarming rate along our coasts
THERE was no announcement from Hartlepool United last night over the future of the club's manager. Martin Scott was suspended from his position seven days ago as the club carried out an investigation into a dressing room bust-up which followed the home
DURHAM'S Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison will be at Buckingham Palace with the rest of the Ashes-winning heroes to receive their MBEs tomorrow. Then they'll be joined by clubmate Liam Plunkett as they jet off to India at the weekend for three Test
SOLICITORS and trade unions - not the Government - must pay the fees of ex-miners seeking justice for injuries suffered above ground, MPs were told yesterday. A fresh bid to include surface mineworkers within the Government's £4bn compensation scheme
A NORTH-East company has abandoned plans to move to London, securing jobs in the region. Darlington-based Exis Technologies, which has pioneered a safety system for transporting dangerous goods, is staying in the region, increasing its workforce and hoping
A NORTH-EAST police force will have to make cutbacks and shed jobs to plug a £6m shortfall, an MP claimed yesterday. Durham City Labour MP Roberta Blackman-Woods said the gap could grow to £8m within three years unless the Government took steps to change
A YOUNG hit-and-run victim died last night after his family made the decision to switch off his life support machine. Robert Clark, 20, died after doctors at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, said there was no hope of him pulling through
Alternative Medicine: The Evidence (BBC2) Surviving Disaster: San Francisco Earthquake (BBC1) PROFESSOR Kathy Sykes asked a lot of questions in Alternative Medicine. Supplying answers proved more difficult. The second part of the title, The Evidence,
THE most important point to make about Abu Hamza al-Masri is that he does not represent the vast majority of Muslims who have made their homes in this country. It is a point which must be repeated, underlined, and not forgotten. No-one can really know
BUILDING from the top, the Brit boys fell to discussing the origins of the word clemmy, meaning "stone" or, possibly, "half-brick". In the North-East these days it also has avoirdupois associations. A heavy man may be said to weigh 16 clem. Though hedged
Two British bikers on a charity trek across the globe were saved by rescuers after becoming lost in a blizzard in Turkey. Rory Elliott and Chris Colling, both 28, narrowly escaped with their lives after they became trapped in heavy snow. The duo are raising
MOTOR group Land Rover unveiled details of a voluntary redundancy programme after confirming plans to axe 1,300 jobs at its main UK plant. The Ford-owned company said it was confident of achieving the cutback at its plant in Solihull, West Midlands, through
OIL group BP disappointed investors yesterday as its record profits haul came in well short of the £1.5m an hour seen by rival Royal Dutch Shell. The surging price of crude oil sent BP's 2005 profits up by a quarter to £11.04bn but it fell below forecasts
Abu Hamza did not only aim his vitriolic rhetoric at Jews, unbelievers and Westerners. He also targeted gay people, the tourist industry, the royal family and women in bikinis. Here are some of his more colourful comments: On women He said that Western
AN outing to next month's Cheltenham Festival beckons for Monet's Garden (2.55) provided he wins his prep race at Carlisle this afternoon. The Nicky Richards-trained star lines up for the Weatherbys Bank Chase, a £10,000 contest which is there for the
NINE people were in custody last night after a series of dramatic police raids across the North-East. Detectives said the early-morning swoops marked the culmination of a long-running investigation into a gang suspected of carrying out a financial fraud
AKPO SODJE insists the experience of missing out on the play-offs last season could stand Darlington in good stead this time. Before making his move to the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena permanent during the summer, Sodje was on loan from Huddersfield Town
A crackdown on under-age drinkers has produced a marked difference in anti-social behaviour. Under Operation Hammer, Cleveland Police have been targeting hot spot areas and confiscating alcohol from youngsters. Officers are now warning adults if they
FOREST chiefs will be holding the last of a series of runs this month. Guisborough Forest and Walkway has been staging the post-season runs throughout January and February to help people get back into shape. The runs have been organised by the Forestry
IF YA divvent kna yer heed from yer hunkers then spare a thought for the foreign doctors being recruited into former North-East mining communities. Colloquial speech may well be understood among the natives of east Durham but for new medical arrivals
A MODELLING agency aimed at stopping the drift of talent and clients out of the region has been set up in Darlington. And the owner of the NE Representation agency, Allison McKay, is on the lookout for talent. Ms McKay, who has styled stars including
A 29-YEAR-OLD man is fighting for his life after an incident outside a nightclub. He was assaulted in the alleyway at the side of the Amadeus, in Elder Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, at 1am on Sunday. Police said the man, who lives locally, suffered
A MAN made his first appearance at crown court yesterday facing charges after a double stabbing. Tony Hedley, 22, of Charlotte Close, Elswick, Newcastle, is accused of murdering 44-year-old truck driver Lawrence Steel during an incident outside the Wrekendyke
A motorist accused of deliberately reversing into another car was yesterday cleared by a crown court jury. Joanne Humble was accused of driving slowly in front of a car driven by another woman through Shildon, County Durham. On turning in to Byerley Way
PEOPLE living near an ongoing £480,000 revamp of a town centre say the work is affecting their day-to-day lives with holes, noise and traffic congestion. Some residents in the centre of Crook have christened the town the Blackpool of the North, due to
Andy Robinson has geared England up for an intense physical battle against Italy on Saturday, admitting: ''They will stand toe-to-toe with us.'' The Italians have failed to hold England on three previous occasions in Rome, conceding 154 points. But they
A MAN who videoed himself raping an unconscious 17-year-old girl was jailed for seven years yesterday. The judge told bricklayer Malcolm Horsley, 27, that the teenager would never have consented to the sex that he filmed on his mobile phone. The five
MICK McCARTHY received an unlikely birthday gift last night after Sunderland winger Julio Arca declared himself fit to face Tottenham on Sunday, providing he suffers no major setbacks. At a time when the hierarchy at the Stadium of Light are trying to
STUART'S THE MAN: I HONESTLY cannot understand how some football pundits and fans would like Steve McClaren to become the next England manager. It would be ludicrous. I only need to look at the amount of money that he has spent while being in charge at
NINE people were in custody last night after a series of dramatic police raids across the North-East. Detectives said the early-morning swoops marked the culmination of a long-running investigation into a gang suspected of carrying out a financial fraud
HEAD bobbing maniacally, his good eye catching the intent gazes of the young Muslim men, Abu Hamza launches into a vociferous round of rhetoric for which he has become world famous, worshipped and loathed. He rants about making sacrifices in the cause
AN outing to next month's Cheltenham Festival beckons for Monet's Garden (2.55) provided he wins his prep race at Carlisle this afternoon. The Nicky Richards-trained star lines up for the Weatherbys Bank Chase, a £10,000 contest which is there for the
THE BESIEGED figure of Steve McClaren last night insisted guiding Middlesbrough out of the doldrums is much more important than winning a personal battle to secure the hearts and minds of supporters. Having had to deal with the fall-out of Saturday's
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has reacted angrily to suggestions midfielder George Boateng has agreed to a lucrative new contract that has infuriated his team-mates, writes PAUL FRASER. A report yesterday morning claimed Boateng is about to pen a
BUILDING from the top, the Brit boys fell to discussing the origins of the word clemmy, meaning "stone" or, possibly, "half-brick". In the North-East these days it also has avoirdupois associations. A heavy man may be said to weigh 16 clem. Though hedged
BRITAIN is about to be overrun by an invasion of killer crabs, North-East researchers are warning today. Chinese mitten crabs - named because of the distinctive tufts of dark brown fur on their claws - are multiplying at an alarming rate along our coasts
I'M with Anne Diamond on this one. And if you're the sort of person who can eat a bar of chocolate a day and still get into your skinny jeans, well, you can just keep your lip buttoned... Last night Anne confessed on Celebrity Fit Club that she had had
A DISC jockey who owns property worth more than £500,000 has been warned to expect jail this week for drug offences. The sentencing of Richard Carl Ahmed was adjourned at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. Judge Guy Whitburn told 27-year-old Ahmed that he
JAMES MILNER, statistically one of the most consistent creators since securing a loan move to Aston Villa, has admitted a return to Newcastle United would appeal provided he is not going to spend most of his time on the bench. Milner is turning in impressive
Michael Owen is hoping that his new baby son will keep up the family tradition and step into his shooting boots. The bets are already on for which team James Michael Owen will play for. And Newcastle United's Owen, whose father was a footballer, has said
AKPO SODJE insists the experience of missing out on the play-offs last season could stand Darlington in good stead this time. Before making his move to the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena permanent during the summer, Sodje was on loan from Huddersfield Town
PARKING charges could be introduced into a south Durham market town under a council budget review being considered next week. Drivers could have to pay to park in the centre of Crook for the first time, while fees in Bishop Auckland would rise, if Wear
I'M with Anne Diamond on this one. And if you're the sort of person who can eat a bar of chocolate a day and still get into your skinny jeans, well, you can just keep your lip buttoned... Last night Anne confessed on Celebrity Fit Club that she had had
NORTH-East housebuilder Yuill Homes last night confirmed it had been acquired by an Irish-based property developer for an undisclosed sum. Family-run company Yuill, which employs 200 people across the region, has been bought by Taggart Homes. Despite
THE deaths of 14 more patients of GP Howard Martin are being investigated by police, it was revealed last night. Durham Police confirmed they are looking into 13 cases referred by Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the death of a woman patient whose
PARKING charges should be halved while work to pedestrianise the centre of a town in the region is carried out, a councillor has said. The £6.5m Darlington Pedestrian Heart scheme is nearing completion, but town centre traders have raised concerns about
A MARRIED mother who tried to seduce an aspiring young female footballer was jailed for 12 months yesterday. Deborah Held targeted the 14-year-old, who she met while helping at matches after her marriage hit the rocks. The 41-year-old was found out when
Durham School will be seeking to avenge defeat in the Daily Mail Schools Under 18 Cup at the hands of Old Swinford Hospital last season when the pair meet again today in Durham in the quarter-finals. Last season the Midlands side triumphed at the same
JIM the Senegal parrot's first flight to freedom nearly ended in disaster. The green, orange and yellow parrot had only been with his new owners for two days when they decided to let him out of his cage. "We felt it would be nice for him to have a bit
DETECTIVES are looking at possible links between a potential arson bid and a recent garage burglary at the same house. It follows a petrol bomb attack at the property in Downhill, Sunderland, on Sunday night, when the 47-year-old householder was at home
TWO men said to be part of an organised nationwide counterfeit currency scam were jailed yesterday after being caught in the North-East. Daliver Taskiran, 31, was sentenced to a total of 18 months after he admitted four offences. His accomplice, Nacci
THE footprint of a dinosaur that walked the earth 160 million years ago has been recovered from the region's coastline. A team of 25 volunteers used a raft, a boat and a crane to salvage the fossil from the bottom of cliffs two miles north of Scarborough
FIRE crews were called to a chemical firm on Teesside on Monday. Officers from Cleveland Fire Brigade responded to a call at 9.20pm to attend Invista Textiles (Uk) Ltd, at Wilton. Site manager Douglas Annan said: "We had a small fire on one of our units
ONE of the region's universities is expecting to complete a £32m development this year. Durham University is building at Howlands Farm, off South Road, in the city. The site includes the new home for the university's previously disparate post-graduate
THE Middlesbrough fan who stormed on to the pitch and threw his season ticket at manager Steve McClaren in disgust at his side's 4-0 defeat has spoken about his frustration at the team's performance. Mark Davison, 33, said emotions took over when Aston
A MAN has been charged with immigration-related deception offences after a series of police raids across the North-East yesterday morning. The 30-year-old, believed to be from Teesside, was charged with possessing a false passport, as well as deception
A paedophile asked a judge yesterday to give him the death penalty- by lethal injection. John Grundy, 58, told his lawyers he wanted to be sentenced to death for having sex with a 12-year-old girl. As Judge Guy Whitburn jailed him for ten years, Grundy
