THE PRIME Minister was in Stockton today to officially open a £5.2m super-surgery. A beaming Mr Blair shook hands with health workers and patients as NHS officials showed him around the new Lawson Street Health Centre. The PM was particularly interested
ADRIAN Hedley has been crowned The Northern Echo's Cricketer of the Year following a record-breaking season with the bat. Hedley scooped July's award after a phenomenal month at the crease and, although there were several worthy contenders for the prize
MASONS ARMS eventually saw off Division Two opposition New Brancepeth with six second-half goals to eventually book their place in the second round of the J&A Trophy. First-half goals by Lewis Dodds and John Savage weren't enough for Masons to be leading
Consett YMCA It was three out of three again for the Under-7s. The minis produced a great team effort to beat Jarrow 1-0, Louie Kelman scoring the only goal and Alex Johnson was man of the match. The micros scored twice, thanks to Matthew Milburn against
Norton and Stockton Ancients There was a comfortable victory for Ancients against Washington Under-14s. Callum Hassan opened the scoring with a neat finish after ten minutes and then Washington went down to ten men when Liam Beadnall slotted
Teesside Athletic The Under-10s beat Kader 2-0 with two fine goals from Jina Briggs; the first was smashed home from a throw in and the second came from another great finish following lots of Teesside pressure. Teesside: Amy Beckett, Ellie Sigsworth,
Men's County Super League Horden Comrades made a fine recovery to beat the visiting Leadgate Coach and Horses in the decider. The visitors took the doubles by the odd point and them went 4-1 ahead only to see the home side fight back. The singles
Sherburn Hill League The qualifying stage for the League Pairs Championship was held at four venues with the winners from each moving forward to the Grand Finals Night. The results from Sherburn Lambton Arms quarter finals were Gowland & Lawson beat Laverick
A BURGLAR who preyed on vulnerable and elderly people was last night behind bars for the latest in a series of break-ins at care homes on Teesside. Ian Keith Lamming was told his offending was alarming and deserved a lengthy sentence by a judge who heard
A PETITION was launched yesterday in an effort to gain planning consent for a centre that will provide vital job training for young people in a rural area. A peaceful demonstration is also being planned by teenagers to show that the project is urgently
VOLUNTEERS are planning a scary walk in the dark on Hallowe'en. The Teesdale Conservation Volunteers, also known as the Rotters, will use their depot in Startforth and some of the woodland beside it for Tuesday's walk, during which storytellers
TEXTILE skills practised on the other side of the world have been demonstrated on Teesside. New Zealand artist Anna Bates led a Maori weaving workshop at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough, yesterday. She wove flax and other natural materials
A GOLF-PLAYING doctor swung into action to raise funds for healthcare. Dr Udhaya Kumar decided Dinsdale Spa Golf Club should support the head and neck charity at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital, where he works, during his year as captain
ANGLERS will be seeking to land a cash prize in an open competition this weekend. The Clean Catch Open, which has been organised by Easington District Council's Coastal Ranger Service, will take place on Sunday. Anglers can choose their spots anywhere
THREE district councils have been given power to recoup more than £250,000 in unpaid council tax bills and business rates. Magistrates, sitting at Bishop Auckland yesterday, granted liability orders to Sedgefield, Wear Valley and Teesdale district councils
A LEADING political veteran has died, aged 90. Ivy Cole, who served as a Labour councillor for more than 40 years, died on Friday, October 20, at the Moorlands Nursing Home, in Guisborough. The former east Cleveland mayor began her career in 1962 on the
A VILLAGE celebrated the life and times of its adopted son with a day of events commemorating his achievements. Villagers in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, took part in the annual Captain Cook celebrations, which began with the Parade of Sail - a series
POLICE arrested 12 people and seized drugs and weapons in a series of raids on houses in Ferryhill. Officers executed 11 search warrants last week in Dean Bank after residents raised concerns about drug dealing. They recovered heroin, amphetamine and
REDCAR councillor Chris Abbott has been appointed chairman of the Yorkshire Ridings Society. The society's executive committee made the decision at its meeting on Tuesday. Coun Abbott will replace founder member Colin Holt, who died in April. Coun Abbott
A SUCCESSFUL initiative to combat the scourge of doorstep crime is celebrating its first anniversary. No Cold Calling Zones were introduced in North Yorkshire a year ago and, since then, more than 60 have been introduced across the county to make the
POLICE have defended their efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour in a remote area. Extra patrols were mounted at Hawes, in upper Wensleydale, after the issue was raised at a parish forum last month. But Councillor John Blackie, leader of Richmondshire
TAXI drivers are being recruited to join the fight against crime - by becoming the eyes and ears of the forces of law and order. Crimestoppers is launching its biggest initiative in the Yorkshire region, working in partnership with thousands of licensed
A COUNCIL has confirmed that it will not replace two schools by building a £25m complex. Earlier this month, the Labour group on Durham County Council voted not to press ahead with a new school that would take pupils from Dene Community School of Technology
CAMPAIGNERS say a council is trying to sway its tenants to vote for their homes to be controlled by a new landlord - with the offer of improvements. Chester-le-Street District Council, like many other councils across the country, is preparing to ballot
A SCHEME has been launched to find a permanent home for every stray dog arriving at a kennels' complex. The Dogs' Trust charity is providing the backing for Deerness Kennels, at Langley Moor, near Durham, as part of the Action for Strays initiative. Organisers
NOMINATIONS are still being sought for people who deserve to win a Best of Darlington award, which aim to reward the unsung heroes of the borough. The awards, in their second year, were set up to commemorate the unpaid efforts and achievements of people
CHILDREN had the chance to try their hand at golf yesterday, as a professional player helped them with their technique. Youngsters taking part in a week-long holiday camp, at Longfield School in Darlington, yesterday had a workshop in golf skills. Sports
A FORMER petrol station which councillors refused permission to be converted into a mini-supermarket has been put on the market. The derelict Shell garage in North Road, Darlington, is available for mixed-use development for £500,000. Chartered surveyors
AN eight-week-old puppy, named Dora, needs a home. Dora is a collie-cross who was one of a litter of eight taken in by the National Animal Sanctuaries' Support League, near Darlington. Four of the litter have been rehomed, but three of them, including
ASHOK Kumar was last night named the region's most expensive MP for the third year in succession after claiming £161,049 in allowances. The Labour backbencher ran up a Parliamentary bill 28 per cent higher than the Commons average of £125,766 in the
POLICE forces across the region have given their support to Durham Constabulary after the chief constable, Jon Stoddart, revealed that cuts may lead to the loss of 300 police officers. The force told The Northern Echo that it would need to lose up to
A COUNCILLOR had his car towed during a clampdown on car tax dodgers. Embarrassed Councillor John Lynch had to reclaim his hatchback from his own council after it was towed away for having an out-of-date tax disc. The Stockton borough councillor had to
DANNY WILSON wants the anger still being felt after Jon Daly's sending-off a week ago to be channelled by the Hartlepool United squad into overcoming North-East rivals Darlington. Wilson, despite knowing Daly's red card has since been rescinded, remains
Martin Gray last night hailed the return of Matt Clarke to Darlington and shrugged off suggestions the defender could be the target of the boo-boys during tomorrow's trip to Hartlepool United. Having signed on a month's loan from Bradford City, the 25
THE amount of expenses claimed by politicians is always a highly sensitive subject. And because politicians are not generally held in high public esteem, there is a natural tendency to suspect that the highest claimers are automatically the greediest.
CRAIG Moore has insisted that a tight team spirit will enable Newcastle to turn their season around, with the centre-half dedicating Wednesday's Carling Cup win over Portsmouth to the club's embattled manager and chairman. Both Glenn Roeder and Freddy
DESPITE being first among equals, Prime Minister Tony Blair is the least costly MP serving the North-East and North Yorkshire when it comes to expenses, Westminster tables reveal. The Sedgefield MP claimed only £87,342, putting him 627th on the list
PRIME Minister Tony Blair led tributes to one of the region's most enduring politicians at a dinner last night. Labour colleagues and prominent figures from across the region joined Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland to honour his 26 years in Parliament.
ROY KEANE drafted Dwight Yorke into Sunderland as a striker but, having been forced to play him in a more defensive role last weekend, the former Manchester United forward is about to become a full-time midfielder. With Graham Kavanagh recovering from
THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last night issued a fresh warning about carbon monoxide poisoning. The warning - urging homeowners and landlords to ensure their gas appliances were safe - was timed to coincide with increasingly colder weather as
GARETH Southgate expects the current impasse over his lack of Premier League coaching qualifications to be "successfully resolved" within the next two weeks. Southgate lacks the UEFA Pro Licence needed to manage in the top-flight and the three-month dispensation
THE family of a toddler killed when a car struck her pushchair yesterday spoke of their devastation after a jury in the trial of the man who caused her death failed to reach a verdict. Now, grieving relatives of 20-month-old Aisling Marie Nic-Suibhre
54LOCAL authority leaders in County Durham will today start debating whether to bid to rip up its council structure - with a deadline for any application only three months away. A shake-up of local government proposed yesterday has given England's remaining
WOMEN in the region are being unfairly denied access to the latest cervical smear testing technology, according to a national charity. According to Marie Stopes International, only 55.1 per cent of hospital smear test centres have switched to new, more
NEWCASTLE Falcons are resting England centres Jamie Noon and Mathew Tait for tomorrow's European Challenge Cup tie away to Brive. Tait has a slight injury but will be fit to face the All Blacks next weekend, if selected. The Falcons' other England squad
CARMAKER Nissan said yesterday its operating profits for the first six months of the year were down by 15.3 per cent. Profits for the second quarter also dropped by 4.9 per cent - although the drop was less than expected. Nissan president and chief executive
THE region's chemical and pharmaceutical sector will grow by at least £4.5bn over the next ten years - creating 20,000 jobs, industry leaders have predicted. The North East Process Industry Cluster (Nepic), which represents more than 300 companies in
CORNEAS from the late Richard Whiteley have been used to restore the sight of two people. His long-term partner, Kathryn Apanowicz, approved the donation of the 61-year-old former Countdown host's corneas after his death last year. She is now backing
Yorkshire are poised to sign Chris Adams from Sussex as captain for next season - and also give him managerial responsibilities for running the first team. Chief executive Stewart Regan confirmed yesterday that Yorkshire are hot on the trail of 36-year-old
BLUSHING PRINCE (3.00) is sure to be warm order at Wetherby, even though he must shoulder a 7lb penalty for his latest facile Fakenham success. Richard Guest's eight-year-old bounced back to form in spectacular fashion at the Suffolk venue, sprinting
WHAT'S up wi' t'Tykes? They say pride comes before a fall, and these are dark days in Yorkshire when traditional pride and obstinacy are giving way to what amounts to a plea for help from outsiders. The worst confirmed example is the ex-Chelsea alliance
NEARLY all of a town's primary school kitchens have failed to meet health and safety standards in the past 18 months, The Northern Echo can reveal. Of 22 primary schools visited by Darlington Borough Council's inspectors since April last year, 18 were
A COMPANY that makes technology to monitor the quality and quantity of beer in pubs made £7m to pay off debt and chase new business as it floated on London's junior stock market yesterday. Stockton-based Brulines floated with a market capitalisation
STRUGGLING company Bede has narrowed pre-tax losses to £1.56m in the third quarter as it predicts a return to profit by the end of the year. Durham-based Bede, which designs, makes and services x-ray measurement tools for the semiconductor industry,
Longford (C4) Coast (BBC2) Hear the name Lord Longford and you probably think of a slightly batty-looking old boy who championed Moors murderer Myra Hindley and led an anti-pornography campaign. He was, according to this inspired-by-real-events drama,
As Durham Constabulary warns that it may have to lose 300 officers to stop it sliding £10.5m in the red, Ray Mallon, the Mayor of Middlesbrough and former head of Middlesbrough CID, in an extended column, poses questions about the way forward for the
SETTING AN EXAMPLE THE Institution of Civil Engineers' State of the Nation 2006 report contained a positive message which slipped down the news agenda in relation to some harder-hitting issues. The North-East has long been recognised as the UK's industrial
FORMER headmaster Ivan Garnham was looking forward to his retirement. He and his wife, Hilary, had been keen fell walkers throughout their long marriage and with her own retirement coming up, both of them planned to get out on to the hills and dales
Don't get into debt this Christmas. Follow these tips on how to avoid messy finances. DON'T be a dormouse! Just because the clocks go back this weekend, there's no need to go into hibernation - especially when your finances are concerned. Big businesses
A COUPLE accused of killing their toddler son gave him synthetic heroin for months before he died, a court heard yesterday.It was alleged that Gemma Fennelly and Mark Bate fed 22-month-old Mitchell Bate lethal doses of methadone to help him sleep.A jury
