A TEENAGE girl, with the mental age of a seven-year-old, has gone missing from school. Leigh Anne Arkley, 14, and from Wingate, County Durham, walked out of her school near Newton Aycliffe at 2.30pm yesterday and has not been seen since. Police say
DETECTIVES investigating the murders of three prostitutes in the Ipswich area have found two more bodies. Officers were alerted this afternoon by a member of the public. One body was found near Levington, Suffolk, a village about five miles south of
A BUILDER alleged to have buried 10,000 greyhounds in his allotment is to be prosecuted. There was a national outcry when David Smith was photographed burying dogs he executed in an outbuilding on his land. It was claimed he had killed up to 10,000
AN MP has called for the rats to be cleared out of the House of Commons. But Anne McIntosh has been told a cat cannot be introduced into the chamber to kill the rats and mice. The Shadow Minister for Education wanted to introduce a cat but was told
COLOMBIAN authorities are investigating former Parma and Newcastle forward Faustino Asprilla for possible links to a money-laundering ring. Read the full story in The Northern Echo tomorrow.
THE mystery of an abandoned campsite in a remote forest has been solved after the owners admitted they ditched their belongings after getting scared. A huge search of the densely-wooded Simonside Hills in Northumberland, was carried out after the deserted
POLICE investigating the murders of three prostitutes have appealed to the murderer to give himself up. Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull said today: "Make contact with Suffolk Police. Clearly you have a significant problem. Give me a call
A WOMAN dubbed an "evil slavemaster" is appealing against her conviction. Antonia Pearson-Gaballonie, 35, forced her sister-in-law Veronica Sandeman clean while naked and eat dog food over a number of years. The mother-of-six whipped the 26-year-old
NINE people have been arrested following pre-dawn raids on 12 County Durham homes. Durham Police Assistant Chief Constable Michael Banks said the arrests are linked to 12 cash machine burglaries, in which about £500,000 was stolen and thousands of pounds
A POLISH bus driver took his passengers five miles back to the depot - because he couldn't understand directions for a 500 yard detour. The baffled busman was forced to stop when he came across a crash blocking the road. A short detour would have put
THE mystery of an abandoned campsite in a remote forest has been solved after the owners admitted they ditched their belongings after getting scared. A huge search of the densely-wooded Simonside Hills in Northumberland, was carried out after the deserted
A FIRE, being blamed on an electrical fault, destroyed a family's two cars early today. A Nissan Micra and a Mini Cooper were both destroyed and the garage housing them, gutted, in a fire at Rutland Avenue, Middlesbrough. Cleveland Fire Brigade Watch
CORUS shares hit an all-time high yesterday as the takeover battle for the steel group intensified. The dramatic bidding war between Brazilian company CSN and India's Tata Steel pushed shares up by more than five per cent. The rise came as Corus
Let's Celebrate There's no greater reason To celebrate Than the birth Of real true love, When God, Our heavenly Father Sent his son From glory above. There's no greater reason To dance and sing Than the birth of Jesus, Our saviour and King. To lift up
AFTER recent reorganisation, Edward Jones has announced a re-structuring of its UK operation with the creation of five regions, which sees FRASER IRVINE appointed as regional leader for the North of England. Mr Irvine, who is based in Southport, has
A MENTAL health hospital in Hartlepool opened yesterday. Leading the launch of Sandwell Park, in Lancaster Road, was the Mayor of Hartlepool, Stuart Drummond. The unit is one of three mental health facilities opened this week by the Tees, Esk and Wear
BUSINESS technology company Knowledge IT has been appointed as the North-East representative of Cisco's influential Commercial Channel Advisory Board (CCAB). GEORGE SANGER, sales director of Knowledge, has been chosen to join the panel, which brings
A SCHOOL that caused concern for inspectors four years ago has now been ranked in the top five per cent in the country. Pupils' progress is measured from their Sats tests in Key Stage one, at the age of seven, to their Sats tests in Key Stage two, when
AN undercover operation to catch a bogus trader in the act could land him in court. Trading standards officials in Hartlepool have signalled their determination to protect consumers after mounting a classic "sting" operation. Following complaints about
A BAREFOOT shoplifter who slapped a supermarket security guard in a bid to evade capture escaped a prison sentence yesterday. John Beattie pleaded guilty at Harrogate Magistrates' Court to three theft offences and one of assault and also admitted breach
The Sage Gateshead's Schumann, Brahms and Clara concert series drew to a close with a much smaller than usual audience, which was a shame for those who were not there, because they missed something special. The Northern Sinfonia musical director
MOTORBIKE enthusiasts have been collecting gifts for the Giving Tree appeal. Members of the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) were given the presents when they visited the Tap and Spile, The Brown Trout, The Britannia, The Copper Beech, The Grey Horse, Haughton
THE public has been put on alert about the latest lottery scam originating from Spain. Trading standards officials in Hartlepool issued the warning after a man contacted them to say he had fallen victim to a hoax. He had bought a charity lottery ticket
CHILDREN with a sweet tooth dreamt up the perfect fundraising event to send elderly people from sheltered accommodation out for a Christmas meal. Pupils at Trimdon Village Community Infant School and Nursery held a sponsored sweet suck - each trying to
BUSINESS leaders and community representatives have been given a preview of a £17.3m building at Bishop Auckland College. Several teachers and students also joined the tour of the building, which is due to open next September. Kevin Burns, the college's
ANNE MOORE has been appointed to the Tees-wide position of director of nursing and therapies, and Stephen Childs has been appointed as director of community services for Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland primary care trusts (PCT). Ms Moore worked
A GREEN army marched into action to clean up the two-mile Normanby-South Bank walkway, from Harcourt Road to Flatts Lane. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council co-ordinated the mix of labour forces, including the probation service, the cleaner neighbourhoods
COURTS across south-west Durham fell silent yesterday in tribute to former magistrate Eric Fell, who died last week. A minute's silence was observed at Darlington, Newton Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland magistrates' courts in memory of 64-year-old Mr Fell
TEN young people are preparing for the trip of a lifetime to Africa. The volunteers, aged 15 to 19, have been chosen by Darlington Borough Council's youth service to travel to Lesotho, southern Africa, in August. It is hoped the five-day trip will give
ASDA CAR PARK: IT has been drawn to my attention that S Shotton (HAS, Nov 23) wrote regarding the refusal of planning permission for Asda to move its filling station to another part of its property at Whinbush Way, Darlington. There was mention in the
DARLINGTON Football Club's stewards are being kept up to date with what they need to know for their job from a safety course. Experts at Darlington College are teaching the stewards the latest FA regulations, fire safety, first aid, crowd control, emergency
PEOPLE are invited to take part in a free event in one of Darlington's parks this weekend. The winter festival, organised by the borough council's countryside team, takes place in West Park, Faverdale, on Sunday, from 1pm to 4pm. Visitors can take part
INTERNATIONAL project management and cost consultancy Faithful+Gould has welcomed a new member of staff to its Stockton office from the company's base in San Francisco. CHRIS TAYLOR, who began his career in the Stockton office, has more than 25 years
PD PORTS has announced that MICHAEL McCONNELL will join the company as group property director based at the Queen's Square head office, in Middlesbrough. Previously head of property for regeneration company Sunderland arc, Mr McConnell was responsible
POLICE are appealing for information after thieves stole two metal urns and a foot scraper from a Darlington garden. The owners only realised the items had gone when their daughter visited and noticed they were missing, said police. The theft took place
POLICE in Teesdale are warning caravan owners to be vigilant following 28 thefts in three days. Property was taken from three caravans at Stainton Bank, near Barnard Castle, on Thursday night or Friday morning. Then, on Friday evening or early on Saturday
AN ambulance crew who broke off their meal break to treat an injured friend have triggered a row. The response to a road accident in Upper Weardale, County Durham, highlighted the continuing threat posed by a long-running dispute over meal breaks between
A TEENAGER who stabbed his landlord in the back has told a jury about the nightmares he has had since. Martyn Ford, of Brunel Way, Darlington, denies murdering his flatmate, Michael Gatenby, in July, but has admitted a lesser charge of manslaughter. At
A MENTAL health trust has been accused of cost-cutting after deciding to relocate staff to another part of south-west Durham. Staff from the community mental health team working at Dawson House, Crook, will move to the Goodall Centre, Bishop Auckland,
NEWCASTLE City Council has appointed a new corporate project manager. HELEN GOLIGHTLY will focus primarily on regeneration in the Walker district of the city. She trained as a town planner at university and spent the first 13 years of her working life
CORUS shares hit an all-time high yesterday as the takeover battle for the steel group intensified. The dramatic bidding war between Brazilian company CSN and India's Tata Steel pushed shares up by more than five per cent. The rise came as Corus yesterday
TWO red quad bikes have been stolen from an outbuilding in Teesdale. Thieves broke into the building, in Gilmonby, near Barnard Castle, on Thursday, between 7pm and 9.45pm. A Massey Ferguson quad bike and a Honda quad bike were taken. There have since
A WOMAN who became a familiar face to road-users over almost three decades is motoring on at the age of 100. Beth Driver celebrated with a family lunch on Sunday and a visit from the Mayor of Durham yesterday. Councillor Jeff Lodge called at Hallgarth
BUS and train operator Arriva yesterday made a £5m move into the Czech Republic market. The transport group, which is based in Sunderland, has acquired bus operator Transcentrum Bus sro, a privately-owned company operating 120 buses north of Prague and
Manufacturers struggling to deal with higher interest rates, more expensive raw materials and a strong pound were given a boost yesterday after prices paid for goods at the factory gate fell last month. The Office for National Statistics said prices of
THE first girl to be given an anti-social behaviour order on Teesside has revealed how it helped turn her life around. Chantelle Robinson was given the stringent order in 2003 when she was only 13, after terrorising residents in the Gresham area of Middlesbrough
ENGINEERING firm Amec yesterday confirmed plans to transfer workers in North Tyneside to its main offices 50 miles away. Amec said about 150 office-based staff at its Wallsend yard, who design oil and gas projects around the world, will move to offices
THE biggest rail workers' union yesterday warned of possible strikes if jobs were cut at leading train operator GNER. The Rail Maritime and Transport union said it would resist any redundancies at the York company, which runs services on the East Coast
CARE home operator Southern Cross Healthcare yesterday said it was well placed to achieve further growth in revenues as it announced a deal to manage five more care homes. The agreement, with Alpha Care Services, which includes an elderly care home in
A SCHOOL could be transformed into an academy years before its multi-million pound building is complete, it has emerged. The sooner Eastbourne School, in Darlington, becomes an academy, the sooner it could benefit from thousands of pounds of help to boost
AN RSPCA cattery is offering to microchip pets for free. Felledge Cattery, near Chester-le-Street, is celebrating its recent opening by offering an effective way to permanently link cats and dogs to their owners. Cattery manager Maggie Eden said: "It's
THE tragic life of a young man who collapsed in a police cell and later died was revealed yesterday. Despite leading a life of crime and drugs, the death of Darren Bennett has been linked to natural causes. The 25-year-old was discovered collapsed in
RICHMOND Ice Cream, the UK's largest volume ice cream manufacturer, has appointed NEIL JONES to the newly-created post of sales and marketing director. Mr Jones has held director-level posts during a 20-year business career in both the UK and European
HAINES Watts North-East has appointed PAUL DUNCAN to its team, who arrives after a varied career in chartered accountancy across the region. After qualifying in 1986, Mr Duncan started his career in North-East based firms specialising in corporate finance
lBONNITA DUNLOP has joined the Postcode Lottery as its first employee to be signed though the recently launched Vivid Promotional Marketing. Ms Dunlop will be based in Newcastle, and will represent the Postcode Lottery at weekly 25,000 presentations,
HOME shopping technology provider Spark Response has appointed PETER SLEE as its managing director. Mr Slee, who has worked for the Gateshead company since 2003, has been promoted from operations director. He has significant experience in the digital
l McINERNEY Homes North-East, the owner of Bowey Homes, has made a key appointment who will direct sales across the region. GARY ANDERSON joins the newly-expanded company as sales director, and brings with him more than 30 years' experience in the housing
After a raft of injuries drastically reduced Darlington's defensive options, manager Dave Penney says his players have no option other than to accept they may have to play out of position during the hectic Christmas period. Quakers are without several
FIREFIGHTERS rescued a family after fire tore through their home. The parents and three children, aged six, four and two, are lucky to be alive after breathing in smoke. They were taken to the University Hospital of North Durham suffering from smoke inhalation
FOR the first time in more than half a century, a pantomime is being staged in a North Yorkshire town. Festivities in Reeth have not included a pantomime since 1948, when Beauty and the Beast was performed. Now, 58 years later, a group is gearing up to
INTIMATE drawings of a Yorkshire family have been bought at auction by a local gallery. The York Art Gallery bought the 19th Century pencil sketches by John Cotman. Mr Cotman was hired as a teacher by the Cholmeley family, of Brandsby Hall, North Yorkshire
ART lovers have helped boost the coffers of Ripon's Poppy Appeal collections by more than £100. To help boost funds, The Gallery gave a percentage of all art bought on a preview day to the charity. The funds raised at the Modern Masters exhibition day
DESPITE hitting his first career goal and seeing his side move into the top seven in League Two, Hartlepool's Ben Clark admits there's still a sense of what might have been. Pools have won their last four games and take on struggling Rochdale at Victoria
BAINES Jewitt Chartered Accountants, based in Stockton, has announced that ANDREW PEART has joined the firm. Mr Peart has been employed as a trainee accounting technician having gained strong A-level exam results at Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough
GREEN-FINGERED residents have planted saplings as part of a £3,000 scheme to improve a cemetery. The idea for Bridge End cemetery came from Brompton on Swale Parish Council. Locals were asked to sponsor saplings, with 30 people giving money. Council
A BEDALE crafts and furniture gallery celebrating its fourth anniversary has opened a 600sq ft extension, almost doubling the size of the showroom. Designer Janet Stevens and her furniture-designer husband, Kevin, opened Red House, in the Market Place
FESTIVE fundraisers are urging shoppers to decorate Christmas trees in memory of cancer victims. Visitors to The Gates Shopping Centre, in Durham City, are being asked to hang a sparkly bauble and a message on the trees, in memory or celebration of a
A MAJOR information campaign has been launched in a bid to cut alcohol-related crime. The Drink Safe, Stay Safe initiative has a particular focus on domestic violence. It is a joint project involving Ryedale and Scarborough safer communities partnership
A PLANNED network of computer kiosks offering round-the-clock community information was launched yesterday. The first of nine iPlus Points was unveiled at the Glebe Centre in Murton, to allow residents to report problems or access information round the
A WELL-EQUIPPED pupil referral centre has been opened in Middlesbrough to enable youngsters to be brought back into mainstream education and turn their lives around. The £2.2m unit, which will be able to cater for up to 24 vulnerable youngsters, will
A SHOPPER claimed she was blinded in one eye after she was given a faulty carrier bag at a supermarket. She says shards from a broken bottle went in her eye after her Asda bag snapped and a bottle smashed on the floor of her home. Wendy Hamilton has now
A COUNCIL may order developers to build affordable housing following criticism that it is not doing enough to ensure people on lower incomes can put a roof over their heads. Liberal Democrat-run Durham City Council's cabinet will be recommended today
A 20-YEAR-OLD man arrested in connection with the death of three sixth-form students in a car crash was yesterday released on bail pending inquiries, police said. Friends Oliver Cross, Thomas Dunn and Michael Tempest, all 16, died on the A58 near Wetherby
Monarchy By David Starkey (C4); A Girl's Guide To 21st Century Sex (five); True Voice Of Prostitution (C4): The Prince of Wales was in a bad way. At 48, he was under the influence of drink and drugs, had a gargantuan appetite and "debts beyond all kind
Through an international consultancy, women are being encouraged to make the most of their potential. Women's Editor Sarah Foster joins a local training session. A SLIM blonde woman in a suit addresses the group. She's softly spoken - not bold and strident
MOTORISTS have been urged to keep a clear head this Christmas as an anti-drink-driving campaign gets under way. Police and firefighters will travel around Richmondshire until Christmas Eve to highlight the dangers of drinking and driving. The campaign
POLICE say they are encouraged by the results of a crackdown on the sale of drink to underage teenagers. Together with trading standards officials, covert test purchases were made in the Scarborough area following complaints from local residents. Three
Though manifestly no Simple Simon, Trevor Storer was still a pretty humble pieman when first he flamed an oven. It was 1963. Now his company bakes 180,000 pies each day, employs 265 people, sponsors everything from the stand at Oldham Athletic to the
WHEN Kofi Annan, in his final speech as UN secretary general, called on the United States to work with other nations rather than act unilaterally, he was clearly taking a swipe at the Bush administration. Ironically, it came as President Bush - in the
SUPERB prize-money at Sedgefield has tempted reigning champion jockey Tony McCoy up from his Lambourn base to partner a four-pronged raiding party by Somerset handler, David Pipe. The entire card is sponsored by World Bet Exchange, whose financial input
ALBERT Luque's career hit a new low yesterday when Spanish side Villarreal decided they would rather play a youth-team player than sign the misfiring striker. After failing to establish himself under Magpies manager Glenn Roeder, Luque is hoping to secure
CHRISTMAS in the City will be as silent as a church mouse. They'll all be off on the Friday afternoon - the traders and brokers, the bankers and insurance types. And the City will be left, if not to darkness, then at least to me, parish priest of St
MUSLIMS: THERE has been a great deal of debate in HAS recently regarding Islam and its followers. I decided to read for myself the Koran and make up my own mind. After reading it twice I find myself, although I don't always agree with him, firmly in
THERE are plenty who will denounce Zara Phillips' success in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year awards as nothing more than the deferential pandering of a society still in thrall to the monarchy. Phillips, 11th in line to the throne and the most
ONE eager inmate thought a greater knowledge of male etiquette may help him "pull" more girls. That is, once he gets out.Most agreed her talk was interesting, although whether they believed Gill Harbord could transform them into proper gentlemen is not
A SECOND attacker had been jailed for nine years after the pair beat a man and left him for dead when they were disturbed breaking into his caravan.Barry Paul Jemmett, who was only implicated by his blood stains in victim Jimmy Mundell's pockets, was
A NORTH-EAST soldier killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb might have survived if he been wearing better body armour, an inquest heard yesterday.Ruling that Guardsman Anthony Wakefield, of the Coldstream Guards, was unlawfully killed, coroner Selena Lynch
AN MP says a rare heart disorder is still claiming lives despite new NHS guidelines.Stockton South MP Dari Taylor, supported by Durham North MP Kevan Jones, led the way on calls for more screening of at-risk youngsters by introducing a Private Member's
Publisher: Microsoft Formats: XBox 360, PC, PSP Price: £49.99 Family friendly? 16+ THE Rainbow Six series has managed the difficult balancing act of being a success on both the PC and gaming consoles
KIND-HEARTED staff at Europe's biggest ice cream factory are helping to make it a happier Christmas for underprivileged children in the region.Richmond Ice Cream, of Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, decided to support the Make a Child Smile appeal, run by
ART PROJECT: RE Councillor Ben Ord's letter (HAS, Page 4, Dec 7). His criticism of the Spennymoor Town Centre Art Project, which he had previously described as an "act of folly" and also a waste of money, shows a lack of understanding in the talented
A MOTHER who has campaigned for nearly ten years against bullying of young soldiers visited an Army base to meet members of an advisory panel.Lynn Farr, whose son Daniel died while a recruit at the infantry training centre, at Catterick Garrison, in 1997
A HOME Office expert who helped set up a national database of violent sex offenders yesterday admitted distributing child pornography.A Scottish court heard how Vincent Barron, from County Durham, sent ten images of children to a man during online chatroom
Ever since the Libertines split, their fans have waited for a band they can worship. Babyshambles have failed to capture their imagination but Dirty Pretty Things - led by Libertines guitarist Carl Barat - have quickly become the band the Libs fans love.Support
MASSIMO Maccarone looks to have played his final game for Middlesbrough as Gareth Southgate finalises his plans for the January transfer window. Serie A side Empoli are understood to have made an initial enquiry about one of their former employees and
CONSERVATION officials say drivers must cut their speed to stop the carnage on a moorland road. Almost 200 sheep and lambs were killed on unfenced roads on the North York Moors last year. The majority died on the Blakey road, which runs between Hutton
Though manifestly no Simple Simon, Trevor Storer was still a pretty humble pieman when first he flamed an oven. It was 1963. Now his company bakes 180,000 pies each day, employs 265 people, sponsors everything from the stand at Oldham Athletic to the
DERBY boss Billy Davies will shortly contact Roy Keane in an attempt to sign striker Jon Stead on a permanent basis. And while Keane has hinted that a couple of his loanees could be returning to the Stadium of Light rather than signing for their temporary
TOWN halls will today be promised London-style powers to decide bus routes and fares to end the chaos caused by 20 years of private operators. Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander will unveil radical changes allowing councils to seize control of bus
ELECTRONICS company Filtronic's plans to expand one of its factories in the region were last night uncertain after investment in the division was cut by £5m. The factory, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which employs about 450 people and is the flagship
Paul Young's carvings of The Simpsons characters have received approval from the show's creator, Matt Groening. Linday Jennings hears how his business is also giving work to Kenyan villagers. THE eyes are bulging, the distinctively large upper lip protruding
The column blows hot and cold over a new flame-grilled chicken restaurant. WHAT with being tall and dark, if not necessarily the other thing, I got to do quite a lot of first footing in the days when New Year wasn't quite such old hat.The custom was
HARD-PRESSED mothers still shoulder the burden of cooking and shopping for their family, a new report has found. The study of nearly 200 British men and women in their early 30s found that, although half of the women worked full time, they still shouldered
A MOTORCYCLIST suffered serious head injuries after he was in collision with a van in Sunderland. The accident happened on Pennycross Road in the city shortly before 3.45pm yesterday. It involved a Kawasaki 900cc machine and a Renault Master van. The
