A TEENAGE girl has died after being knocked down by a car. A Nissan Micra collided with 15-year-old Hannah Ferguson on John Reid Road in South Shields, Souith Tyneside, near the crematorium, at 11.55pm on Friday. Hannah, from South Shields, suffered
THEY'RE locking the cell doors and throwing away the keys at HMS Larkhall Prison as Bad Girls bows out with a Christmas special. Prisoners and officers have served their time - eight years' hard labour on ITV1. The timing is right. The series has been
THE one man capable of holding a phone interview while half in and half out of his pantomime knickers and can then continue until he's almost on stage is Ray Spencer, the workaholic boss of the Customs House, South Shields. "I have to go, they're shouting
THE family of a girl who suffered a life-threatening liver disease are using the fifth birthday they feared she might never see to highlight the work of a charity. Shortly after she was born on New Year's Day 2002, Reagan Leyman, from Colburn, Catterick
Six days after Zara Phillips was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, The Northern Echo looks back on 2006 by picking out the North-East's leading lights. Paul Fraser shorlists and names winners of The Northern Echo's North-East Sports Awards 2006
YOUNGSTERS risking their lives by taking part in the deadly craze of lamppost-tipping are being hunted by police. Gangs of youths have discovered they can push over and smash concrete streetlight posts by rocking them back and forth. Officers have been
A church's thanksgiving celebrations for recovery from a terrible fire are captured on television cameras as a debut free festival takes place. TELEVISION is another world; they do things differently there. David and Carrie Grant - "You know," someone
A DRINK-DRIVE message has taken to the road. Two vans, each fitted with three large-screen video players, will be travelling round North Yorkshire every day in the run-up to Christmas. They show a short film about the reality of accidents caused by drink-drivers
CAFE customers helped staff raise more than £300 for the Great North Air Ambulance. Diners at the Cross View tea rooms in Richmond Market Place, took part in a raffle with prizes donated by the business's customers and suppliers. Cath Muir, cafe owner
A FORMER school dinner lady died after vital organs failed, an inquest heard. Ann Cation, of Osmotherley, died in the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, in August. The 65-year-old was receiving treatment after coughing up blood at her home. Following
A WOMAN threatened to take councillors to court if they approved a neighbour's planning application. Laura Hanson objected to the proposal to build two houses on land at Rowan House, Alne, near York. There is a single-storey home, a barn and outbuildings
A PENSIONER breathed a sigh of relief after a neighbour's plan to build an extension was refused by councillors. Hilary Hughes, from Raskelf, said before Hambleton District Council's planning committee on Thursday that she was sure the application would
REFUSE collections across the Hambleton area will be affected by the Christmas and New Year holidays. No collections will take place between December 25 and 29 and those the following week will be a day late because of the bank holiday. Residents are
A CHARITY volunteer came close to winning a national award. Ashley Timson, from Harrogate, was shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year at the national Children and Young People's Services Awards. In 1999, after a serious bout of mental illness, Mr Timson
PLANS have been announced for developments to create accommodation for almost 150 older people. Three applications for extra-care flats and sheltered apartments have been submitted to Ryedale District Council. Two of the proposals have sparked opposition
SCHOOLCHILDREN and residents are banding together to help turn an overgrown field at a Stockton school into a community garden. They are working with volunteers from Stockton Arc and council officers to clear rubbish, weeds and bramble bushes at St Cuthbert's
DEMOLITION work will start on Monday to make way for a £2m affordable housing development. York Vale House, in East Road, Northallerton, the former head office of the Broadacres Housing Association, will be knocked down and 19 two-bedroom apartments
PARTY nights for young revellers in a seaside town have been cancelled after becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, along with Cleveland Police and Jaz Promotions, have agreed to cancel the under-18 discos at
NEIGHBOURHOOD policing has been boosted following its successful launch earlier this year. A dedicated support team - the first of its kind in the country - has been expanded in Hartlepool with the appointment of two more staff members. The newest recruits
A PLAN to place a telecommunications column, that would be nearly 40ft high, in the heart of a conservation area was unanimously rejected yesterday. Mobile phone company O2 wanted permission to put the grey steel pole on a pavement in front of a car showroom
INQUEST proceedings have opened following the death of a man travelling in a car which left a road and came to rest in a field. Andrew Scott, 31, of Village Farm, Edmundbyers, near Consett, was a passenger in the Rover 25 which appeared to lose control
POLICE are appealing for witnesses following three car accidents this week. On Tuesday, three cars were involved in a collision on the A171 Windel bridge, about 200m west of the Pinchinthorpe roundabout, just after 6pm. The accident happened when a silver
VILLAGERS across Hambleton are queuing up to create Christmas recycling points. Thirty-eight communities have already agreed to set up compounds to collect Christmas trees and many more expected to sign up before the New Year. Under the district council
Christmas and carol services taking place in the North Yorkshire area include: APPLETON WISKE St Mary's Church, tomorrow, 6.30pm. BELLERBY St John's Church, tomorrow, 3pm, followed by tea at Wrenscar, Mill Lane. BOLTBY Boltby Church, Christmas Eve
A PAMPERED pooch is living up to her name by proving she is a right Christmas cracker. Cracker the Staffordshire bull terrier lives in a hair salon and spends her days being manicured and fed tidbits while warming her paws under a drier. Now she has been
A WELL-EQUIPPED play area at the heart of a village is to be unveiled next week. The Ludworth Fun Zone will open on Monday. The play area with swings and roundabouts is aimed at children from three to 11. The area, which has been named by children from
A NEWLY-APPOINTED fuel poverty officer is looking for community groups to help him spread the message about energy efficiency this winter. Jason Martin, a former teacher, has been appointed by Easington District Council to help residents reduce their
PROSTITUTION: THE fate of those five poor young women - one only 19 - in Ipswich should highlight the plight of prostitutes everywhere in this country. As things stand, these girls have no protection at all - they are at the mercy of vicious clients
THE newest division of engineering company The Tanfield Group yesterday announced its biggest fleet order to date after securing a £2.4m contract with a major European client. The Tyne and Wear-based group's UpRight Powered Access division will supply
The wife of North-East astronaut Dr Nicholas Patrick has spoken exclusively to The Northern Echo about the emotional moment she watched her husband launch into space. Claire Burbage reports. STANDING with her three children to witness the launch of the
AN annual award was launched yesterday to encourage protection of the natural and built environment. Community groups and professionals attended the launch of the 18th County Durham Environment Award, organised by Durham County Council, at the Rivergreen
AMBITIOUS plans to modernise primary care across County Durham, including the flagship Easington Waterworks project, will be revealed next week. Plans to turn the former waterworks into a Healthy Living Resource Centre are only part of proposals to invest
THE streets are lit by gas and the shadows are deep in the doorways. The gaslamps struggle to penetrate the dense pea-soup fog and shine only in a weak halo. In the doorways lurks danger - the very first "ripper" armed with a razor-sharp knife that glints
A GRANDMOTHER has told how she came home from holiday to find that four members of her family had been killed. Tunde Sobo's life was torn apart when her son, daughter and two grandchildren were killed inside the home she shared with them. The alleged
AMBITIOUS plans to modernise primary care across County Durham, including a new multi-purpose modern community hospital in Barnard Castle, will be revealed next week. The replacement of the former Richardson Community Hospital in the Teesdale
COMMERCIAL van hire group Northgate is issuing about £175m of senior guaranteed loan notes into the US Private Placement market, as a means of reducing the group's existing bank debt. The fixed rate and unsecured notes were issued on Thursday in the
CHEMICALS group Elementis has said that its restructuring programme - which saw more than 100 jobs axed on Teesside - was paying dividends for the company earlier than anticipated. The firm, which is the world's biggest producer of chromium chemicals,
TONY BLAIR will meet Durham Police's chief constable, Jon Stoddart, next week to discuss the potential loss of 300 officers. The crisis cuts are deemed necessary to prevent Mr Blair's local force going almost £9m into debt. It is not the first time the
A SCHOOL chef's Italian meatballs have helped her to win her heat of a national competition. Carol Stephenson has been named Durham School Chef of the Year - and now goes on to represent the county in the regional finals next year. The super cook, catering
DARYL MURPHY wants Sunderland to rise to the Premiership so he can prove to good friend Kevin Doyle he can also star in the English top-flight. The Irish pair have enjoyed contrasting fortunes since they moved from the Emerald Isle in June last year,
SUNDERLAND'S trip to Burnley this afternoon marks the half-way stage of the season and manager Roy Keane's mid-term report demands that improvements continue on Wearside. The Black Cats, one of five clubs up to ninth-placed West Brom on the same number
THE life of a community pioneer will be remembered for years to come, after a street he loved will be named in his honour. Leo Ryan, 75, provided a voice for local residents through the Hartlepool New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme, until his death
WIND chimes made from cutlery and snowy scenes in musical boxes are among the attractions at a Christmas exhibition at an art gallery. The exhibition at the Zillah Bell Gallery, in Kirkgate, Thirsk, runs until December 31 and is open between 10am and
BUS and train operator Arriva yesterday announced its market performance remained "robust" after recording half-year profits earlier this year. The Sunderland-based group said it continued to perform well, and was trading in line with expectations, after
A MAN who attacked a drunken woman in an alleyway was jailed for 12 months yesterday, as a deterrent to others. Dane Buttery, 22, who had also been drinking and who knew the woman before they met in the street, was told by the judge at Teesside Crown
TWO County Durham firms have signed deals with US tour operator Welcome USA to promote transatlantic trips. Consett-based Holiday IT has devised a website which allows travel agents to book up-to-the-minute deals on holiday accommodation throughout the
A GREEN award was launched yesterday to encourage the protection of the natural and built environment. Community groups and professionals attended the launch of the 18th County Durham Environment Award, organised by Durham County Council. Parish councils
With little over a week to go, the region's supermarkets and major retail centres will be packed with shoppers until Christmas Day. Catherine Jewitt visited Spennymoor to see how easy it is to buy all the festive essentials in the town centre. I arrive
A BELEAGUERED police chief constable has sent out a Christmas card which displays a lighter side to her character. But the festive message has not tickled everybody's funny bone, with one MP describing the card as inappropriate. North Yorkshire chief
A COBBLED street in Bishop Auckland resembled a Victorian Christmas scene yesterday. Traders in Fore Bondgate, one of the town's oldest and most historic areas, held a Dickensian day. Shop owners and staff dressed in period costumes while a barrel organ
RELATIVES of the first man to die in a village's pit will be among those gathering this weekend to remember those who lost their lives working underground. A memorial to the 52 men who died in Bowburn pit -and the four men from the village who died at
A COUNCIL is celebrating after cominging second in the country for improving its recycling and composting rates. Figures from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council recording an annual percentage
JAM jars filled with coins have raised cash for people living in poverty. Year seven pupils at The Norton School Humanities College raised £211 for FoodAid 06 Concern Worldwide. They had a target of five weeks to complete their task by filling as many
AN accident in which a North-East soldier on exercise in the US died was caused by a lorry driver who swerved across the road, it emerged last night. Sergeant Andrew Jowers was a passenger in a pick-up truck hit by a lorry towing a trailer that drifted
TICKETS can be won to see X Factor winner Shane Ward - by borrowing a library book. From January 2 to 26, any item borrowed from any Stockton library will put the member into a free draw to win tickets to see the singer at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle
THREATS of divorce and a drugs raid on her home could have led to a North-East woman dousing herself in white spirit and setting herself alight, an inquest heard. But the exact circumstances surrounding Tasleen Hussain's death remain a mystery. Mrs Hussain's
A SECRET vault of child porn led to the arrest of a paedophile rights campaigner, a court has heard. Thomas O'Carroll, 61, who was arrested at his home in Shildon, County Durham, in January, led a worldwide campaign to legalise child sex. Yesterday, a
HAVE Arsenal missed the mercurial talents of Thierry Henry during his four-game absence through injury? Not really. Since Henry limped out of the Gunners' 2-1 defeat at Fulham last month Arsene Wenger's side have remained unbeaten and lie third in the
AN international kite-flying expert has visited Barnard Castle Rotary Club. George Webster has judged kite flying contests all over the world and is involved in the annual Teesdale Kite Festival. Mr Webster told members about the passion for kite flying
A REVAMPED leisure centre will finally be unveiled today after a multi-million pound refurbishment. The Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, has been given a £5m transformation during the past year, with facilities added and areas improved. It is the venue's
EARLIER this month, GNER was named as the best rail operator in Britain in the inaugural British Travel Awards in London. It was a tribute to the hard work of its staff to improve customer service on the East Coast Main Line and, while trains will always
A NURSERY has earned a national award for excellence. Bournmoor Nursery, which is near Chester-le-Street, was presented with the Pre-school Learning Alliance's national accreditation certificate. The pre-school in Lambourne Crescent, gained the stamp
TRADERS have spoken of their terror when a gunman robbed a travel agent in a street thronging with Christmas shoppers. Skinnergate, in Darlington, was already busy yesterday morning when the man raided the branch of Dawson and Sanderson. He approached
The rift between Yorkshire and top batsman, Anthony McGrath, remains as wide as ever, with no indication that it is about to be resolved. Although there is speculation that McGrath is on the verge of moving to Lancashire, there would appear to be little
DETECTIVES last night warned the region's drug dealers: "We are coming for your cars, your homes and your cash". The warning came as officers in Gateshead carried out a major raid to interrupt the flow of Class A drugs into the region and told the dealers
A DANCE teacher has congratulated her pupils for their success in recent examinations. Pupils of the Joanne Lowe School of Dance, based at the Engineers Workingmen's Club in Northgate, Darlington, took part in the International Dance Teachers
TWO owls who were separated when they were taken by thieves have been reunited. The two European eagle owls were stolen from an aviary at about 6am on Wednesday. But both birds, a male and a female, were back at their Sunderland home last night. The male
Until now, Ipswich was a truly unremarkable place - drab, concrete, unexciting. Then a terrifying serial killer chose this town as his target. The Northern Echo's Olivia Richwald reports from an area she knows well. I WASN'T even a teenager when I lived
A PLANNING application to build a doctors' surgery and pharmacy on the site of a community hospital has been withdrawn. The proposal was to create the medical services on the Shotley Bridge Hospital site, near Consett. But members of Derwentside District
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy who was caught shoplifting at a Darlington store was told to do so by his mother's boyfriend, a court heard yesterday. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stole an exhaust repair kit and a pair of gloves from Halfords, in
POLICE are appealing for information after two bodies were found in a town. The deaths, in Scarborough, do not appear to be linked, and are being treated as separate cases. The first body was of a white man believed to be local and in his 40s, who was
A REVAMPED leisure centre will finally be unveiled in Darlington today after undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment. The Dolphin Centre has been given the £5m transformation during the past year, with facilities added and areas improved in
TWO councillors embroiled in a row over alleged bullying have resigned. Conservatives David and Wendy Morton quit their seats on Richmondshire District Council (RDC) yesterday after Mr Morton swore at a political opponent during a meeting on Tuesday.
THE hearing of an academic charged with possession of 182,677 pornographic images of children has been adjourned. Neil Barry Pomeroy, formerly of Darlington, appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. The 29-year-old, who holds a doctorate in physics
A NEW council officer has been appointed to head education in Darlington. The new director of children's services for Darlington Borough Council has been confirmed as Murray Rose. He will take up the post in the new year, leaving his present role at City
PUPILS at a village school, near Darlington, are to say a final thank you for the music to a former headteacher who has played the organ at every carol service for the past 40 years. George Dixon has been at the keyboard for the festive show at Heighington
MARKET traders in Darlington have been reassured that they will all be entitled to four weeks' free rent. Earlier this month, Darlington Borough Council agreed to waive one month's rent to stallholders to compensate them for the disruption caused by the
YOUNG people still have the chance to say what activities they would like to see provided in the Lascelles Park area of Darlington. A group of young people attended a consultation event last Saturday to give their views on the events and activities provided
AN MP's Christmas card has an international flavour after a Darlington schoolgirl joined forces with a Chinese friend to design it. Lucy Durham, ten, a pupil at Abbey School, designed the winning Christmas card for Darlington MP Alan Milburn. She was
A GREEN award was launched yesterday to encourage the protection of the natural and built environment. Community groups and professionals attended the launch of the 18th County Durham Environment Award, organised by Durham County Council. Parish councils
DARLINGTON have rung the changes for today's visit to Orrell, introducing a new centre pairing and switching skipper Richard Snowball from lock to blind-side flanker. With Charlie Raynor unavailable, Craig Lee moves to fly half with Lee Davis at inside
JONNY Wilkinson has resumed light training after his kidney injury but is not expected to play again until February. With England kicking off their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Twickenham on February 3, Wilkinson can be ruled out of contention
A COUNCILLOR has thanked Royal Mail staff who have responded to her request for a new postbox for her village. Councillor Doris Jones asked the Royal Mail to install a bigger postbox in Middleton St George, because the current box regularly became too
Former England and Yorkshire off-spinner Richard Dawson writes ofr The Northern Echo. THE second morning could not have gone much worse for our batsmen, apart from Kevin Pietersen, and we've now got it all to do if we are to stay in the series. All of
KEITH REVELEY'S plan of targeting Categorical (2.50) at the final of Newcastle's Betfred Poker Juvenile Novices' Hurdle is beginning to look rosier by the minute, writes COLIN WOODS (JANUS). There's no better place to advertise one's skills than in front
PETER BOWEN'S decision to send Irish Wolf (2.10) out on the prowl at Ascot spells danger with a capital D for his rivals in the Long Walk Hurdle. There's simply no hiding place in the three-miles-and-one-furlong lung-buster, a point not lost on fans of
Darlington's defensive problems have been a cause for concern in recent weeks, with injuries weakening a team whose back four had been developing a Scrooge-like reputation when it came to giving goals away. Until recently, Quakers had conceded just twice
A MULTIPLE sclerosis sufferer who used cannabis-laced chocolate to control pain has described the conviction of her suppliers as "absolutely disgusting".Former nurse Pauline Taylor, 54, from Durham, had planned to go to Carlisle to give evidence at their
MIDDLESBROUGH footballers yesterday spread some cheer among children facing Christmas in hospital.Jonathan Woodgate, Stewart Downing, George Boateng and Mark Viduka joined club mascot Roary the Lion to give out gifts in what has become a Boro tradition.The
Hartlepool United 1 Rochdale 0 FIVE League Two wins in a row and Hartlepool United are this morning four points off the automatic promotion places.Taking 15 points from 15 has pushed Pools from the lower reaches of the table to the top end, but last
ENGLAND'S grip on the Ashes looks to be slipping as they closed day three of the third Ashes Test needing an unlikely 557 to win. Andrew Flintoff's men ended the day in Perth on 19 for one, in reply to Australia's mighty second innings total of 527 for
NEWCASTLE United manager Glenn Roeder has identified Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott as a January transfer target. The United boss, who has only three fit defenders for the visit of Watford this afternoon, is desperate to strengthen his back four
GARETH SOUTHGATE last night insisted that Steve Round's departure from the Middlesbrough coaching staff was a decision made for the good of the club - then confirmed he has asked Colin Cooper to fill in. The Boro boss rubbished the suggestion that Round
NEWCASTLE United's 37-year trophy drought officially ended yesterday - but nobody bothered to tell the club about their success. When the Magpies were drawn out of the UEFA Cup hat for their last-32 tie with Belgian outfit Zulte-Waregem in yesterday's
RICHARD Lambert, the director general of CBI, spoke out this week about the need to encourage young people into business. It was a view shared by many of the public and private sector representatives at the first CBI North-East Christmas Question Time
AS I planned for my trip to the capital, I thought carefully about what to pack. Killer heels are a must, I thought. I've got to look the part. And as it's London - home of the rich and famous - I became obsessed with thoughts of celeb-spotting, shopping
THE fight for the East Coast Main Line began in earnest last night after the Government stepped in to end crisis-hit GNER's ten-year franchise.GNER, whose parent company Sea Containers is in financial difficulties, has seen its contract terminated with
MYSTERY surrounded the future of Newcastle United last night after the club denied reports it was about to be taken over by foreign investors.The club moved swiftly to deny reports that a £227m takeover bid led by US investment group Polygon and the United
Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons wanted to join the circus before he decided to seek a career on the stage. As his latest film, the dragon fantasy Eragon, opens he talks to Steve Pratt about how he reconciled in 'boring' middle class background with
