FIREFIGHTERS pulled a car and its four embarrassed occupants out of the River Wear at the notorious Stanhope Ford this afternoon. A couple and two teenage girls from the Consett area were trapped in the middle of the River Wear when their engine stalled
ENGLAND will head into the final day of the fourth Test at Riverside tomorrow looking for quick wickets to maintain slight hopes of recording a third win of the series against the West Indies. The tourists, after losing three wickets, remain 30 behind
Hampshire v Durham (County Championship) : Day Two & Three DURHAM were at the centre of controversy at the Rose Bowl last night when their first taste of championship cricket under floodlights cast a dark shadow over their victory chances. Coach
MORE and more holidaymakers are pouring into the tourism capital of the north - providing a huge boost for the city's economy. Latest figures show the annual tourism spend in York was the highest ever - taking it up to 333m. That is 21m up on the
A NIGHTCLUB reveller suffered serious injuries from a single stab wound to the chest. He collapsed outside the premises and was taken to hospital suffering a haemorrhage caused by the 3ins potato knife. Durham Crown Court was told he had to be resuscitated
Hampshire v Durham (County Championship) : Day One DALE Benkenstein faced a dilemma yesterday. Graham Onions had Hampshire by the throat at one for two, so should the Durham captain go for the jugular or do his bit to help a struggling international
A LOCAL council has won the first stage of its legal battle to halt the creation of new unitary authorities. A High Court judge granted Harrogate Borough Council, along with two other authorities, permission to challenge the Government's unitary plans
TRIBUTES have been paid to a man who stamped his name with pride on the industrial landscape of a County Durham dale . John Barron, who was always known as Ticker, was one of the last of a hard breed of men who worked on the land and in the fluorspar
WORK has begun on a £3m scheme that will restore an area of heavily- contaminated riverside land and return it to public use. Specialist contractors have begun work on an 18-month reclamation scheme at Saltmeadows Riverside in Gateshead. The work
Handrails are to be installed after a spate of accidents in Darlington's new Pedestrian Heart shopping centre. Darlington Borough Council confirmed today that three accidents on the High Row steps have been reported in the past month. It is not known
A bogus doctor who joined a slimming club and gave jabs to members was jailed for three and a half years today. Fraudster Scott Walker,25, stole drugs and syringes from his gran's home nurse and hired taxis to deliver made-up prescriptions to his
WITH a maximum of 30 overs remaining on the fourth day, a Paul Collingwood-inspired England hold a 113-run lead over the West Indies at Riverside after being all out for 400. Collingwood's fifth hundred on his first Test appearance at the Chester-le-Street
The visit of the Edinburgh Monarchs to the South Tees Motorsport Park in Premier League action on Thursday evening at 7.30pm will revive memories of an exciting Premier Trophy double for the Redcar Bears over the Scottish team earlier in the season.
PAUL COLLINGWOOD turned on the style on his first Test appearance at Riverside to power England ahead against the West Indies. The Durham all-rounder, ably assisted by Matthew Prior before his dismissal brought to an end a solid 169 seventh wicket stand
PAUL Collingwood has marked his maiden Test appearance at Riverside with his fifth Test century. The Shotley Bridge-born all-rounder reached three figures with a pulled boundary before celebrating in front of his home crowd. The century, which came
ENGLAND moved closer to claiming a first-innings lead as the fourth Test with the West Indies limped towards a draw at Riverside. The hosts added 81 runs for the loss of two wickets in the opening session at Chester-le-Street to close on 202-6 at lunch
ON a hot summer's day - June 14, 1958 - I rushed up to my local post office in Fishburn and purchased a £1 Premium Bond. As it says on the reverse side, you wait six months before it goes into the draw. I've waited and waited... 49 years to be precise
AFTER the complete disaster of the Blair Years, anyone in his or her right mind would try to bow out modestly and, more importantly, quietly. Instead, the bellicose Tony Blair chooses to attack the Press. Does he not realise that he is seen as
I SUGGEST that Gordon Brown's best way to continue to succeed in politics is to publicly announce his refusal to serve as leader of Labour and Prime Minister - if Tony Blair signs the new constitution for the EU in the last days when he is serving
B KIDD seeks to hide the real nature of jihad (HAS, June 11). The verse in the "Holy Koran" which urges Muslims to jihad against "unbelievers", ie, non-Muslims, also includes the words "Ten will overcome 100, and 100 will overcome 1,000". This
CONTROVERSIAL plans to dismantle ships on Teesside are set to become a reality after Hartlepool Council announced today that it will not contest Able UK's appeal. In October last year, Hartlepool Planning Committee rejected three planning applications
IN her letter about abortion, Linda Henderson (HAS, June 13) accuses me of saying things I never said. Nowhere have I objected to the surgical removal of a baby dead in the womb from its mother. That's not abortion. Abortion is the killing of a
MRS P Stringer paints a totally false picture of Israel's situation in the Middle East (HAS, June 12). Of course, Israelis have the right to live safely behind their borders. The reality is they have occupied Arab land for 40 years and now claim
I HAVE read with interest the arguments for and against multiculturalism in Hear All Sides over the past few weeks. Pete Winstanley (HAS, May 31) states "multiculturalism means that people of different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds
THE present two-tier structure for local government in County Durham is, and has been for some time, clearly unsatisfactory. Many of the district councils are underperforming and have grown to such an extent that we simply can no longer afford
IN response to Abdul Jaleel's comments about the Market Square toilets in Darlington (HAS, June 11), myself and a male attendant work there from 2pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday. All of the flooring throughout is non-slip, and is mopped regularly.
When Christine Fieldhouse had her son, it brought back memories of her childhood and her father's cruel abuse. Now, in a bid to offer hope and finally lay the past to rest, she's written a book about what happened. She talks to Women's Editor Sarah Foster
Natasha Cooper likes nothing better than a gory gossip with her crime writing contemporaries, she tells Steve Pratt. AS a storyteller by both profession and inclination, Natasha Cooper says that "it's difficult to keep your mouth shut". But firmly closed
A FUNDRAISING councillor has backed a charity helping people with Alzheimer's. Hartlepool Borough Council chairman Carl Richardson presented Hartlepool and East Durham Alzheimer's Trust, one of his chairman's charities, with £1,231. He said: "The trust
He's sung for the Queen and performed all over the world. Now the founder of the Sunderland Symphony Orchestra is staging the first music concert at the Stadium of Light. Steve Pratt reports. WHEN Rupert Hanson was at school in Sunderland, if you were
WORK will start next week to improve safety and traffic flow at a busy junction in Stockton. The £300,000 scheme will result in the widening of the A177 Durham Road, near the Mile House Hotel, adding an extra lane for northbound traffic turning right
THE drive to improve the skills of people living and working in Chester-le-Street is making significant progress, according to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North-East. Progress is being made to develop the work skills of young people and adults
PLANS for two healthcare facilities worth £41m have reached an important milestone. Grosvenor House Group has been selected by the NHS as the group "minded to be appointed preferred bidder" to develop a mental health hospital in Durham and a purpose-built
PRIMARY schoolchildren will take part in a national water safety campaign at Bedale swimming pool. Get Safe 4 Summer will press home the importance of learning to swim and raise awareness of the dangers of swimming in open water. Hambleton District Council
A CANCER charity has received £7,000 after a year of fundraising by a local support group. The Richmondshire committee of Macmillan Cancer Support handed over a cheque and urged people to volunteer to help with future events. Highlights of the last year
A RACEHORSE trainer put herself under starter's orders to raise money for Cancer Research. Sharon Watt, from Brompton-on-Swale, near Richmond, and seven friends completed the Race for Life 5k run at Ripon and raised £2,300 for the charity. Mrs Watt,
A WORK of art made by a North Yorkshire craft company has been presented to Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. The glass bowl, made with an opaque lavender and pink pattern, was created by glassblower Stephen Gillies and artist Kate Jones, who run a studio
THE supercar children's television star Brum is coming to the Empire Theatre, Consett. The show has a fast-moving mix of fun, laughter, music and song for three to seven-year-olds. Brum meets old friends, including the Traffic Policeman and Granny Slippers
A CHURCH congregation that has worshipped in schools, a scout hut and a workingmen's club for three months has returned to its home after a £125,000 refurbishment. St John's Church, in Nevilles Cross, held its first service in the renovated church yesterday
A DRIVE to attract recruits for North Yorkshire's fostering service has taken to the road. Community buses have been decked out with a new logo as Fostering North Yorkshire joins forces with the county's passenger transport department. The publicity drive
AN architectural and planning practice is looking to expand after it was awarded a quality standard held by few firms in its field. Planarch Design Limited received the ISO 9001, an industry award that allows the company to bid for new public sector contracts
A PROJECT to look at the North-East becoming a worldwide centre for digital archiving has been launched. The pilot Northern Centre of Digitisation and Encoding (N-Code) study will showcase the region's technical capability and help promote the region's
THE organisation driving the growth of the North-East's healthcare economy, Cels, has launched a scheme to help the region's stem cell scientists to develop ideas into commercial reality. Working with the North-East England Stem Cell Institute (Nesci)
TONY Blair knew he was asking for trouble when he decided to launch his attack on the media for being a "feral beast" that tears people apart in the pursuit of sensation. He was opening a can of worms big enough to keep the nation's fishermen in bait
EIGHT police officers across North Yorkshire have been selected as the best in their patch at the neighbourhood beat. Community groups and members of the public made the nominations for the county's District Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year awards
MORE money is being invested in a motorcycle safety campaign that has already been credited with saving lives. North Yorkshire County Council is allocating £30,000 to the 95 Alive initiative, a partnership in which a wide group of organisations work
A TEESSIDE housing company is pioneering solar energy to help families meet their heating and lighting bills. Coast and Country Housing has installed the photovoltaic system to nine blocks of flats in Redcar in a trial that will evaluate the efficiency
PLANS for a new secondary school in Middlesbrough have moved a step closer. The proposals for a building to replace Acklam Grange School have been agreed by Middlesbrough Council's planning committee. The school is part of a £96m scheme, which will
It was a case of hit and miss in the region's local leagues with the weather decimating programmes across the senior divisions. In the Northern Rock ECB North East Regional Premier League only one of the six matches started and this was ultimately abandoned
A PROPERTY developer has won high praise after restoring two former farm buildings using original materials. PF Developments Limited, in Stockton, was recently awarded third place for Best Conservation Project at the Northern Local Authority Building
Godolphin may not have that many big-hitters lined up for the Royal meeting but Abhisheka can send them off to Ascot in good heart with a victory in the Tweenhills Farm & Stud Warwickshire Oaks at Warwick. A quality 11-runner field has been assembled,
SAM Allardyce last night admitted that his first job as Newcastle manager will be to cast off the shroud of "negativity" that enveloped the club last season. With Mike Ashley having confirmed his intention to take the Magpies back into private hands next
MORPETH Harrier Terry Wall had no trouble notching up his fifth victory in the Newton Aycliffe 10K yesterday. The 36-year-old Durham City baker, winner of the Raby Castle 10K three weeks previously, repeated his 2006 victory in 32 mins 23 secs, beating
FORMER Middlesbrough favourite Geremi has emerged as a target for Sunderland manager Roy Keane. Keane is hopeful of following up last week's capture of Greg Halford with at least one other signing this week, and there is believed to have been contact
YOUNGSTERS in Middlesbrough will soon be able to enjoy traditional outdoor fun and games thanks to the Big Lottery Fund. Middlesbrough Environment City will receive £62,016 to help its Great Outdoors play project. The scheme aims to increase the appeal
HIGHWAYS chiefs have increased the speed limit on a road running alongside four schools despite strong objections from councillors. The move follows a 12-month 40mph trial in Burnhill Way, Newton Aycliffe, between Greenfield Way and Williamfield Way.
A SCHOOL has received a national award for its work promoting the arts. Cockton Hill Infant School, in Bishop Auckland, is celebrating after gaining the Arts Council England Arts mark gold award in recognition of its arts education programme. The school
ORGANISERS behind an annual town gala are appealing to the public to help ensure this year's event is an even greater success. The 52nd Spennymoor Annual Gala takes place next month and proceeds go towards a day-trip to the coast for the town's elderly
A LEARNING co-ordinator is celebrating after being recognised for her work in the post-16 sector. Tracey Baldwin, from Newton Aycliffe, works in the town's learndirect centre, in Bradbury Road, on the town's industrial estate. She recently collected the
POLICE in Bishop Auckland have released pictures of a man and a woman who they believe were involved in a theft from a high street store earlier this year. At about 10.15am on Monday, April 23, the couple entered Peacocks clothes store, in Bishop Auckland
STUDENTS at Bishop Auckland College have proved they can cook up a treat after taking part in a culinary competition. Eight level two and three catering students competed against each other in the college's new catering department. Each member of the
GREEN POLITICS WE have heard much about carbon footprints and green taxes from the ministers of spin. Darlington Memorial Hospital, like all others, has been forced to discard greens - those items of linen, the towels that cover patients during an operation
VILLAGE shop owners in Teesdale have been warned to be on the lookout for scam artists who may be operating in the area. In the past fortnight, two shops have been targeted by groups who use confusion and diversion tactics to try and trick shopkeepers
RESIDENTS have called for a speed limit on the main road which passes through their village after the latest serious accident. Families living in Evenwood Gate, near West Auckland, say that unless traffic is made to slow down, it is only a matter of time
THERE are now record numbers of police on the streets of Teesside. And the chairman of Cleveland Police Authority has pledged to increase the numbers further. Councillor Dave McLuckie said the police authority would "continue the drive to deliver first-class
HUNDREDS of people will parade through the streets of Darlington to mark the town's 25th annual Community Carnival. The parade returns to the town centre on Saturday June 30 after it was unable to be held last year because of the Pedestrian Heart works
A NEW market will open for business in Darlington on Thursday. The move comes as the controversial Pedestrian Heart scheme is nearing completion. The market will be in West Row every Thursday. As well as the new outdoor market, traders who are in the
One in four NHS trusts are failing to hit targets aimed at tackling bugs such as MRSA and clostridium difficile, according to a report. Fewer trusts than last year can show they maintain standards on cleanliness and hygiene, despite a Government drive
DARLINGTON'S Race for Life had added poignancy for Lisa Stark. For the legal receptionist, who organised an 11-strong team from solicitors Blackett Hart and Pratt, in Darlington, lost her cousin, Damian Feeley, to cancer two days before Sunday's race
A LEARNING co-ordinator is celebrating after being recognised for her work in the post-16 sector. Tracey Baldwin, from Newton Aycliffe, works in the town's learndirect centre, in Bradbury Road, Newton Aycliffe industrial estate. She recently collected
Cutting Edge: the Dangerous School For Boys (C4, 9pm). Ian Hislop's Scouting For Boys (BBC2, 8pm). AT first, I thought The Dangerous School For Boys would be about a crime-ridden, inner-city sink school, writes Owen Amos. But, it turns out, the featured
England Under-21s 2, Serbia Under-21s 0. England Under-21s reached the semi-finals of the European Championships but victory over Serbia was scarred by racism and violence. Leroy Lita had headed Stuart Pearce's youngsters ahead early on before UEFA officials
Very little cricket was played in the Darlington Building Society NYSD's Division One on Saturday, with no game achieving a finish. Leaders Thornaby had Darlington 73 for three at Feethams when the heavens opened and restricted them to just one additional
EARLY birds are being encouraged to come and watch sunrise in upper Teesdale. A walk will go to Little Dun Fell, one of the highest points on Moor House-Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve. Experienced guides will meet walkers just before midnight
Lewis Hamilton claimed his second victory in a row as McLaren scored a third straight one-two finish of the season at the United States Grand Prix. The 22-year-old British rookie continued his dream start to life in Formula One in Indianapolis, following
Lewis Hamilton last night admitted he was in dreamland after taking his second F1 race win. Hamilton led a McLaren one-two ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso at Indianapolis, increasing his lead over Alonso at the top of the drivers' championship to ten
Aaron Baddeley wasted no time opening the door for Tiger Woods yesterday at Oakmont, then Woods turned around and did the same. Baddeley started his final round of the US Open with a triple bogey to tumble out of the lead. Woods waited two holes to record
PUPILS have entertained residents of a Durham care home.Youngsters from Durham Chorister School Pre-Prep sang songs and played music from their upcoming performance of Noah at the Belmont Grange Care Home.Care home manager Julie Brown said: "They have
WAR veterans, some in their eighties, travelled thousands of miles as part of an annual trip to the North-East to remember a Canadian Victoria Cross winner.Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski was remembered by Second World War veterans from his native Canada
A MAN thought he'd stumbled into an episode of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here when he munched some sugarsnap peas - and found them crawling with caterpillars.The father-of-three was enjoying a healthy snack at home in front of the television when
KIND-HEARTED canoeists are preparing to tackle Scotland's Loch Ness so a boy with cerebral palsy can have life-changing treatment.Ten friends will attempt the 23-mile long loch next weekend to raise money for three-year-old Oscar Worton to continue treatment
TWO cycling veterans recovering from an arduous 15-day, 953-mile sponsored bike ride are now getting ready to tackle a 50-mile course at the Cycle4Life charity event.Tom Pailor, 67, and Ron Best, 64, will take to the streets of Hartlepool at the weekend
BOOKMAKERS are backing a County Durham tree surgeon to follow his former schoolmate in winning Channel 4's Big Brother.Liam McGough, 22, from Kitswell Bungalows, Lanchester, County Durham, has been given odds of 6/1 from bookmaker William Hill.His closest
A NORTH-East politician has called for fellow MPs Alan Milburn and William Hague to be banned from topping up their Westminster salaries with lucrative extra jobs.Durham North MP Kevan Jones has supported a backbench Bill to prevent his fellow MPs "sneaking
A MASSIVE crowd gathered at the weekend to prepare for the region hosting Tall Ships.Among those attending the event on Saturday were 35 residents from the North-East setting sail from Hartlepool as part of the build-up to the Tall Ships Race 2010.They
WET weather failed to dampen the spirits of residents from three villages in Teesdale over the weekend as they held their summer carnivals.Eggleston, Ingleton and Cotherstone brightened the mood in Teesdale on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but were not
PRIMARY schoolchildren in Darlington will be taught about growing up, their bodies and relationships in an attempt to reduce teenage pregnancy.A series of storybooks featuring imaginary best friends Lucinda and Godfrey are to tackle issues including relationships
RECORD entries in the sheep section helped to make the 29th North Yorkshire County Show a success yesterday.More than 420 sheep were in front of the judges, including berrichon du cher, which were shown for the first time at the event at South Otterington
TRAIN enthusiasts got on board this weekend for a behind-the-scenes look at how a historic station is being transformed into a £1.7m attraction.A group of 20 people were given a whistle-stop tour of Darlington Railway Centre and Museum on Saturday to
The nation remembered the Falklands Conflict yesterday as hundreds of veterans from the campaign came together to mark the 25th anniversary of victory.Old servicemen who fought to liberate the South Atlantic islands from Argentina commemorated fallen
A COMMUNITY is in mourning for a brilliant young musician who died in a road accident at the weekend.Tributes have been paid to Nicholas Michael Bennett, 28, from Darlington, who died when his car collided with a tree off the A167, near Coatham Mundeville
A huge clean-up operation was under way in North Yorkshire yesterday as floodwaters began to recede.Families and businesses were counting the cost after days of torrential rain left hundreds of properties under several feet of water.In York, the River
A road race in County Durham attracted more than 500 competitors at the weekend. Newton Aycliffe's annual 10k road race had £1,000 worth of prizes to be won.Up to 200 people took part in the 3k fun run yesterday and more than 300 turned out for the main
CUDDLY toys will be used by a council chairwoman to help her raise funds for local charities.As part of her charity drive, Ryedale District Council chairwoman Natalie Warriner is looking to promote the district's young people and create a children's foundation.She
When Remploy announced plans for a shake-up of the organisation last month, hundreds of disabled workers in the region were plunged into uncertainty. Bosses said they would close loss-making factories to concentrate on helping disabled workers into mainstream
The Northern Echo has launched a campaign calling on Government to rethink the Regional Spatial Strategy, which threatens the future of a number of flaship projects in the North East. In the first of a series of articles Toney Kearney visits NetPark,
THOUSANDS of people enjoyed an annual carnival on Saturday.The Lanchester Lions Carnival took place despite the threat of heavy rain that loomed all day.But the weather stayed dry until it was over, and then the heavens opened.It started with a procession
MORE than 2,000 women took part in an international race in the North-East yesterday, in aid of Cancer Research UK. Kenyan Rose Cheruiyot won the 10k Bupa Great Women's-Only Run, in Sunderland, with a time of 33min 14sec. She beat former world 10k gold
SCHOOLCHILDREN who were taught to sing only three months ago hit the high note when they performed at one of the region's top theatres at the weekend.Although the choir at Hurworth School Maths and Computing College was
THREE coffee shop managers are to climb three of the UK's highest peaks in one day.Costa Coffee staff members Sandy Gourlay, Jamie Buchanan and David Morton, who work at the Waterstone's book store in West Prebend Row, Darlington, plan to climb Ben Nevis
THE inclement weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of supporters who turned up to roar on England as they took on the West Indies in the North-East.Torrential rain that marred the first day of the fourth test at the Riverside, in Chester-le-Street
FOUR police officers caught up in a bridge rescue 100ft above the ground have received national acclaim for their bravery.Inspector Eddie Bell, Acting Sergeant Des O'Hanlon and PCs Phil Boyd and Jed Nixon put themselves at risk to stop a woman jumping
A WOMAN ordered to pay back nearly £6,000 after helping her lover plunder the bank accounts of her dying husband is using money from his will to settle the debt.Catherine Ferguson has collected thousands of pounds from the estate of her late husband Eric
Yorkshire v Sussex (County Championship): Day One, Two & Three A crushing defeat seemed highly possible for Yorkshire when they resumed their top-of-the-table Championship clash with Sussex at Headingley Carnegie yesterday but they fought back to end
A FORMER police officer who was jailed for protecting drug dealers has won his prison cell battle for holiday pay. Ray Ranson, who was jailed last year, will get about £1,000. He came to the attention of colleagues investigating drug smuggling male stripper
AFTER claiming the first five-wicket Test haul of his career, Ryan Sidebottom is backing Andrew Strauss to follow Shivnarine Chanderpaul's lead and ensure his personal triumph ends in England glory at Riverside. A decision to put nightwatchman Matthew
A SOLDIER is seriously ill in hospital after being stabbed during a barrack-room brawl at Britain's biggest Army base. He was stabbed in the stomach during the fight, at the Catterick Army base, in North Yorkshire, in the early hours of Saturday. The
BEMUSED firefighters are urging people to call them if they come across a blaze - and not to ring the police instead. The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service says there has been a recent spate of 999 calls when people have called the police to report
DURHAM were at the centre of controversy at the Rose Bowl last night when their first taste of championship cricket under floodlights cast a dark shadow over their victory chances. Coach Geoff Cook described the 40 minutes of floodlit action as "slapstick
YESTERDAY morning, Corey Collymore's wife turned down the offer of a taxi ride from Ramside Hall to Riverside claiming that her husband's batting was not worth the effort. Six hours later, as Collymore was dismissed to end a last-wicket stand of 58 in
SHADOW foreign secretary William Hague recently told the BBC that his income has halved since returning to the front bench. It is hard to feel much pity for the MP for Richmond, however. He has still earned more than £565,000 from directorships and
CONFIDENCE among the region's entrepreneurs in their prospects for business growth remains high despite an increasingly pessimistic outlook for the UK economy, a survey reveals. Predictions for growth in the region are among the highest in the country
GRIEVING parents have been left sickened by callous thieves who stole toys and mementos left on their baby daughter's grave.The grave robbers have been desecrating the grave of Jessica Louise Booth, who died a year ago when she was five-and-a-half months
CLASSIC car enthusiasts took part in one of the most scenic races on the motorists' calendar yesterday. About 130 drivers joined in the 155-mile 37th Beamish Run, with some some of the older vehicles travelling at about 15mph.The run started and finished
Marina Litvinenko, widow of ex-KGB agent and polonium poisoning victim Alexander Litvinenko, talks to Hannah Stephenson about how she has coped since his death and her hopes for bringing his killer to justice It reads like a spy novel - ex-KGB agent
