AN argument after a minor collision between a van and a car in a quiet lane ended with the death of a pensioner. Wendy Doyle, 61, died two days after an argument with a neighbour over the accident. Police said she died from a suspected fractured skull
AN ARMED gang held up security guards and staff at a Tesco store on Teesside today, escaping with a "significant'' sum of money. Detectives are not saying whether the raid on the Tesco shop in Parliament Road, in the centre of Middlesbrough, is connected
Yorkshire v Derbyshire (Twenty20 Cup) YORKSHIRE Phoenix survived a batting scare to charge their way into the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup with a four-wicket victory over Derbyshire Phantoms in front of an 8,500 crowd at Headingley Carnegie
A burglar who carried out a series of high value raids just weeks before Christmas last year has been jailed. John Colefax, 32, targeted three of the homes in just nine hours during the second weekend of December last year. Property and jewellery
A thief who managed to steal a tank from a top security army garrison was caught when he used to it to crush a parked car. Jack Carroll's sniggering pals recorded the moment on a mobile phone as he slowly drove the massive Warrior armoured car
A WOMAN has died in hospital two days after being injured following an argument over a minor traffic accident. Police said the 61-year-old, from Shotton Colliery, in County Durham, suffered a suspected fractured skull. The incident happened in Millbank
A FLAVOUR of the Durham Miners' Gala is being given in an exhibition leading up to this year's event, on Saturday. The 123rd Big Meeting is expected to continue the revival of the event, which many thought would fade out with the demise of the mining
The reigning Premier League Riders' Champion Magnus Zetterstrom - known as Zorro - will lead his Somerset Rebels team into Premier League action at the South Tees Motorsport Park this Thursday evening at 7.30pm. The Swedish international is a former
MAZDA'S iconic MX-5 may not be the quickest off the mark but in one important area it is by far the fastest. In just 12 seconds the new hardtop roadster can go from open-top bliss to secure coupe - just the thing for a British summer. With weather
Price: £26,975 plus options OF all the Volkswagen companies, Audi is probably in the best health at the moment. In fact, it's hard to think of a time when it was better. The Ingolstadt concern has even rediscovered the art of making great fast
POLICE say foul play was not involved in a man's death on Teesside, in the early hours of this morning. Detectives were called in by paramedics who had been summoned to Cambridge Road, Middlesbrough, at about 1.35am today. They initially treated the
A MAN with a spider's web tattoo on his neck is wanted for questioning by police about a sex attack on Teesside. The six foot man pounced on a 41-year-old woman, pushed her up against an all alleyway gate and indecently assaulted her during a struggle
NEWCOMERS Sunderland will kick-off the new Premiership season on August 11 first, after the Black Cats' first game was selected by Sky television. Tottenham's visit to Wearside will now take place at 12.45pm, rather than the 3pm scheduled time, and is
WHEN Penny Wright looked down at her daughter, she did not at first grasp the full extent of her injuries.Rosie, four, who had been thrown 50ft in the air from a giant inflatable in a freak accident, had suffered a punctured lung, spinal fractures, broken
FIRE services are offering free smoke alarms to residents in the Darlington area. Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue service will also install the devices. To apply for a smoke alarm, complete an online application form at www.ddfra.co.uk, or ring
TEESSIDER Chris Tomlinson improved his UK long jump record at the weekend - and still finished second best. Tomlinson, who competes for London club Newham and Essex Beagles, leapt 8.29m on his fourth attempt at a meeting in Bad Langensalza, Germany, adding
TWO members of Marske Art Group, Ann Dobbs and Pat Robinson, are holding a two-week exhibition of their work at Marske library. The exhibition will open next Monday.
A BUSINESSMAN has vowed to appeal a decision by councillors to refuse a liquor licence for his shop. Randhawar Singh said he was shocked that Hartlepool Borough Council's licensing sub-committee turned down his application. The Shop and Save store, in
CHURCH members are celebrating a £63,000 windfall to help restore a 100ft tower and spire in desperate need of repair. The grant, from the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, is part of a £6.6m package to repair more than 70 historic grade II-listed
THE fourth annual Proms in the Park got off to a spectacular start at the weekend. It began on Friday night with an extra date when Orkestra del Sol, from Edinburgh, performed Balkan songs, gipsy polkas, calypsos and waltzes at Auckland Castle, in Bishop
England are considering including Marcus Trescothick in their one-day plans again to boost their flagging fortunes. Trescothick, 31, has not played for his country for 11 months and quit the Ashes tour last winter due to a recurrence of a stress-related
Daren Powell has revealed how the West Indies' deliberately aggressive approach towards Kevin Pietersen enabled them to get the better of the England batsman in the NatWest Series. Pietersen has been the scourge of the Windies attack in the past but he
A SWIMMING pool will close for four months from today for improvements to be carried out. City of York Council officials have said the work to the city's Yearsley Swimming Pool had been planned for the summer months to minimise disruption to swimming
A leading toy firm is launching this exercise bike for children whose parents are worried about them playing outside. The Smart Cycle, which is aimed at children as young as three, plugs into the television so users can watch interactive games. Manufacturer
St Michael's Church, Heighington, hosts a series of exhibitions this summer. The current display, Raising the Surface - Experiments in Texture, runs until August 11. The church is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons, from 2pm to 4pm, for viewing
BUSINESS owners in Darlington have been warned that they must display no-smoking signs. Darlington Borough Council's enforcement officers have been visiting local companies during the first week since new legislation banned smoking in enclosed public
AN estate has won a coveted award for its forestry management. Swinton Estate, near Masham, has been declared this year's winner of the John Boddy Rose Bowl by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The accolade salutes excellence in woodland management
RUMOURS are circulating about the characters likely to appear at a village scarecrow festival. Witches, football players and thespians are expected to pop up around Catterick Village at the weekend. Last year, there were more than 40 entries and organisers
Champions South Northumberland returned as the most dominant force following weeks of frustration due to the weather. Their visit to Gateshead Fell brought enough points from a draw to take them back to the top of the league table as the previous leaders
A NORTH Yorkshire teenager has been honoured for devoting hundreds of hours of his free time to help other youngsters. Sixteen-year-old Andrew Scott has received a Special Achievements Award from North Yorkshire County Council's youth service staff.
POLICE have launched a poster campaign amid fears that the new anti-smoking legislation could spark an increase in thefts. It is feared opportunist thieves could prey on people who leave their belongings unattended while they go outside to smoke. The
Northallerton were celebrating their good fortune of being in the right place at the right time on Saturday as they managed to play - and win - while rivals Middlesbrough never got the chance to perform. Boro faced a blank day because the Normanby Hall
THOUSANDS of young people brought the streets of a market town to a standstill. Festival 07, the biggest youth arts festival in the county, took place in Northallerton at the weekend. It was launched with a carnival parade down the High Street on Saturday
FASCINATING Wimbledon fact No 1. Forget Roger Federer's bandana, Norman Brookes was the first Wimbledon winner to wear headgear in the final - sporting a tweed cap in his 1914 men's singles win over Tony Wilding. Serena Williams was the last women - wearing
Lintz went back to the top on a day when, after weeks of interruptions and abandoned matches, only one game was affected by the weather. The other five matches produced positive results with leaders Leadgate coming a cropper at Ashington to let Lintz
Colin Montgomerie survived two late scares and two storm interruptions to pull off his first win for 19 months today. Just 23 days after he crashed out of the US Open with a second-round 82 - his second worst score ever in a major - the 44-year-old Scot
Four of the six games in the Foster's Durham Senior League survived the weather with Eppleton, Horden and Hetton Lyons all enjoying victories, but leaders Burnmoor had to fight to prevent their first defeat of the season. They were visiting winless and
A STUDENT has followed in her father's footsteps after becoming referee for her football club. Stacey Stewart, 14, from Bishop Barrington School Sports with Mathematics College, in Bishop Auckland, donned her black referee's shirt for the first time last
A NEW slimming club has opened in Bishop Auckland. The weekly Slimming World sessions, which take place every Thursday at St Mary's Church, in Vart Road, follow the success of two other groups in the town. Since the first group, at Bishop Auckland Cricket
CHESTER-LE-STREET completely overwhelmed their visitors from Glasgow to reach the last 16 of the national knock-out Cockspur Cup, writes CHRIS WEST. The game was virtually over once Wayne Ritzema and Quinten Hughes put on 223 for the first wicket in just
THOUSANDS of people descended on Durham at the weekend to enjoy a feast of entertainment and shopping opportunities as the city staged its annual summer festival. The Market Place saw plenty of circus entertainment and featured Mr Cellophane and a Chinese
BARNARD Castle's Rob Dinwiddie should spearhead the North-East charge towards an incredible place in next week's Open Championship over the next couple of days. Dinwiddie is one of 13 of the region's golfers competing at the four different courses in
THOUSANDS of women yesterday took part in the second annual Race for Life in Durham. Organisers from Cancer Research UK are hoping to break last year's fundraising tally of £134,000. About 1,500 woman took part in the morning run and another 1,500 took
A DARLINGTON school has received international recognition for its work on environmental causes. Polam Hall Junior School at Grange Road has won a bronze certificate from the global Eco-Schools programme, designed to help schools analyse their day-to-day
AN ice cream company has won two industry awards. R&R Ice Cream, formerly Richmond Ice Cream, took home gold and bronze prizes from the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) awards. The business, based at Leeming Bar, took the gold in the best new ice
Champion jockey Ryan Moore stole Authorized's thunder when ploughing a lone furrow aboard Notnowcato to claim the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. Last year's leading rider swung wide off the bend on Sir Michael Stoute's inmate and charged alone up the
Striker Mark Viduka hopes he can form a formidable strike partnership with England international Michael Owen and help fire Newcastle to success this season. The 31-year-old joined the Magpies last month from Middlesbrough on a two-year deal, becoming
A DECISION today by drugs watchdog Nice to back a new lung cancer drug has vindicated North-East officials. In December 2005, the North- East Cancer Drug Approvals Group recommended consultants in the region should be able to prescribe the cancer drug
YOUNG performers will take to the stage after two separate weeks of intensive coaching in the performing arts. They will be directed by John Hudson and his team at All Saints Church Hall, Cleadon Village, between South Shields and Sunderland, from Monday
THE annual John Noddings memorial football match will take place at Tow Law FC ground on Friday. The match will be held between Tow Law Town AFC and Weardale 11, with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation. John Noddings from Ireshopeburn
A DRIVER fled the scene of a crash on one of Darlington's main roads yesterday. A private car and a Royal Mail van collided at the North Road junction with Thompson Street at 2.15pm. Police said yesterday that a driver had left the scene, but had been
EXTRA parking, more facilities for youngsters and a new football pitch are improvements identified by people living in Willington. A meeting was held with residents last week to come up with ideas to be included in a draft development plan for the area
TEESDALE Village Halls Consortium has celebrated another successful year. Its annual meeting, held at Cotherstone Village Hall, was well attended, with more than 40 people representing 27 member halls and other organisations. They heard how the consortium
A GROUND-BREAKING theatre workshop for people with learning disabilities is to be set up in Darlington. Two local learning disabilities workers have applied for planning permission to run a performing arts class at a unit at Lingfield Way. The organisers
A GIRLS' hockey team is kitted out for a trip to Barbados, following a £2,000 donation by an estate agent. The Durham School under-14s girls hockey team has bought a set of shirts, tracksuits and hockey bags for its tour of the Caribbean island, with
SEVEN schoolgirls at Durham Chorister School are celebrating after being selected for the under-13 Durham Youth Hockey Academy. After an outstanding success in the Durham County round of the under-11 National Mini Hockey Championships, Lyndsay Connor
A DEVELOPER'S plan to build 56 homes in a former pit village have run into major opposition from residents. Durham City Council's planning department has received about 70 objections to an application for the building work at West Rainton by the Durham
A STALLholder of more than 15 years claims the recent relocation of Darlington's Saturday market is "ruining" his business. Trader Peter Kellett said takings at his cakes and sweets stall have dropped by 95 per cent since he was moved from the Market
ONE of Britain's top stunt teams, the Royal Signals' White Helmets, will be in action later this month. The motorcycle display team will be one of the highlights during the Army's open day at Imphal Barracks, in York, on Saturday. Other attractions will
PREPARATIONS are under way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first steam train in a seaside town. The celebrations in Saltburn will take place in 2011, but an exhibition will be held in Saltburn Community Hall on Sunday to remind
YOUNG people in Hartlepool have come together to set up an initiative that aims to shape services they receive. Hartlepool Young Voices has just had the first phase of its participation strategy endorsed by Hartlepool Borough Council's cabinet. The strategy
ADULT learners can draw inspiration from the landscapes of a country hotel at two painting courses next month. Stockton Borough Council's Adult Education Service is running watercolour and silk painting days at Judges Hotel, in Yarm. People can take their
ROAD REPAIRS RE your story about Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's suspension of a £1.3m roads repair programme (Echo, July 5). I concur with the comments of the Lingdale residents and their desire/need for roads and paths to be upgraded to what
LANGBAURGH Theatre Organ Society will present a Wurlitzer concert on Sunday featuring organist Howard Beaumont. The concert will be held in the James Finegan Hall, Fabian Road, Eston, at 2.30pm Admission is £3 and £2 for concessions
HUNDREDS of Darlington students have taken part in a run as part of a project to encourage health and fitness.Children of all ages from Haughton Education Village joined a 2km run around the school fields in support of the Tesco Great School Run. A total
Jamie Murray admits he had to pinch himself after becoming the first Briton to win a Wimbledon title for 20 years.The 21-year-old Scot made up for the absence of younger brother Andy by combining with Serbia's Jelena Jankovic to win the mixed doubles
Surrey v Durham (County Championship) DURHAM were again unable to find a remedy for their annual Twenty20 hangover yesterday as they reached the crazy score of 151 for eight at lunch on the first day against Surrey at The Oval.Phil Mustard's 70 took
JUNIOR guitar heroes from Darlington's School of Rock and Pop are tuning up for their first outdoor festival this weekend.The young rock stars are to take to the stage at Hurworth Grange from 2pm until 7pm on Saturday.The school holds holiday music classes
A DARLINGTON homelessness charity has made an appeal for more volunteers.The 700 Club, based at Grange Road Baptist Church, held an open day last week to raise awareness of its services for homeless people.The charity runs two hostels, Hope House and
TWO trainee sailors from County Durham have been given a masterclass in the basics of service life from an instructor whose roots are anchored in the same county. Stephen Wilson, 21, from Stanley and Scott Foster, 17, from Chester-le-Street, both joined
Lancashire v Yorkshire (County Championship) : Day one, no play The first day of the 244th Roses Championship match fell foul of the weather at Old Trafford yesterday when a soaking square and afternoon rain combined to prevent any play.Both sides were
FOUR youngsters will become mini-firefighters tomorrow after one of them won a competition run by toy manufacturer Lego. Leo Filby, six, will visit Stranton Fire Station, in Hartlepool, with his brother, Max, five, and his two friends, Adam Wyn and James
MORE than 200 primary school children will come together today to demonstrate their foreign language skills. From September 2009, children as young as seven will be entitled to be taught a modern, foreign language in lessons. However, many schools in
YOUNG people and residents rolled up their sleeves at the weekend to help make their neighbourhood a better place to live. Volunteers in the Berwick Hills area of Middlesbrough answered the call from the Stronger Together in East Middlesbrough (Stem)
RESIDENTS hope to present their own small-scale DIY solutions to homes planned for demolition. The suggestion has been prompted after Middlesbrough Council was forced to shelve plans to flatten 1,500 town centre terraced homes because of a lack of money
FEETHAMS MIKE Dalton (HAS, Page 11, July 5) asserts that Darlington was wrong to reject Tesco's plans for our town centre, claiming Darlington Borough Council was bullied into its decision. Mr Dalton is wrong on so many counts. Take a trip to Newton Aycliffe
BRITAIN'S David Millar woke in a dark and angry mood'' yesterday morning - but finished the day celebrating a podium finish after landing the polka dot jersey in the first stage of the Tour de France. Millar set the pace for threequarters of the
VENUS Williams insisted she always believed Wimbledon title number four and a place in the All England Club Hall of Fame was on the agenda this year. The American crushed Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-1 to join Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Billie
ROGER Federer's quest to be known as the greatest ever' gathered serious pace at the All England Club yesterday. The Swiss ace left those inside Centre Court marvelling at his brilliance after equalling Bjorn Borg's record of five successive Wimbledon
THE sense of anti-climax around Silverstone was not consigned to Lewis Hamilton's third place at the British Grand Prix as the rest of the home contingent were left disappointed. Jenson Button was finished the highest of the trio in tenth, with
LEWIS Hamilton has vowed to raise his game in a bid to clinch the Formula One world title after seeing Kimi Raikkonen wreck his dream of a British Grand Prix victory. Ferrari star Raikkonen drove a flawless race to clinch back-toback wins for
A TODDLER who has had heart surgery five times and two stomach operations had her first outing at the weekend. Hannah MacDonald, who is 20 months, was all smiles as she attended a fundraising event in aid of the Children's Heart Unit Fund at the
THE administrators of collapsed grocery chain Kwik Save have announced that 20 stores across the region have closed. Hundreds of jobs will be lost after new owners agreed to take over only ten of the firm's supermarkets in the North-East and North
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered what could be the henge of the North-East. Thousands of years before Durham Cathedral took shape, settlers could have worshipped on a nearby hill because experts from Tyne and Wear Museums have found evidence of
My Brilliant Brain (Five, 9pm), Empire's Children (C4, 9pm), Indian Food Made Easy (BBC2, 8.30pm) THERE is something mesmerising about watching Marc Yu play piano - his body hunched over the keyboard, fingers nimbly skimming over the keys and, of
WORLDWIDE experts in future manufacturing techniques will today launch a conference. The International Conference on Agile Manufacturing, from today until Wednesday, will draw delegates from around the globe to Durham University to collaborate
THE North-East's subsea industry has been urged to take immediate action to ensure the continued growth of the sector and maintain its leading position in the global marketplace. Malcolm Webb, the chief executive of Oil and Gas UK, stressed the
A BUSINESS specialising in gluten-free products has secured a major contract with a leading supermarket that will help treble turnover this year. The Gluten Free Kitchen, which set up in North Yorkshire two years ago, will have its pastry on the
He may have just turned 23, but the entertainer known as Kennedy could be the next big thing in magic. He shows his fascinating skills to Women's Editor Sarah Foster IT is a question that I've purposely left till last: "Would you be able to read my
I SEE that the Spice Girls' reunion/world tour is expected to gross £50m - £10m each - (Echo, June 29), but they are really, really not in it for the money. Why, then, can they not reduce ticket prices, or do it for free, and then really, really say
I FOUND Christopher Wardell's letter about a HAS contributors' football team (HAS, June 30) humorous, but he knows my football talents quite well and I was miffed not to be in his team. I can only put it down to inexperience and lack of judgement
I'M sorry that Steve Colborn seems so bitter about the haves and have nots (HAS, July 3) although I don't think he informed us of anything we didn't know in his reply to my letter (HAS, June 28). Societies suffer from this globally whether capitalist
WHEN there is a disaster the British public are the first to dig deep into their pockets. Celebrities will, without hesitation, appear on television and in newspapers asking for the public's help. Likewise, the world's music elite will, without
WELL, what another damp squib was the constitutional shake-up announced by our unelected Prime Minister (Echo, July 4). Where's the radical change so trumpeted? If he is serious in his intentions to restore trust in politics and politicians, then
WE need to have a basic rethink about the way we treat animals. There are two main areas of concern in this country: meat production and medical research. Both are necessary, but just how necessary? Firstly, we eat far more meat than is good for
LONG after the "Large Letter" postal rate was introduced and in spite of repeated complaints, major distributors are still selling greetings cards that are slightly too large to pass as ordinary letters, without any warning that a higher charge
THE news of the BBC correspondent Alan Johnston's release from his militant captors was great. During his incarceration we saw tensions escalate in Palestine, forcing many to question whether freedom would be a forlorn hope. His release is not
IT is unfortunate that in claiming "Durham County Council lacks trust" (HAS, June 21) your correspondent Tony Cowan should base such a sweeping statement on a lack of knowledge or understanding of the extent of the council's responsibilities.
FROM the days of William Thomas Stead, the editor who famously died on the Titanic, there have been many proud moments in the illustrious history of The Northern Echo. But exposing and resolving the Great Baked Potato Scandal of Darlington may go
IT is worrying that three of the North- East's cities are languishing at the bottom of a national survey measuring economic growth. Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough are in the bottom five of the list, which has been produced through the Institute
With Heinrich Himmler as a great uncle, Katrin Himmler felt her past was a dark secret to be kept - then when her father made inquires into finding out the truth she found she couldn't let it go. She talks to Women's Editor Sarah Foster about her all-consuming
A PRODIGIOUS ten-year-old is looking to take a diploma in jazz saxophone after passing his grade eight with a merit. The diploma that Alexander Bone wants to take next year is the equivalent level to the exams taken at the end of the firstyear
AN MP has warned that the warin Iraq has meant the British Government has taken its eye off the ball in Afghanistan. Speaking on her return from a four-day tour of Kabul, Durham City MP Roberta Blackman- Woods warned it could take decades to rebuild
A MARKET trader who has worked on the same fruit and vegetable stall for 65 years is selling the family business. Walter Cox, 79, has braved all weathers to work at Stockton's twice-weekly High Street market since he was 14, and has never had
REPAIRS to a section of damaged fence next to a railway line have not been carried out - three months after it was first reported. Now local people are concerned that with the impending school holidays, action is needed to prevent a tragedy. The
LABOUR'S candidate in the Sedgefield by-election launched his campaign in earnest at the weekend. Phil Wilson met voters during a walkabout in Newton Aycliffe town centre on Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the day, he attended a coffee morning
FOUR years after a second lifegiving liver transplant, Laura Fairlamb has just qualified as a physiotherapist. But the enthusiastic 25-yearold, who says she was born to be a physio, fears she will never get a job because of NHS cutbacks. Ms Fairlamb
THE future of a horseracing gallops is under threat because of a dispute over the grazing of sheep on the land. Leading trainer Mark Johnston has confirmed he is about to move his horses off the public gallops at Middleham, near Leyburn, North
A THREE-YEAR-OLD girl kidnapped in Nigeria was last night back with her family after being released by her captors. Margaret Hill, whose father, Mike, an oil worker, is originally from Murton, County Durham, was snatched on Thursday as she was
THE North-East's three key cities and towns have been placed at the foot of the table in a national survey measuring economic growth. Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle are all in the bottom five of the list compiled by a leading government think
