POLICE in Newcastle are appealing for help in finding a 70-year-old woman who has been missing since 9am this morning. Miriam Foster, who lives in the West Road area of Newcastle, was last seen in the Leamington Road area of the city. She suffers from
POLICE are appealing for help in catching two doorstep conmen who tricked their way into the homes of two elderly people today. The men, caliming to be from the "water board", targetted properties in the Witton Gilbert and Bowburn areas of County Durham
A SHROVE Tuesday pancake race has been cancelled for the second successive year after organisers found it would cost hundreds of pounds to make traffic management arrangements. The event, staged in Bedale, North Yorkshire, for the 35 years, fell flat
AN Army battalion which traditionally recruits in the North-East is 100 soldiers short of its full strength, it has emerged. The 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment - formerly the Green Howards - which has a full strength of 600, was reinforced by 300
Solutions ACROSS 1 Chat show. CHATS+HOW (who anag.) 5 Possum. (anag.) 9 Property. (two meanings) 10 Repair. (anag.) 11 Targeted. TAR+G+ET+ED 12 Nestor. (hidden) 14 Lawn tennis. (straight cryptic) 18 Markswoman. MARKS+WOMAN 22
CRYPTIC CLUES ACROSS 1 Birds who model for Parkinson for instance (4,4) 5 Marsupial rips up moss (6) 9 Characteristic of buildings (8) 10 Fix broken rapier (6) 11 Aimed at sailor, girl and French newspaper boss (8) 12 Some inane story from one
Ten years ago, The Northern Echo helped launch a campaign to build a children's hospice in memory of Princess Diana. A decade on, the hospice needs your help. Claire Burbage reports THE Northern Echo and Butterwick Hospice today launch a campaign
A NEW report shows many farms are still having to rely on support payments to keep them afloat. Business advisers say that during 2006-07 the payments averaged £45,000 per farm - 97 per cent of the £46,300 average net profit. The annual farm profit
Publisher: SEGA Formats: Nintendo Wii Price: £39.99 Family friendly? Yes TWENTY years ago, when the SNES vs Mega-Drive war was at its height, gamers would have laughed in your face at the
We have a look at the latest, useful little gadgets to make frolicking in the snow even more fun IF you are heading for the slopes this season for skiing, snowboarding, a little sledging or even just looking for the apres ski action, you'll be aware
NO trip to the beach is complete without spending some time hunting for seashell treasures. From being used as currency and jewellery, to tools and communication devices, seashells have captured humankind's imagination since time began. Biologist
IT'S difficult to know what say about this curiosity of a book. It's just weird, quirky if you're in a generous mood. Apart from the weird and wonderful contents and the strange title, one of the attractions of this book must be its binding. Following
THIS powerful and shocking novel explores the logical conclusion to the current obsession with cosmetic surgery. Sara has always been different and difficult, with a tendency to selfharm and a longing for celebrity. When she's in hospital being
NICK Hornby certainly isn't the first author to tackle the subject of teenage pregnancy from the male point of view, but few could match his ability to portray the thought processes of a naive 15-yearold who, like his girlfriend, thinks of sex
THINGS are beginning to go bump in the night at a medieval ruin near the Hereford- Wales border and "deliverance consultant" Merrily Watkins (exorcism is no longer PC) is ordered to investigate. Links to the Order of the Knights Templars and the
REFORMED art thief Tom Kirk finds himself in the frame for murder and robbery when he tangles with a former criminal colleague in the shape of the murderous Mr Lo. All is not well in the fine art world with forgery rampant, the crucifixion of a
THEY don't come much tougher or smarter than British special agent and ex-IRA enforcer Sean Dillon, especially when he's up against Iraq's most feared terrorist Hussein Rashid, aka the Hammer of God. Aided by Billy Salter, a reformed London gangster
MUCH more serious now. Born in Somalia but brought up from the age of five in London, Rageh Omaar has established himself as one of Britain's most respected TV journalists. A Westernised Muslim true to his faith he here presents what he calls
TIME truly is flying by. Yesterday to some of us, is ancient history to others. The press release for this absorbing look at everyday life asks: "Did you know the Brits' reputation for queuing only developed after the Second World War (helped
THREE Greek doctors convicted and later acquitted of the manslaughter by neglect of Chester-le-Street man Christopher Rochester almost eight years ago will face a fresh trial next month. Sergios Pavlidis, George Karavolias and Michael Sokorelos, all
A DRIVER had a lucky escape when a brick smashed through the windscreen of his car on the A1. The man was taken to hospital with an arm injury following the incident at the Barton interchange, near Scotch Corner, North Yorkshire, shortly after noon yesterday
A MAN found dead in a field near York had recently been arrested in connection with an investigation into indecent assaults on children. The badly burnt body of Harvey Graham Trigg, 61, was found in a field at Selby at 1.10pm on Saturday. The body of
A MAN was punched repeatedly in the face after an argument in a supermarket car park, a court heard yesterday. The victim - who was in the supermarket when he was attacked - suffered a broken nose and swollen face. The attacker, Dean Bailey, 29,
FIVE men appeared at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday charged with affray after an alleged incident outside a kebab shop. Mustafa Bozdogan, 40, of Northgate, and Ozcan Tilki, 36, of Kirkstall Crescent, speaking through interpreters, entered
A FOOTBALL club is putting on coaching courses as an incentive for schoolchildren to do their homework. Darlington FC is one of 22 clubs in the country taking part in the Football and Schools Together (Fast) Forward. Coaches from the club's football
A TEENAGER faces prison after punching someone in a Darlington nightclub three times in a case of "mistaken identity". The victim needed a metal plate inserted in his jaw, which was fractured, and spent six weeks on a soft food diet after the
A VICAR has spoken of his disgust after vandals destroyed a memorial bench in a Darlington churchyard. It is the second time in two years that the bench, at St Andrews Church, in Haughton, has been targeted by vandals. In 2006, the bench, which
AN artist explored his dark side for inspiration for his latest exhibition. Gavin Mayhew admits some images on display in Calm Down Its Only An Art Exhibition, at the Greenfield Gallery, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, may be seen as shocking
ALLOTMENT holders will discover today whether 55 homes will be built on garden plots that have stood for more than 100 years. Wimpey is applying for planning permission to build the homes on 1.7 hectares of allotment land off Station Road, in
GRANT funding will pay for land to be fenced off in a Teesdale village to stop an annual invasion by travellers. Residents of Winston had complained about caravans parking on grass near the village sports field on their way to and from the annual
HUNDREDS of Wear Valley children are dancing their way to fitness through a project launched by the new charitable trust running a former council leisure centre. Schools are hiring electronic dance mats from the Spectrum Leisure and Management
DRINKERS who flout the smoking ban in pubs could be barred from a network of licensed premises for up to a year. The warning comes from Trimdon and Fishburn Pubwatch and applies to all pubs in Fishburn and the Trimdons. Gordon Wright, landlord
A KIND-HEARTED youngster who was touched by the plight of poverty-stricken children in India has overcome his health problems to complete a sponsored bike ride for charity. Twelve-year-old Robert Mooney, who suffered from meningitis as a baby,
ARMY recruits will be "at ease" when they support a national day aimed at beating stress. Troops at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC), Catterick Garrison, are supporting the Samaritans' Stress Down Day on February 1. A relaxing lunch time session
FLOOD defences across North Yorkshire may be improved after the Environment Agency was promised a £520,000 budget boost. Yorkshire Forward will give the agency the money in a matched-funding agreement with local councils. The regional agency pledged
ANGRY traders have forced district councillors to call another meeting with them over the controversial issue of introducing parking charges. Hambleton District Council plans to introduce the charges in the summer of next year to counter a predicted
NORTH Yorkshire Police have recorded a significant fall in crime in its area. The force saw crimes fall by 7.5 per cent during the period from April to October last year, compared to the same period in 2006. The figure beats North Yorkshire Police's
A COMMUNITY will get a new village hall after receiving a grant for more than £330,000. Worsall Village Hall, in Worsall, near Yarm, was built from timber after the closure of the village school, where community activities were previously held.
COINS thrown into a shopping centre's wishing pool are helping a charity appeal. Mayor of Durham Councillor Bob Wynn has been presented with a cheque for £206.48 - made up of coins thrown into the pool outside Santa's grotto, in the Prince Bishops
A FORENSIC coding system is being introduced to help prevent thefts from empty properties. Housing management company East Durham Homes (EDH) has joined forces with the police to introduce the security marking scheme following a spate of thefts
A BUS company is giving passengers the chance to have online discussions with its managers about the services it runs. Go North-East, which operates routes throughout County Durham, will hold the first session on Thursday, January 31 at noon.
A CONSULTATION on plans to build houses, offices and a restaurant next to the River Wear has been criticised by campaigners. Banks Developments and Esh Group want to develop Durham City's Elvet Waterside area and will today hold a meeting to discuss
AN inexperienced biker died after losing control of a powerful motorcycle, an inquest heard yesterday. Brian Burlinson, 25, of Chapel Drive, Delves Lane, Consett, did not have a bike licence or insurance for his Kawasaki, but the engineer took
A NAVAL recruit has won an award for keeping his and his classmates' initial training ship-shape. Anthony Lundrigan was selected as a class leader during his nine-week training course with the Royal Navy, and his duties included taking charge
A MAYOR is asking people to remember the Holocaust, and to learn lessons from it. Holocaust Memorial Day will be remembered in Middlesbrough on Sunday, when the Reverend Meg Robb will conduct a service at the United Reformed Church, in the town's
A MAN had an ear bitten almost off in an unprovoked street attack. The 48-year-old victim was taken to The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, for treatment of his ear and injuries to his face and hand. The man and a woman had been
A JUDGE locked up a weaponwielding robber indefinitely yesterday, after ruling he was a serious risk to shopworkers and people on the streets. One-time football starlet Norman Dickson was told he will be released only when parole board officials
A DRIVE to recruit hundreds of people for an organisation which will become one of a North-East town's biggest employers is under way. The Student Loans Company (SLC) is to take on 500 employees when it moves to premises in Darlington. The office
OIL, gas and related energy sector industries should experience significant and prolonged levels of activity in the future, according to business development organisation NOF Energy. The firm's chief executive, George Rafferty, said activity levels
HOPES that a collapsed tyre manufacturing plant could be revived in the North-East - and dozens of lost jobs salvaged - have been dashed. The equipment and brand names owned by County Durham-based C-Tyres have been sold to a rival tyre retread
A TELEVISION technology company in the region has received an £850,000 cash injection. Quick TV Limited, which is developing an interactive television platform, secured the funding through North-East venture capital firm NorthStar Equity Investors
CONSTRUCTION company the Esh Group has added another company to its stable as part of plans to expand southwards. The Durham-based group bought David Wilkinson Building Contractors for an undisclosed sum and announced plans to quadruple Wilkinson's
A STEEL fabrications company that has trebled in size since 2000 has a new owner. David Cunningham has become a majority shareholder and now owns 84 per cent of the Allerton Group, based in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. He intends to continue
COOKERY classes are to be back on the menu in England's schools. Every child, 11-14, is to have an hour's cookery teaching a week. Common sense at last. Only for one term at the moment. But it's a start, a taster, an appetiser that might at least
NEWLY assigned to National Express, the 6.30am train from Darlington to London conked out last Saturday without ever leaving the station. Another of these columns has told the serendipitous story of what happened next. In short, however, a long
IN your article "Lesbian soldier may get £400,000 payout" (Echo, Jan 18) you reported that Kerry Fletcher's legal team say that she should receive £381,000 compensation after winning her case against the Ministry of Defence at an employment tribunal
THE present political system is clearly not fit for purpose today, but the necessary changes will not be brought about by the political parties who enjoy the benefits it gives them now. The many comments on the internet reflect the genuine concern
STEVE Colborn mentioned the "real democracy" Karl Marx spoke of (HAS Jan 16). I wonder if this would follow the class conflict and violent revolution Marx claimed was the only means by which socialism could be achieved? Marx and Friedrich Engels
WHILE Parliament is debating the proposed EU Treaty it is worth reminding ourselves of the seeds that led to the current position. Winston Churchill's practical mind led to appointment of practical people to lead the forces during the Second World
ROLAND Bramham's letter about education (HAS, Jan 18) is yet another example of "rose-tinted spectacles" pervading so much of today's society. Through the divisive grammar school system, of which he seems so proud, many young people saw their
A GOLDEN rule of my wife's is that people sit down promptly for any meal she has prepared. "If I've spent time cooking it, the least anyone can do is to come for it straight away,'' she says. It's a rule I'm happy to adhere to pretty rigidly. But
CONFIDENCE is a curious commodity. It is true that a football team plays better if its various members are confident. It is true that a cricketer under a steepling catch would be more likely to cling onto it if he was positive about his chances
A VAN driver suffered serious head injuries after he was trapped in his van following a collision on the A19. The incident involved the man's white van and a 16 tonne lorry near Thirsk, North Yorkshire this morning. The injured man was cut free by firefighters
ONE of two teachers at the centre of a police investigation into alleged misuse of school computers has been found dead at his home.The body of Michael Hall, 34, a teacher at High Tunstall College of Science, in Hartlepool, was discovered in the bathroom
After ten years of soaring growth, house prices are now taking a dive. Is it a crash or merely a dip? Sharon Griffiths investigates and finds out that, far from a disaster, it could be good news for some of us. THE stickers in the estate agents' windows
GRAHAM LEE'S booking for Hall Of Fame (1.30) should ensure the four-year-old gets maximum assistance from the saddle in Musselburgh's Juvenile Hurdle. The former Grand National winning rider is currently second, albeit a long way behind Tony McCoy
LIVERPOOL'S future appears to be reaching crisis point as their beleaguered American owners run out of time in their desperate fight to retain control of Anfield. The bitter reaction of the Kop during the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa could have a
Tottenham Hotspur 5 Arsenal 1 (Spurs win 6-2 on aggregate) ARSENAL players lost their cool at White Hart Lane last night as Tottenham manager Juande Ramos hailed a perfect'' performance after a resounding 5-1 victory secured a trip to Wembley in
IN-FORM Darlington remain on course for a long-awaited promotion, but manager Dave Penney also wants to look to the future by paying attention to Quakers' youth set-up. Since last summer Darlington's boss has made a raft of signings, which have
Hartlepool Utd 4 Southend Utd 3 TWO pieces of individual brilliance from James Brown last night dragged Hartlepool United out of the doldrums. Following a first-half which bordered on the tedious, Pools, and Brown, showed in the second half last
A MAN was today rescued by fire fighters after being found unconscious in his smoke filled third floor flat. He was found slumped on the floor behind his living room door. Crews revived the 49-year-old with oxygen, but he declined to go to hospital
SOHAM murderer Ian Huntley has been moved to a North-East prison, it was reported today. The 33-year-old - who killed ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman - has been transferred to Frankland Prison, Durham City, according to The Sun. Huntley
YOUNG people are binge-drinking at an increasingly early age, with serious consequences for health and crime, according to new research. A poll of youngsters involved in a national youth programme found 42 per cent started drinking before they were 13
THE Prince of Wales was given a handmade gift to indulge his passion for gardening during his visit to the region yesterday.Prince Charles visited several farms in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, as part of his Business in the Community programme.While at Grange
INSULATING every home in the region to tackle rising heating bills and climate change will cost £300m, it was revealed yesterday.North-East councils told MPs that 500,000 homes required loft insulation and 450,000 needed cavity wall insulation.However
A JUDGE has called on police to investigate a growing trend of younger people being involved in killings after he warned three defendants they faced life sentences for drunkenly beating a disabled man to death.Judge John Milford's comments came as a 17
THE parents of a three-year-old girl have paid tribute to the skills of North-East doctors after a procedure which helped to save her life and made medical history.Richard and Gillian Hall, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, said they could not find the words
A RESTAURANT owner whose business was the first North-East pub to be featured in the Good Food Guide has died.Audrey Pagendam and her late husband, George, bought the Black Bull, in Moulton, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 1963.They turned the one-room
STUNNING Anglo-Saxon jewellery discovered on a North-East farm will not be lost to the British Museum, in London, it was pledged yesterday.The Government quashed fears of a battle to display the Loftus Saxon treasures to parallel the bitter row over the
A COMMUNITY will get a new village hall, thanks to a grant of more than £330,000. Worsall Village Hall, in Worsall, near Yarm, was built from timber after the closure of the village school, where community activities had previously been held. But the
Liverpool's future appears to be reaching crisis point as their beleaguered American owners run out of time in their desperate fight to retain control of Anfield. The bitter reaction of the Kop during the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa could have a telling
SUNDERLAND last night completed the signing of Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley, who admitted the lure of Roy Keane persuaded him to quit Old Trafford.Bardsley passed his medical late yesterday afternoon before putting pen to a 3Â-year deal.The
THE man accused of murdering shopworker Jenny Nicholl confessed to his wife that he loved the 19-year-old, a court heard yesterday.Alison Hodgson said her husband, David, admitted several weeks after the teenager went missing that the pair had been having
BLACKBURN Rovers chairman John Williams has warned Kevin Keegan he has no intention of allowing winger David Bentley to quit Ewood Park.The Newcastle United manager has monitored Bentley's progress from his early days at Arsenal - when Keegan was Manchester
MIDDLESBROUGH have dismissed reports Sheffield United made a cheeky bid for highly rated midfielder Lee Cattermole.Blades boss Bryan Robson is believed to have made a tentative inquiry about Cattermole's availability at the beginning of the season.The
A GRIEVING father yesterday made an emotional appeal for help in tracing the hit-and-run driver who killed his son.Retired police officer John Brady held back tears as he asked witnesses to the crash, which left 23-year-old Paul with fatal injuries, to
DRINKERS who flout the smoking ban by lighting up in a pub could be barred from a whole network of licensed premises for up to a year. The warning comes from Trimdon and Fishburn Pubwatch and applies to all pubs in Fishburn and the Trimdons, in County
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a man died. The accident happened on the A19 at Sunderland at about 10.10pm on Monday night. A collision took place on the southbound carriageway of the A19 between the A1290 and the A1231 near
