HOUSE hunters in the south of the country are heading north to avoid being hit in the pocket by huge stamp duty bills. New home buyers in the North-East and Yorkshire pay around 7,533 less stamp duty than those in the south according to a property price
A 14-year-old boy was slashed with a craft knife during class. His friends watched in horror as blood seeped through and soaked the teenager's white shirt. Teachers raced to help the boy after the classroom clash ended with a craft knife being thrust
A CALLOUS student stole almost £700 from her 103-year-old great grandmother to pay off drug debts for her friends. Bethan Louise Lawson, 18, used the frail woman's bank card to syphon off cash from her weekly pension. Lawson claimed she stole the cash
For the second consecutive home game Darlington recovered from being 2-0 down in the first half to avoid defeat with two goals in the last six minutes. Jason Kennedy had pulled it back to 2-1 with six minutes to play and then Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu snatched
COUNCIL officials sent laid-off staff redundancy letters meant for their colleagues. A blunder saw personal details, including redundancy settlement figures, sent to the wrong people. Around 100 members of staff in the adult social care department of
THE Hollywood Oscars have boosted a village's plan to host a fund raising weekend of French film and music. Even before this year's Oscars villagers in Mickleton, Teesdale, had arranged a concert by the Darlington-based French singer Flossie Malavialle
A CHURCH group hopes its fund raising campaign will burst into life when it hosts a flower festival this summer. Friends of St Edmund's Church, in Sedgefield, hopes to raise £60,000 to replace interior lighting at the medieval church. To boost the
A TEESDALE village will tomorrow celebrate the opening of an impressive new park created after a campaign by residents. Cotherstone Village Park at Cotherstone, near Barnard Castle, was created after four years of work by play@cotherstone, a community
TWO landlord agencies have been awarded nearly £13m to build more than 320 state-of-the-art houses and improve communities across North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley over the next four years. Erimus Housing and Tees Valley Housing were granted the money
After an inspection by Glyn Taylor this morning - the Premier Trophy fixture re-scheduled for 7pm this evening at the South Tees Motorsport Park has again been postponed. No scheduling date available at present. The next fixture for the Bears will be
16-year-old Redcar Cub Greg Blair is already up and about on crutches having had a rod inserted in his upper leg to repair his broken femur following a crash at Glasgow Speedway on Sunday March 16th. It was originally believed that Wee Greg would miss
With the Redcar 'TLS/Simpson Racing UK' Cubs management having suffered the double blow of a broken femur for rising starlet Greg Blair and the retirement of David Wallinger - moves are afoot to reshuffle the squad and seek a new signing before the first
A HELICOPTER surprised shoppers at the weekend when it pulled into a supermarket car park. The former Royal Navy antisubmarine Wasp helicopter was parked at Asda, in Whinbush Way, Darlington, to give children a taste of life as a helicopter pilot
A GROUP of more than 100 young string players from Darlington and County Durham will be playing their brand of music tomorrow. Supersonic Strings will be at Durham's Elvet Methodist Church, at 7.15pm, to perform a mix of classical favourites and
MARKET traders in Darlington have been told they will not have a rent freeze, despite being forced to move their stalls. About 20 stalls will be moving to Blackwellgate, from West Row, to free up the space in front of the Pedestrian Heart water
A PRIMARY school girl won gold for Darlington after dashing to victory in a cross-country event. Eleven-year-old Lauren Marsh beat off competition from schools across the Tees Valley at the cross-country event, held at Longfield School on Thursday
VILLAGERS have vowed to protect a threatened conservation area. Proposed luxury homes in the closely-linked villages of Middleton St George and Middleton One Row would encroach on a conservation area, spanning the area between the River Tees and
PUPILS have banked takings of £2,619 in a business venture at a village comprehensive school - and are preparing to face judges like those on Dragons' Den. The youngsters' company, Zest Productions, is kept busy copying, embossing and printing
PEOPLE living in parts of County Durham will soon be able to recycle more of their household waste. From next month, people living in Sedgefield, along with the City of Durham, the District of Easington and Chester-le-Street, will be able to recycle
ONE of south Durham's smallest villages is being given funding to replace its 70-year-old community centre with a new building. Many of the 370 people living in Escomb take part in events at its small hall, which is in daily use despite its age
A BEAMISH-BORN artist is exhibiting oil paintings that were derived from sketches made while working in the coal mining industry. Tom Lamb, better known for his landscape paintings, has opened his exhibition, called My Mining Days, at the McGuinness
A PUBLIC seat to mark the life of a "football mad" Wear Valley teenager will be paid for by a memorial event of football and raffles. Friends of 19-year-old Wayne Clark, from Crook, who was found dead at his family home on November 12, are pulling
RESIDENTS are raising a glass to the future of their village pub, after a local family pledged to restore it to its former glory. Andy and Jane Ratcliffe, of Whashton, near Richmond, were so saddened by the decline of local pub the Hack and Spade
TRADERS have warned their community will face severe decline if a historic livestock market is moved out of town. Members of Malton and Norton Business in Action have spoken out in support of keeping the market in Malton, after the site was earmarked
NURSERY children had a cracking time with a fun-filled day of Easter games and treats. Toddlers from Darlington College childcare centre at Catterick put the finishing touches to their decorated Easter eggs before hurling them down a hill in the
RESIDENTS who responded to a survey have said Bedale is a safe place to live. Police, council and business leaders spent a day patrolling the town last month to meet objectives under the Respect Bedale agenda, designed to rid the area of anti-social
MEMBERS of a town's pubwatch scheme are showing their solidarity in tackling violence and drunkenness by wearing new tops that make their message clear. The T-shirts, funded by the Derwentside Safety Partnership, bear the slogans "We serve drinks
CHILDREN have given their village a boost through their excellent performances in the classroom. Pupils at Ludworth Primary School, near Durham City, have helped it win and outstanding rating - the highest level - from Government inspectors with
DECLINING footfall and rising rents have forced a family-owned art shop out of Durham City's North Road after ten years. The Bratton family closed its City Art store, one of the few independent shops left in the area, on Saturday. Liz Bratton
CHILDREN have being enjoying a weekend of Easter fun at a medieval manor house. Owners Maggie and Keith Bell have been greeting visitors to Crook Hall and its five acres of themed gardens, in Durham City. Mrs Bell said: "Considering the
PEOPLE living in some parts of County Durham will soon be able to recycle more of their household waste. From next month, people living in Chester-le-Street, Durham City, Easington District and Sedgefield will be able to recycle plastics and cardboard
TRANSPORT chiefs are hoping to extend their responsibility for enforcing parking regulations in Durham City. If the Transport Secretary agrees, it will mean that in addition to enforcing their pay-anddisplay parking system throughout the city
PUPILS at a school enjoyed a day of African culture when 12 Lions of Zululand paid them a visit. The enthusiastic singers and dancers spent time at Teesside High School, demonstrating the culture and traditions of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
BRIAN TRENHOLM has been pulling out all the stops to celebrate Easter, with the return of a much-missed church organ following an overhaul. Services have not been the same at St Mary Magdalene Parish Church, in Yarm, with the 100-year-old pipe
PEOPLE are being asked to back plans developed to keep rogue landlords out of the community. The goal is to force landlords in problem areas of Hartlepool to apply for a licence before renting out property. The council's cabinet, led by Mayor
MOTORCYCLISTS are urged to give themselves and their machines a check-up before venturing out on the roads after a winter break. There are concerns that, after having their bikes laid up over the winter, riders may have been become a little rusty
FINDING winners at the start of the Flat turf season is notoriously difficult and it usually pays to focus on horses who have been in decent nick on the all-weather or over jumps. At least these particular contenders arrive fully fit and ready
ENGLAND seamer Ryan Sidebottom took inspiration from a lunchtime inquest into the team's dismal performance to spark a dramatic turnaround in fortunes just as the deciding Test appeared to be slipping away. The Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer
DARLINGTON Mowden Parkfs hopes that Alex Tait might be available to help them achieve promotion to National Two have been dashed by his injury. Before being required for Newcastle Falcons first team duty during the Six Nations Championship, Tait
A SEASON which began disastrously for Darlington is building to an exciting climax in which they hope to avoid a second successive relegation and win the Durham Cup. Coach Kevin Robinson, who has overseen the team's improvement, felt Saturday's
MORPETH Harrier Nick Swinburn continued his winning sequence with a hard-fought victory in yesterday's North Tyneside 10K. The 19-year-old Bangor University undergraduate, who helped the North-East win the UK Inter Counties team championship
SCOTLAND'S Alastair Forsyth came from five behind to beat South African Hennie Otto at the first hole of a play-off for the Madeira Islands Open. The 32-year-old from Glasgow, who did not make a single halfway cut in his first five starts of the
HARTLEPOOL'S Graeme Storm was forced to wait until today to resume his final round after surguing into contention in the CA Championship. Threatening weather caused play to be halted early in the final round with the leaders through just three
SIR Bobby Robson is urging new England manager Fabio Capello to drop Ashley Cole as punishment for his unacceptable behaviour on the pitch for Chelsea against Tottenham. Coles tackle on Spurs defender Alan Hutton in the 4-4 draw at White Hart
A BACK injury has forced goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to withdraw from Fabio Capello's England squad to face France this week. West Ham's Robert Green is added to the party set to travel to Paris for Wednesday's friendly. Wigan goalkeeper Kirkland
A SCIENTIST has warned that DNA technology pioneered by detectives in the region could lead to miscarriages of justice. The warning has been made by Professor Allan Jamieson, a former head of forensic science for a police force in Scotland. DNAboost
A NORTH-EAST entrepreneur is fundraising to build a £1m school for bullied children in memory of murdered toddler James Bulger. After hearing of an appeal for money to build a sanctuary for youngsters in memory of James, who would have turned 18
A SUB-POSTMISTRESS has publicly retracted her criticisms of a Labour MP over the issue of post office closures. Cheryl Clark of the Simpasture branch in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, accused MP Phil Wilson of "running with the foxes and playing
Wearside League LEADERS New Marske are on course for a double after reaching the final of the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup with a narrow victory at Ryhope CW. The semi-final was heading for extra time but with just five minutes remaining Shaun Mackin
BISHOP Auckland manager Brian Honour reckons that his side needs at least three wins from their remaining five games to be sure of safety, starting with this morning's derby against Spennymoor. After losing 1-0 at home to Dunston, Bishops are
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY A real difference of opinion appeared last week: "Ashley Cole was given a yellow card for a late tackle on Alan Hutton" - Chelsea official website. "Ashley Cole was yellow carded just before half-time for a high challenge
MIKE Ashley could be prepared to sell Newcastle United for the right price, after astonishing claims that he has gambled away £129m of his fortune. The billionaire sportswear tycoon only bought the club last May but has suffered amazing losses
WITH fresh talk resurfacing surrounding Michael Owen's future, Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan last night urged his bosses to act now and agree a new contract with the England striker. Owen joined up with Fabio Capello's squad last night
ROY Keane has labelled Nyron Nosworthy a warrior' after the centre-back played through the pain barrier to keep Aston Villa's attacking threat to a minimum at Villa Park on Saturday. Nosworthy appeared certain to be taken off after suffering an
DARLINGTON aim to get back to winning ways when they host Morecambe today and striker Tommy Wright is keen to point out that automatic promotion remains a realistic ambition. He saw strike-partner Pawel Abbott limp from the field at Chester City
RICHARD Barker is in line for quick return to action this afternoon. The leading scorer, with 16 goals this season, suffered medial knee ligament damage in the win at Oldham on March 2. And while there were fears that he would be out for the
Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 CHELSEA boss Avram Grant reflected on a job well done after seeing his side come from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 at Stamford Bridge and keep alive their hopes of catching Premier League leaders Manchester United. The Gunners
Manchester United 3 Liverpool 0 RAFAEL Benitez defended Javier Mascherano after his runin with referee Steve Bennett left Liverpool with 10 men and proved decisive in their 3-0 defeat to Manchester United. The Liverpool boss had seen the influential
EMANUEL Pogatetz expects David Wheater to reaffirm his status as one of the most promising young defenders in the Premier League by overcoming his disappointment at being excluded from Fabio Capello's 23-man England squad for Wednesday's friendly
I WON'T hear a thing against Sir David Frost after he gave me a lift in his chauffeur-driven Bentley. He concluded our interview by commanding his driver to take me where I wanted to go. So it would be bad manners for me to go on about the rather
A lack of clean water and sanitation means that many people in Burkina Faso face a daily struggle to survive. Lauren Pyrah travels with the charity WaterAid to Africa, to find out what life is like in the rural areas of world's second poorest country
A BIBLICAL research group based in the region is inviting people passionate about Christian history to join members on an archaeological dig in Israel. The National Bible College, based in Low Etherley near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, hopes
THREE generations of a family will take part in a fundraising walk for charity in memory of much-loved grandmother. Penelope Russell was 58 when she died of cancer, eight years ago. Dedicated Marie Curie nurses cared for her. Now her family are
I WAS appalled to read (Echo, Mar 13) that our MP, Phil Wilson, had revealed plans for the long-awaited Newton Aycliffe town centre redevelopment during a Parliamentary debate in the Commons. Surely we long-suffering residents of the town deserve
LIKE so many people, we are deeply concerned about the action China is taking to crush the culture and religious freedom of the people of Tibet. We are fearful for the safety and wellbeing of these people who are trying to stop the eradication
JIM Rishworth makes a rather petty point that I will not achieve what the Vardy family have done (HAS, Mar 18) in reply to my letter (HAS, Mar 14). If he means "money success" then he is correct. Personally, I do not measure achievement in money
STUDENT successes were celebrated when Bishop Auckland College held its annual awards night. Principal Joanna Tait said the awards, held last week, were another highlight in an exciting 12 months for the college. She said: "The college has had an extremely
RE your story, "Authority is named as one of the best" (Echo, Mar 18), about Stockton Borough Council's performance assessment by the Audit Commission. I find it extraordinary that the commission excludes regeneration of town centres, reducing
THE support of businesses - such as Batchelors of Ripon, which has donated a car to North Yorkshire Police for patrol use (Echo, Mat 18) - is valuable to modern policing services and should be supported, but I have a number of comments. The police
THE public's growing perception of sleaze in national and local government requires legislation to restore confidence in the way MPs, directly-elected mayors and councillors are elected and represent constituents. We need a Petition for Recall
PAUL Rivers suggested people of the North-East should celebrate St Cuthbert's Day on March 20 - which he said should become a bank holiday in the region (HAS, Mar 19) - and that only Southerners should acknowledge St George's Day. No thank you.
WHEN it comes to twisting the knife, the national tabloids do it without blinking. And Heather Mills set herself up as the perfect target during her court battle for Paul McCartney's millions. "Lady Liar" screamed the Daily Mirror's front page headline
WE are repeatedly being asked to "save water". A great waster of water is the relatively modern "plunger" device which is part of many wash-hand basins. This is often badly fitted and infrequently maintained, so that water in the basin slowly leaks
CHILDREN'S facilities throughout a town could be transformed as a council plans to update all of its play areas. Spennymoor Town Council has started a three year review of the nine playgrounds it manages. Instead of just repairing or replacing worn
STEVE COPPELL, one of the more thoughtful of football managers, believes there would be a knock-on effect throughout society if football was refereed in the same way as rugby. He is surely right. "To see the way officials are abused by players
Robert Rankin may be one of the most successful fantasy writers in the UK, but he still doesn't know what day it is. Steve Pratt meets him FANTASY writer Robert Rankin said he wasn't expecting my call. Then he discovered he'd forgotten to turn over
MORE than 900 volunteers have been recruited for a challenge to fight the flab in a town. They have signed up to a £500,000 research project, run and monitored by Teesside University for the Food Standards Agency. The university is in Middlesbrough
THE crew of a bomber shot down over wartime Germany will be remembered in a night-time service in a derelict air command tower. Every year, a crowd gathers at the disused airfield at Skiptonon- Swale, North Yorkshire, to remember the sacrifice
WINTRY weather caused travel disruption and the cancellation of events across the region at the start of the Easter break. Snow fell over large parts of the North-East and North Yorkshire, but forecasters said last night the weather would improve
TRADITIONAL seaside gaming arcades could soon be a thing of the past, according to owners who said new legislation was crippling the industry. Arcade managers in the region said that since the 2005 Gambling Act took effect last year, they have
ONCE a hotbed of comedic talent, the North-East is now struggling to produce enough good young comedians to play the region's club circuit. Experts have expressed concern that the proud tradition established by the likes of Bobby Thompson and
A NORTH-EAST girl who made medical history is urging people to make her 21st birthday a fundraising bonanza for transplant charities. Kaylee Davidson, from Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside, made the headlines two decades ago when she become the first
A LEADING North-East scientist has voiced his support for controversial legislation on embryo research. Professor John Burn, the head of Newcastle University's Institute of Human Genetics, which is at the forefront of stem cell research, said that it
A man will appear before Bedlington magistrates, in Northumberland, this morning charged in connection with the death of Shahdad Pouresmaeilieh, 44,at an address in Blyth on Thursday. A woman injured in the same incident is recovering in hospital. Police
THE Archbishop of York baptised 25 people in an outdoor ceremony to mark Easter Day today. In an open air baptismal pool outside the Church of St. Michael le Belfry, next to York Minster, Dr John Sentamu welcomed 25 people into the Christian faith in
