A KNIFEMAN and a man wielding a hammer struck at bookmakers in separate incidents last night. A 5.30pm a man attempted to rob North East Racing, West Road, Newcastle, but fled when the alarm sounded. The man walked into the shop and threatened staff
FOUR people were injured after a caravan and four cars were involved in an accident today. The collision occurred at 4.30pm near to Pinchinthorpe Hall, Guisborough. A spokesman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said one person was taken to hospital by air
A NORTH-EAST leisure centre was evacuated today after a container holding 500 litres of bleach was found to be leaking. Firefighters were called out at 2.20pm to Saltburn Leisure Centre, east Cleveland, to deal with spillage of Sodium Hypochlorite.
Fire crews spent more than five hours battling flames at a disused warehouse in Darlington last night. Police are still waiting for the building to be secured before they carry out investigations, but early indications are that the blaze was started
A BOOKMAKERS in north Durham was robbed shortly after opening today. Two men, thought to be wearing masks, raided the Coral shop on Front Street in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, just after 9am. They demanded takings from the till and safe and the pair
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a burglary in Jarrow in which a man stole cash bags. It happened just after 3.30pm, on Friday, at the Bede Services factory unit, on Bede Industrial Estate. A man made his way into the warehouse area of the
NEARLY one hundred thousand homes and businesses across the region were left without power due to a fault on the National Grid. In North Yorkshire, the police headquarters was evacuated and eight people had to be rescued from a lift in Middlesbrough
POLICE have revealed that eight people were arrested for being drunk and disorderly at an open air music festival attended by 40,000 people. The seventh Evolution festival was held on both banks of the Quayside in Newcastle and Gateshead on Monday.
More than 100,000 customers across the North-East have suffered power cuts today. The outage was caused by two power stations going off-line within minutes - destabilising the National Grid. * More later.
THE 'police precept' that slaps up to £193 on council tax bills will be axed amid fury over its soaring cost, under government plans. The Home Office has drawn up proposals for a new 'community safety levy' that can only be spent on neighbourhood
IMPROVEMENT works at a popular nature reserve are expected to be given the go-ahead. The Lower Ure Conservation Trust, which runs Nosterfield nature reserve, a former quarry near Ripon, estimates that between 5,000 and 10,000 people visit the site annually
AN academic at York University has been awarded one of the world's top honours in science. Mathematician Dr Evgeny Sklyanin has been awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society. A Reader at the university, Dr Sklyanin is also a member of the Mathematical
Deborah Johnson meets one of The Northern Echo's two finalists in the If We Can You Can challenge. ALTHOUGH his MES Footwork business has only been up and running since January, Matt Scott has amassed a significant following. Having sold more than
PROPOSALS have been put forward to build a new 50-bed nursing home together with industrial and office units on the site of a disused factory. But opponents say the scheme "flies in the face" of a campaign against increased traffic and industrialisation
FILM-lovers are being given the chance of an early glimpse behind the scenes of a hotly-anticipated new version of an all-time classic. Castle Howard near Malton was the setting for the lavish 1981 TV production of Eveyln Waugh's Brideshead Revisited
It's Knockout Cup action at the South Tees Motorsport Park this Thursday evening as the Redcar Bears face the Edinburgh Monarchs in the first leg of a second round clash at 7.30pm. The Monarchs are on hot form at the moment having crushed Scunthorpe
A MAJOR exhibition will take place to gauge public opinion on the future of a controversial car park. Yorke Square in Richmond, which was saved by campaigners from an illegal planning application when the council tried to sell it off for housing, will
When my friends first suggested going to see this film I was not sure what to expect. I had not built my hopes up but I also not been on a hate campaign about the film. I went into the cinema with a neutral view. The films story shows Tony Stark (played
A HAIRDRESSER from Bishop Auckland is hoping to be voted the nation's favourite this year. Kendra Hughes, salon manager at Hair Haus, in Cockton Hill Road, is one of five finalists from the North-East in the running for the Head and Shoulders'
THE roots of one of the UK's most successful business tycoons were celebrated when a replica of his first shop opened to the public. John James Fenwick, who went on to create what remains the biggest family owned department store chain in the country
A GOLDEN couple got their happy ending after meeting at the pictures. Eddie and Joan Airey, of Front Street, Kirk Merrington, near Spennymoor, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday. The couple met at the Arcadia Cinema, in Spennymoor
RESIDENTS are being urged to help determine the fate of an underused community hall in a Teesdale village. Cockfield Community Centre is not being used enough by villagers, so the trustees of the building, the parish council, have arranged a meeting
MORE than 20 students are to spend their summer renovating a school in Namibia. The 21 teenagers from Durham Johnston School, which itself is undergoing a £25m rebuild, will help at a primary school in the southwest African nation's Karas region
A PLAY park project which won £80,000 on a TV show will go ahead, despite a last-minute planning hitch. Years of campaigning for the Sir Bobby Robson Park, in Langley Park, were almost ruined when the village's sports and social club, which
STUDENTS have won two prizes for starting an anti-drugs campaign. The year 11 students from Eastbourne Church of England Academy, in The Fairway, Darlington, are part of a group named Academy Against Drugs, which was formed after they saw the
THE roots of one of the UK's most successful business tycoons were celebrated when a replica of his first shop opened to the public. John James Fenwick, who went on to create what remains the biggest family owned department store chain in the country
NURSERY children have been given a lesson in fire safety during a visit from Darlington fire brigade. Scores of excited youngsters at Darlington College's Childcare Centre were given the chance to sit in a fire engine and help operate the fire
MORE than 20 young dancers were put through their paces during preparations for a stage show. Choreographer Rita Proctor led 28 youngsters through dance auditions for the parts of the Teen Steppers in a production of Snow White and the Seven
YOUNG entrepreneurs have only two challenges left in which to wrest this year's Future Business Magnates title from the grasp of students at Framwellgate School, Durham City. With four of the contest's six challenges completed, the Framwellgate
A FOREST is to be the setting to teach relaxation techniques - Chinese style. The ancient martial art tai chi is coming to the 900- acre Guisborough Forest over three Sundays next month, June 8, 15 and 22. The Forestry Commission and Redcar
A CRACKDOWN on troublemakers was launched today. Early morning police raids and knocks on the doors of offenders wanted by the courts marked the start of a week-long blitz on Middlesbrough's Pallister Park. Police and housing officials are focusing
VISITORS to a tourist attraction found themselves stepping centuries back in time yesterday. Local living history reenactment group Anmod Dracan transformed the grounds of Kirkleatham Museum, near Redcar, into a medieval encampment. Displays
A ROW has erupted over plans to remove a play area from a private housing estate. Local people are split into two camps, one claiming the area is a hive of anti-social behaviour and the other maintaining it is a vital play area for their children
LOOK at the scoreline and it is easy to imagine the world of Roger Federer gliding by serenely. The world number one dispatched 20-year-old Californian Sam Querrey 6-4 6-4 6-3 to take his place in the second round of the French Open at Roland
THE Darlington Mowden Park team which so narrowly failed to gain promotion to National Two is in danger of breaking up. Skipper Jamie Connolly and Iain Dixon have already signed for West Hartlepool, along with backs coach Kevan Oliphant. More
THE Darlington Mowden Park team which so narrowly failed to gain promotion to National Two is in danger of breaking up. Skipper Jamie Connolly and Iain Dixon have already signed for West Hartlepool, along with backs coach Kevan Oliphant. More
DARREN Manning finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500 at the weekend C his best finish in four starts. Manning started the race from the middle of the fifth row, and worked his way through to sixth when he made contact with another car while
CARIBBEAN CORAL isn't what you'll find on Redcar beach, but pay a visit to the town's racecourse and the horse of the same name might wash up in the winners' enclosure. John Quinn's dasher has slipped back to a tempting mark and should go mighty
ANDREW STRAUSS vindicated England's renewed faith in his ability by hitting a match-winning century to help secure a record-breaking second Test triumph over New Zealand. The Middlesex left-hander's Test career appeared to have come to a shuddering
Two weeks after scoring a personal best 163 for Kimblesworth in the Readers Durham County League Paul Craig amazingly hit another 163 as his team piled past the 300 mark again, and Evenwood were left to play for respectability as they ended 87
Ryton continued their pursuit of Swalwell at the top of the Wellstream Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League with a two wicket win over Tynedale. The home runs were shared through their batting order as Tynedale made 204-6, but Ryton's star
The two top dogs in the Warmseal Durham Senior League slugged out a draw, Burnmoor making 211-5 with Barry Dews (65) leading the way. Hetton Lyons looked as though they could pull of a vital victory when Ryan Pringle (75) was at the crease but
The big news in the Northern Rock North East Premier League was the defeat of South Northumberland who lost their one hundred per cent record to South Shields. Johnny Wightman was the Shields hero as he grabbed five wickets, and despite Jimmy
Great Ayton's Afridi repeats nine-wicket feat THEY say lightning doesn't strike twice, but it does in the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League. Pakistani International Riaz Afridi destroyed Northallerton on their home patch last season
MICHAEL Di Venuto hit a magnificent 138 against his former club, Derbyshire, yesterday then hailed a "very professional performance" by Durham as they swept into the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy. Their defence of the cup they
Yorkshire v Scotland (Friends Provident Trophy) YORKSHIRE captain Darren Gough has confirmed that he will retire from first-class cricket at the end of the county season. The former England Test and one-day star ended speculation about his future
Durham, v Derbyshire (Friends Provident Trophy) COMETH the hour, cometh Di Venuto. The man whose lack of runs scarcely mattered during last season's romp to Friends Provident Trophy glory rode gloriously to the rescue for Durham yesterday. Needing
FACING yet another frustrating season in football's fourth tier, Darlington FC hosted on Saturday a version of the game's Little Big Time. This was a Subbuteo "rankings" tournament, played by men who believe that small is beautiful and watched
MIDDLESBROUGH can boast having one of the most successful Academy system's in the country. Forward-thinking manager Gareth Southgate, however, is keen to take the club's recruitment of youngsters to a new level. The recent appointments of Gordon
DAVID Bentley admits he is feeling under pressure to replace England icon David Beckham. The 23-year-old Blackburn winger's impressive season earned him a place in coach Fabio Capello's squad for the two friendlies with Switzerland and France
NYRON Nosworthy fears close friend and defensive partner Jonny Evans will not be moving to Wearside on a permanent basis this summer. Nosworthy and Evans struck up a terrific friendship on and off the pitch and it is a pairing manager Roy Keane
LEAGUE TWO PLAY-OFF FINAL Stockport County 3 Rochdale 2 STOCKPORT manager Jim Gannon admitted some of his young side are destined for great things'' after the 3-2 League Two play-off final win over Rochdale. Gannon masterminded a stylish win in
KEVIN KEEGAN will be told £8m is required to firm up Newcastle United's interest in Rangers defender Carlos Cuellar. Keegan has watched the centre- back on at least two occasions in the last few months, including the Gers' UEFA Cup success over
ANDREW STRAUSS toasted his match-settling century as a career moment he would cherish as England rewrote history with a six-wicket victory over New Zealand at Old Trafford. Strauss' 106, his 12th Test hundred, proved the cornerstone of a successful
Ten Years Younger (C4, 8pm); The World's Fattest Pet And Me(C4, 10pm) I'M not saying Amanda Davies was chosen as the latest victim, sorry volunteer, on Ten Years Younger just because she's a former Navy Wren, but her former occupation enables the
It's only been open for three weeks, but new restaurant Starter and Puds in Newcastle has had a promising beginning FORGET the golden handcuffs, David Burrow abandoned a successful career in court and prisoner security to open a restaurant in Newcastle
ONE WET DAY It was early on one Saturday morn, When I quickly made my way Across to the allotment to bring Some vegetables for dinner next day. The carrots they were wet and dirty Like that they were no good, So I took them to the water point
Lesley Kettlewell and her family have pots of fantastic jams and pickles to sell and pots of energy too, which they put into conserving the beautiful countryside in which they live. Sharon Griffiths reports AMAZING what you can do with lots of pots
The agency which discovered ubermodel Kate Moss is on the hunt for new faces in the North-East next month. Julia Breen speaks to top model scout Tracie Bestford, who is originally from Hartlepool, about her job, and what she looks for in
BEING in the public eye attracts publicity and with fame and fortune comes pressure. There are many celebrities who handle it well, but there are numerous examples of the actor, footballer, singer or politician whose problems have been exposed
HAVING gone with WA Shearings for more than 20 years - four and five holidays a year - we now find to sit at the front seat of a coach you have to pay an extra £10 each for the privilege. I think it is wrong to put this charge on, especially when
WITH the recent and ongoing cases involving suicide bombers, why is it that when the case is on the television news, clips of the martyr videos are shown? What the media is actually doing is glorifying these people by giving them air time they
MAY I ask the "global warmers" to stop pulling our legs? The evening of Monday, May 19 was freezing cold - just four weeks before the longest daylight in the year, after which the days get shorter and colder. Global warming has not happened here
I HAVE often maintained that in this country the recipe for celebrity status is 50 per cent barefaced cheek, 40 per cent over-confidence and ten per cent talent. The comparison of famous residents of St Petersburg and Darlington - in your article
MUCH has been made of the escalating prices with, as usual, the Government victim of the blame game. Readers need to be reminded that if Margaret Thatcher had not sold our major share in the oil and gas industry, our country would now be in a
IN your article, "Give us right to strike, demand angry police" (Echo, May 21), the second paragraph said: "The Police Federation of England and Wales said 86 per cent of its members want to lobby for the same industrial rights as other workers
NOW that the dust is settling on the scandalous post office closures it is time to reflect on the position of local MPs as their behaviour in this matter poses some ethical issues. How can it be possible to trust anyone who agrees to support you
READERS have probably seen pictures from the Burma cyclone aftermath and will probably be aware that the Burmese military regime has been putting its own interest ahead of the lives of many survivors by delaying entry of aid from the international
WE do wonder what is going to happen as the credit crunch starts to bite. We have already seen claims that Foreigners are taking our jobs'." So says Julie Spence, Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire. Mrs Spence added that the Government figures for
Adam Pletts, who has swapped rural Teesdale for a life in West Beirut, explains what the atmosphere was like there last week amid further bloodshed and tense negotiations. AFTER a week of negotiations in Qatar, following a spate of internal fighting
IT would be churlish to criticise the police for spending money on PR - the press office is an essential conduit for information, and crime prevention is usually money well spent. However, nationally, police publicity and marketing expenditure
A BOY who was born with his heart back to front will have a pacemaker fitted. Alec Hutchinson, three, from Dipton, near Consett, was born with blood vessels in his heart the wrong way round, leaving him with little oxygen in his blood. The abnormality
SCHOOLBOY cricketers have defeated one of the oldest clubs in the world after more than a decade of annual matches. Barnard Castle School beat the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) by eight wickets in an impressive display of batting, bowling and fielding
FOR more than half a century, a farmer has looked out of his windows over rolling fields full of sheep and cows. But the scene at Farnless Farm, in Bishop Middleham, County Durham, now has some exotic additions. Farmer Stuart Anderson and his wife
MARKET heavyweight Vodafone and two of the London market's remaining power generators will grab the attention this week. Vodafone is expected to show that rapid expansion into emerging markets has continued to pay off when it unveils full-year
THE UK's biggest union Unite is reportedly on the brink of merging with a counterpart in the US. It is thought that the deal between Unite and the United Steelworkers' union will be sealed in July. The agreement would be a milestone in organised
CUTTING-EDGE technology that could increase the value of crude oil is to be trialled in the region. CompactGTL, a specialist gasto- liquids company which focuses on oilfield developments, is creating a testing plant at The Wilton Centre, Redcar
A BABY boom has struck a business school with six students becoming dads during the course. During the two-year Durham Business School executive MBA programme, seven babies have been born to the part-time students. The students also juggle their
ALTHOUGH his MES Footwork business has only been up and running since January, Matt Scott has amassed a significant following. Having sold more than 50 pairs of trainers online, which are designed with images of people's choice, the student's
A HEARTFELT plea from a battered wife has saved her alcoholic husband from prison despite suffering a horrific baseball bat attack. Patricia Jenkins was hit so hard that the bat broke, but she begged a judge not to jail her husband, John, for the
HUNDREDS of people turned out to enjoy the bank holiday weather yesterday and watch the highlight of a three-day community event. The Barnard Castle Meet is an annual event and one of its regular attractions is the procession, which involves a
RECORD entries and beautiful weather helped ensure this year's Richmond Meet, in North Yorkshire, was a roaring success. Organiser Oliver Blease said final numbers had yet to be counted, but that it had been "a very good year". The Meet, which
MORE than 350 classic cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles were on show in the region yesterday. Enthusiasts gathered for the 21st Yorkshire Classic Car, 4x4 and Motorcycle Show, at Ripley Castle. Among the vehicles on display were Rolls-Royces
ABOUT 40,000 music lovers descended on Tyneside last night for the climax of the Evolution Festival. Kate Nash, Duffy and The Streets were among the top names playing the event, the region's biggest music festival, which was held on the banks
A TEENAGE girl whose mother died earlier this year has become the 500th person to sign up for a sponsored walk for the hospice where she spent her last days. Elaine Tait, of Roman Road, in Brandon, County Durham, died on Wednesday, February 6,
THE region's biggest police force has defended spending more than £600,000 on public relations last year. Northumbria Police paid £627,000 last year on external communications, marketing and its press office. It had been asked how much it spent
POLICE have issued an appeal to the taxi driver who gave a lift home to a man who was later found unconscious in the street with severe head injuries. The man, believed to be in his early 20s, had been on a night out in Middlesbrough before catching
BESTSELLING author Jilly Cooper has written to a group fighting to save a city's historic baths. Ms Cooper, who is best known for her steamy novels Rider, Rivals and Polo, wrote in support of campaigners in Ripon, North Yorkshire, who oppose an
RESIDENTS of a village only learnt of plans to demolish their homes when a brochure dropped through their front doors. Now people on three estates in Esh Winning, near Durham City, have launched a campaign to save their streets. In less than a
A PARACHUTIST has thanked divine intervention after he was left dangling 60ft from the ground in a church graveyard. Former soldier Adam Bell realised he was going to miss his landing site after he opened his chute during a jump from 10,000ft
