THE Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu has commended "the necessarily tough decision" to join the international ban on the use of cluster bombs. Diplomats from more than 100 countries unanimously passed a treaty tonight to ban the use of the bombs around
A WOMAN was trapped in the cab of her truck after it rolled over and came to rest on its side. The accident, which involved three vehicles, happened on the Queenway North, close to the Team Valley Trading Estate, at Gateshead around 5.15pm tonight.
CAPTAIN John Terry helped England produce their most impressive performance of the Fabio Capello era with the opening goal in a 2-0 win against the United States at Wembley. The Chelsea defender had something to smile about after his Champions League
TWO bogus couriers who fleeced pensioners were labelled mean and despicable by a judge yesterday. David Maverick and Paul Carter spent weeks planning the scam using fake Cash on Delivery parcels and even buying 600m of brown paper wrapping. They told
CAMPAIGNERS have spoken of their horror after a female badger was found killed by a wire snare. The badger was discovered on the Sandsend Road near Dunsley, Whitby, early on Sunday morning by a woman on her way to feed her horses. Its throat had been
POLICE are asking householders in Bishop Auckland to have a look in their sheds to check that nothing has been taken after a number of burglaries over the past few days. Items including gardening equipment, a trampoline and bikes have been taken from
A MAN was back in court today accused of making fake bank notes a month after the original charges were dismissed. John Bennett, 51, of Institute Street, Oakenshaw, near Crook, County Durham, faces 16 charges relating to the possession, production and
MORE digital surveys will be carried out on the twin piers at Whitby harbour to find out if the structures are in need of repair. A ground investigation, due to start next week, will uncover the condition of the piers themselves, and a boat-based exploration
A BANK Holiday blitz on illegal anglers netted nearly 40 offenders. Fisheries enforcement officers from the Environment Agency spent the holiday weekend checking rod licences around Teesside and North Yorkshire. Despite blustery weather they checked
POLICE investigating a suspected flasher have asked the parents of two young girls to come forward. A 22-year-old man was arrested and officers would like to speak to the youngsters, who are thought to be aged between eight and 12-years-old. The incident
ENTRIES are now open for the Armstrong Massey Rally which will be held on Sunday, July 6 at Driffield Airfield, East Yorkshire, organised by Beverley & District Motor Club. The event is a single-venue Stage Rally and there will be eight stages giving
A PACK designed to help elderly and vulnerable people stop themselves from becoming victims of doorstep crime, is being relaunched. Darlington Consumer Support Network has put together the information packs. They contain information on dealing with
POLICE have arrested a man suspected of biting off part of someone's ear at a fashionable North-East nightspot. Trouble flared at about 7.40pm on Bank Holiday Monday outside a pub on Osborne Road in Jesmond, Newcastle. A 23-year-old from Killingworth
A MEETING of the Bishop Auckland Town Centre Forum's Marketing and Promotions Subgroup, scheduled for Thursday, May 29, at the Four Clocks Centre, has been cancelled.
Solutions ACROSS 1 Beaver. (two meanings) 4 Brothers. BR+OTHER+S 9 Cotton. (two meanings) 10 Comanche. (anag.) 12 Sire. (two meanings) 13 Total. (two meanings) 14 Nile. NI+LE (in rev.) 17 Deliberation. DE+LI(B)E+RATION 20 Eugene
Solutions ACROSS 7 Retainer. RETAIN+ER 9 Reader. READ+ER (RE rev.) 10 Edge. (hidden) 11 On one's toes. ONO+NESTO(E)S 12 Closet. CLOSE+T 14 Exorable. EX+OR+ABLE 15 Meagre. ME(AG)RE 17 United. (two meanings) 20 Spillane. S(PILL
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 7 Hold back queen's servant (8) 9 Lecturer to expound about Religious Education (6) 10 Partially altered Germany's border (4) 11 Eager Yoko meets Rolling Stones around the 4th of June (2,4,4) 12 Shut the first cupboard (6)
CATERING students on a variety of courses have been treated to a masterclass in baking cakes. Darlington College held its first ever workshop in the art of producing novelty cakes. Youngsters on various courses, from the Skills+ programme to level three
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 Part of a helmet made from heavy woollen cloth (6) 4 Lay members of a religious order in Britain alternate on Sunday (8) 9 Old band leader's material (6) 10 Coachmen slaughtered by Indian tribe (8) 12 Your Majesty's father
The Majestic wine store in Darlington has had a complete refit and until July 28th all Chilean wines have 20 per cent off. I've selected the Santa Rita from the Maipo valley, as it seems to have all the right attributes. It's three years old, from a
Once upon a time if you wanted to transport a file you had one choice, the floppy disc. Today, the choice is wider FLOPPY discs have long been consigned to history, to be replaced by CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, USB memory sticks and cards. But what should
Cherie Blair has come in for a lot of criticism for publishing her memoirs so soon after her husband's exit from Downing Street. The former Prime Minister's wife tells Gabrielle Fagan why she felt she needed to be so candid, so soon AT first sight Cherie
PLANS by a national chain to open a new store in Thirsk have been criticised by local politicians. Lidl UK wants to open a food store just outside Thirsk town centre as part of a major expansion scheme. No plans have been submitted to Hambleton District
"The whole idea that red wine keeps us healthy comes from something called the French Paradox. Scientists noticed that despite a diet loaded with saturated fat, very few French people actually croak it from heart attacks. Just 83 out of 100,000 Frenchmen
RESIDENTS have objected to a mini supermarket being granted a licence to sell alcohol. Councillors will decide whether to give the shop on Gladstone Street, Darlington, next week. The premises have been a mini supermarket in a residential area for a
A TEDDY bear's picnic held on a tourist railway line this bank holiday weekend has been declared a success. The event was organised by the Weardale Railway on Sunday and their trains, which ferried people between Wolsingham and Stanhope stations, were
BUDDING chefs are being invited to submit recipes for inclusion in a cookery book, being produced to raise money for a good cause. Staff at the Leeming Garth Nursing Home, in Leeming Bar, hope to put together the book to raise money for the centre.
RESIDENTS have objected to a mini supermarket being granted a licence to sell alcohol. Councillors will decide whether to allow the shop, on Gladstone Street, Darlington, to sell alcohol, next week. The owner said the premises had been a mini supermarket
NORTHERN Foods yesterday unveiled higher-than-expected profits after successfully recovering significant" cost increases. The group, which employs about 300 people at its Dalepak factory in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, and supplies various retailers
TURN back the clock 12 months, Manchester United were champions of England, the Labour Government were losing control of Britain's finances and house prices were robust and continuing to rise ... Nothing ever changes. Right? Although Manchester
WHEN millions of small savers in building societies collected "free" cash from a series of flotations during the Nineties, their main worry as shareholders seemed the risk of dying of boredom. A decade or so ago, bank shares paid solid dividends
CARVER Commercial has completed a lease on behalf of Vantis PLC on the prestigious office development at Northpoint, in Faverdale, Darlington. Vantis PLC, accountants and business advisers, aim to provide choice for ambitious organisations,
JOMAST Developments' commercial property arm is bucking industry trends after successfully leasing more than 10,000 sq ft of office space in the last few weeks. Despite growing fears of a downturn in the UK economy, Stockton-based Jomast
SANDERSON Weatherall has been appointed to market Gladman Developments' Northumberland Business Park in Cramlington. Set over 45 acres and expected to be worth £50m on completion, the flagship commercial hub is being built in five phases and will
This week, Northumbrian Water was named top utility company in the country when it came to corporate responsibility. Business Editor Owen McAteer finds out how North-East businesses are taking their responsibilities seriously NORTHUMBRIAN Water is
CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling has come under fire for asking European Union treasury ministers to scrap direct payments to farmers. Carmen Suarez, chief economist with the National Farmers' Union (NFU), told a conference at Sadberge, near Darlington
HIGH cereal prices have been blamed for a slow uptake in farmers growing willow for the UK's first biomass power station. Energy Minister Malcolm Wickes opened Sembcorp Utilities £60m plant at Wilton, on Teesside, last November. It will use 300,000
SUBMITTING a planning application has changed over the past few months since the Government introduced the "1APP" application forms. It means that every authority must use the same form, which has made submitting an application a little simpler.
THE creation of Eversheds' new office in the United Arab Emirates is being overseen by two legal experts from the North-East. The firm has been granted a licence to operate in Abu Dhabi, and the base will be established by Chris Jobson and Mark
REFRIGERATION company Big Fridge has won a contract with a difference - to provide icicles to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). The business, based near Richmond, North Yorkshire, has won the seven-month deal to provide part of the scenery
BUSINESS owners face many important financial decisions, one of which is choosing the right pension scheme for their company's needs. Factors to consider include the level of funding they are prepared to contribute, the extent to which employees
The event was held at the forum music centre in Darlington on Wednesday the 21st of May. In the third and final heat full of brilliant talent although the turn out wasn't the best so far the crowd definitely made up for it in the atmosphere. The
ALARM installer Jim Mullarkey has been chosen from thousands of small businesses across the North-East to star in an advertising campaign. Family business Custom Alarms employs two people, installing burglar and fire alarms in homes and businesses
RISING oil prices have led to the end of a ferry service between the North-East and Norway, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. DFDS Seaways said last night that the rising cost of fuel had played a part in its decision to end its Newcastle to Bergen
STEPPING in at short notice must always be a daunting prospect for any performer, no less so when it is taking on the challenging vocal music of Benjamin Britten. But soprano Emma Bell, substituting for Sandrine Piaue, rose to the occasion when
KIDS In Glass Houses are a five-piece indie rock band who hail from the valleys surrounding Cardiff. Their sound is a mixture of rock and roll with some added 1980s twists. The opener, Good Boys Gone Bad, starts the proceedings off pleasantly
A COMPANY is expecting to take its world-leading research into x-rays to the next level after raising £1.6m. Durham Scientific Crystals (DSC), based on NetPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham, is carrying out research into the way x-rays are conducted
ABOUT 130 jobs will be created in the oil and gas industry after a leading company in the sector opened an office in the region. Fast-growing engineering company RDS, which designs oil and gas drilling rigs, admitted the wealth of experience in
Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story (BBC2, 9pm) My Car Is My Lover: Strangelove (five, 10pm) WHAT would Mary Whitehouse make of My Car Is My Lover? I reckon that, were she still alive to do so, she'd do the TV equivalent of an emergency stop and
SUNDERLAND midfielder Dwight Yorke has been left out of the Trinidad & Tobago team that will face England on Sunday. Yorke, who played for the Soca Warriors at the 2006 World Cup, retired last year but had been invited to play in the match by the country's
With oil prices rising rapidly, could this spell the end of people's daily commuting hell? MAYBE we should all live over the shop. The Queen does, the Prime Minister does. So do all farmers, most vicars, many small shopkeepers and those of us who
SCHOOL pupils, together with parents and staff, took to the deep and donned scuba gear on an action-packed diving course. The group of 22, from Cundall Manor School, near Thirsk, completed the final phase of various diving qualifications. The group,
In search for suitable reading material, the column opens The Toilet Papers and discovers the Outhouse Preservation Society A CHAIN reaction, the pun almost inevitable, last week's note wondering why outside netties had a crescent-shaped hole in
SIR Terry Wogan despairs of the Eurovision Song Contest, its results increasingly distorted by political voting. The way forward may be to adopt a better voting system. At present, a partisan nation can inject a 12-point difference between its
RECENT research by a Newcastle University academic claims the working class aren't as intelligent as those from wealthier backgrounds (Echo, May 22). Does this research take into account the fact that from the start of a working class child's education
WHAT makes the perfect pub landlady and landlord team? Wife Sylvia and I, with Marjorie and Roy, our best man of 58 years ago, were at The Walnut, in Heworth, York, for our weekly ration of the hard stuff (two pints and a half of beer and an apple
DO those in charge of Wear Valley District Council have any brains? Do they think we can all afford to pay our council tax every month just for them to waste it because they can't decide what to do with 15,000 green wheelie bins (Echo, May 26)?
IN what can only be described as an insult to customers and employees, Royal Mail's £3m package of pay, pension and bonus payment to chief executive Adam Crozier must surely rank as obscene. In recent months Mr Crozier has claimed that the company
YOUR article (Echo, May 23) on the review of hospital services run by County Durham and Darlington Foundation NHS Trust (CDDFT NHS Trust) states that "hospital officials are minded to concentrate acute services" on two sites resulting in a "two-tier
WHAT do the recent West End revival of Guys and Dolls and the Eurovision Song Contest have in common? Not music, obviously. We'll get round to the link in a moment. The context is the farce of the Song Contest, rightly blasted by Sir Terry Wogan
I AM soon to retire and have just realised I have missed my true vocation in life. Had I taken the right career path - and here's the best bit - using other people's money I could now be enjoying the following: Sky subscription, £372; food, £3,200
THE credit crunch, falling house prices, the 10p tax debacle, the Northern Rock collapse... these are dark days for the Government, but yesterday's fuel protests suggest things may get worse before they get better. Last week crude oil hit a record
Today marks the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming, the creator of the world's best-known spy, James Bond. Steve Pratt investigates the links between the author and the agent ONE day in 1952, a 43-year-old former diplomat, banker, stockbroker
A JUGGLER, a magician and a balloon artist were among those entertaining bank holiday revellers at a family street party. The street entertainers were called in to celebrate the completion of gas mains work which has disrupted Durham City centre
A FORMER pit village is likely to get a £1.2m community centre that will have a near zero carbon footprint. The money for the 500sq metre building, in Sherburn Hill, is coming from the proceeds of the Durham Villages Regeneration Company (DVRC
A PENSIONER has regained his independence after he was prescribed a different medication, thanks to a new review system. Tom Rutherford, 82, had been taking 15 tablets a day for ailments including angina and arthritis. His pharmacist discovered
GARDENERS are being invited to show off their achievements in this year's Beautiful Durham competition. Entries are being taken for the annual contest, which is in its 23rd year. There is a broad range of categories for gardeners, allotment holders
A COUNTY-WIDE residents' association has been formed which will align itself with the new County Durham unitary authority. The County Durham Residents' Association (CDRA) aims to improve services and the quality of life for residents and communities
AGE Concern Darlington has issued a warning to elderly residents in the town to keep on their guard when dealing with coldcallers. Last year in the UK, 52,000 instances of bogus doorstep callers were officially recorded. Bogus callers often try
TRAINEE electricians have been given a chance to finish their course after they were told by Darlington College to look elsewhere. After hearing that 15 students were told that the final stage of their night course would not run, Hartlepool and
A CHURCH celebrating its golden jubilee is looking for residents to share their memories for an exhibition. St Mark's Church, in North Road, Darlington, is commemorating its 50-year anniversary next month with the Seven Ages of Man Festival. Residents
A RECYCLING officer will have the unenviable job of raking through household rubbish at an annual council event to encourage people to recycle more. Darlington Borough Council's recycling officer, Phillippa Scrafton, will take on the role of Dr
DARLINGTON Borough Council has been accused of not doing enough to help local businesses recycle their waste. Mike Barker, who runs a health food shop in the town centre and is a member of the council's Liberal Democrat group, said the town's
OPPOSITION councillors have questioned the success of a series of meetings designed to give people a say in how the authority is run. Darlington Borough Council set up the Talking Together events last summer following the mayoral referendum and
A TEESSIDE accountancy firm that spawned a chain of practices the length of the country is celebrating 100 years in business. Chipchase Manners is the biggest independent accountancy practice in Middlesbrough and was established in Albert Road,
COMMUNITIES across the world look likely to benefit from a haul of counterfeit goods collected in Middlesbrough. Council officers contacted specialist charity His Church, based in Cambridgeshire, to see if they would like the goods to send to
A TEAM of builders has buried a time capsule on a housing development to mark the sense of community in the neighbourhood. To celebrate the building of new bungalows at Meadowfields in Marske, Coast and Country Housing has filled the capsule
STUDENTS from Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD) will get the chance to speak with potential employers and business advisors at an event in Hartlepool tomorrow. The Hartlepool Enterprise Team, based in the town's Enterprise Centre, in
YOUNGSTERS in Middlesbrough are to be shown how antisocial behaviour affects others, at an event starting today. Easterside Respect Week has been organised by Middlesbrough Council's neighbourhood safety team to encourage young people to think
BEVERLEY'S Hilary Needler Stakes has produced some brilliant fillies in the past and Percolator (7.35) looks set to maintain that grand tradition. The subsequent Royal Ascot and dual 1,000 Guineas heroine, Attraction, won the race in 2003, footsteps
PETER MOORES will report to this week's selectors' meeting and plead the case for continuity by giving his backing to Paul Collingwood for the final Test against New Zealand. Monday's stunning six-wicket victory at Old Trafford earned a 1-0 lead
YORKSHIRE skipper Darren Gough believes today's Friends Provident Trophy decider against Lancashire is just too close to call. A Tykes win will confirm them as North Division winners, securing a home tie when the quarter final draw is made at
FABIO Capello is confident English football's stock will begin to rise despite the diminishing depth of his squad options. While the Premier League was able to bask in the glory of an all- English Champions League final in Moscow last week, the
NEWCASTLE Falcons have announced the appointment of former Scotland and British Lions back Alan Tait to their coaching staff. Tait, who was part of the Newcastle team that won the Premiership title in 1998, will concentrate on defence, skills and backs
MANCHESTER City goalkeeper Joe Hart has admitted he never even expected to be in the England squad two weeks ago, let alone be on the verge of a first cap. Hart is tipped to be handed his debut by Fabio Capello tonight when the Three Lions tackle
CARLOS Edwards expects the thrill of facing England will guarantee an impressive performance in Sunday's international friendly in Trinidad & Tobago. The Sunderland midfielder trained with the rest of the Trinidad & Tobago squad yesterday in preparation
FABIO CAPELLO hailed the leadership qualities of John Terry after restoring the Chelsea defender as England captain for the friendly international with the United States at Wembley tonight. The Italian revealed he had chosen Terry as his third
CRIME has fallen overall on the North-East's railways, but public order, drugs and fraud offences have increased, according to British Transport Police figures released today. The network from east Lincolnshire to the Scottish borders saw a 4.7
SEVEN people escaped a house blaze, some by jumping from windows, after fire quickly spread through their home. Three adults and four children managed to flee the house, several helped out by neighbours, in Bowburn, near Durham. All were initially feared
COWS that graze as nature intended are producing healthier and better quality milk, according to a study by North-East researchers. The study by Newcastle University scientists found that grazing cows on organic farms in the UK produce milk that
As a huge fan of Kaiser Chiefs, I had been looking forward to see the Leeds five-piece at their Homecoming gig for sometime now. Even if it was going to be the fifth time I've seen them live! I had high hopes of this concert due to the fact that
A FIRE chief has spoken of his disgust after an officer suffered a broken arm and another was hit over the head with a fence post by a gang of up to 15 thugs.Only weeks after the North-East was revealed as having the largest rise in attacks on firefighters
FIRE crews spent nearly 24 hours cooling explosive gas cylinders after a fire destroyed a disused warehouse.Police were last night waiting for the building to be secured before they begin their investigations, but fire officers believe the blaze was started
UP to 100,000 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 when two power stations
A HEALTH care assistant and community support worker, sacked for trying to calm a patient by impersonating a police officer, have been awarded £90,000.Gail Freeman and Steve Wood, of Middlesbrough, settled the case during an unfair dismissal hearing,
PLANS to close a nursing home have been halted after a judge imposed an interim injunction on any further action at the site.Stockton Borough Council has been ordered not to remove any more residents this week from its last remaining
GARETH Southgate has warned his Middlesbrough players not to demand a starting spot when they return for pre-season training this summer - because many of their performances last season did not merit one.Despite spending a club record £12.7m on Afonso
NEWCASTLE UNITED are casting an eye over the respected Toulon tournament as the club's new scouting system looks to unearth some hidden gems for Kevin Keegan's squad.Members of the Magpies' ever-growing talent-spotting team - including head of recruitment
POLICE have issued a blunt warning that youths involved in so-called happy slapping incidents will be hunted down and brought to justice.The crackdown by police in County Durham comes after a series of organised street attacks that were recorded on mobile
WHEN Sameer Ahmed blew out his birthday candles last year he had everything to live for.But today, as Sameer celebrates his third birthday, his family is planning a special party for him - as it could be his last. Until a few months ago, the toddler from
DURHAM expect to have Graham Onions back for the four-day match against champions Sussex at Hove, starting on Friday.The England Lions seamer missed the two Friends Provident Trophy ties at the weekend with a sore heel but should be fit for what could
