A MAN groomed a schoolgirl he met in an internet chat-room before travelling to the North-East and booking a hotel for sex sessions. Christopher Page, 25, twice had intercourse with the 14-year-old on his weekend visit to Hartlepool last April, a court
A FUNDRAISING campaign was launched today to bring one of Britain's most famous steam locomotives back to our railways. The National Railway Museum (NRM) in York needs £250,000 to complete its restoration of the Flying Scotsman, which was bought
TV commentator Sid Waddell is helping the Learning and Skills Council to promote adult numeracy by using the game of darts. That's the story for the Headline Game on TFM radio tomorrow morning. Waddell, originally from Northumberland
The leaflets are dropping through your doors now, the official opening of Abbeyfield Esk Moors Lodge at Castleton. 11 years in the making and privately funded, Esk Moors Lodge offers 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for older residents with the bonus of a
It all started as an innocent remark in the Middle House. “I can remember racing Bogeys’ as a kid!”, said one of the lads. The idea was born, and a ‘Bogey Race’ was organised ! Generally speaking, Bogeys or ‘Box Carts’ are made of a few bits of wood
A WOMAN was taklen to hospital this afternoon after she was involved in a collision with a cement mixer. The accident happened in Chester Road, Sunderland at around 12.30pm. The pedestrian was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital for treatment. Police
TWO teenagers have been found guilty of attempted murder after a frenzied, humiliating attack on a 16-year-old girl. Danielle Moore, 19, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Nicola Dawson, also 19, will serve six years behind bars. Moore, collapsed
SHOPPERS in Darlington town centre were given a taste of Devon by three men dressed as cows. The bovine impressionists were on a tour of the country in a bid to promote the South-West county around the country. At the same time they are also hoping
A MAN has been arrested after dozens of tablets, suspected to be Valium, were seized during a police raid in Darlington. The 31-year-old was also held on suspicion of stealing two mountain bikes. The bikes, and about 50 tablets, were recovered during
A HOMEBUILDER has been fined £31,500 for failing to inform buyers of planned developments on green space opposite their homes. Miller Homes Limited pleaded guilty at Teesside Magistrates’ Court yesterday to nine offences under the Property
OUTDOOR clothing and equipment retailer Go Outdoors will open three stores by June as part of an expansion plan that could create 1,000 jobs by 2012. It will open a shop in Stockton in March, followed by stores in West Yorkshire and the South-
A CITY yesterday celebrated the achievement’s of the Women’s Land Army and Timber Corps. Dozens of members of the two organisations were invited to a civic reception by Sunderland City Council to be formally thanked for their contribution to
BUDDING environmentalists are being sought for a council project which has just been given a cash boost. Great Aycliffe Town Council was recently awarded £10,000 from the National Lottery’s Awards for All scheme. The money is to develop an environment
A NEW charity group will hold their first annual ball in April. The Weardale Friends of the Anthony Nolan Trust raised 3,000 in their first full year of operation and hope that the event on April 3 at Headlam Hall Hotel, near Gainford, will get 2009
CONSTRUCTION work to install twelve turbines on West Durham Wind Farm starts next month. The turbines will be installed on the site near Tow Law individually over period of 60 days from the beginning of February. Banks Developments secured planning
PART of comic legend Stan Laurel’s old school is being offered for sale to developers. The Laurel Building, originally King James 1 Grammar School, is being advertised by agents Sanderson Weatherall’s regional office in Newcastle. The 145-year-old building
TEN martial arts students achieved high marks to pass grading exams with flying colours. The Taekwondo students attend classes at Wolsingham and Stanhope with Katey Wallace and Richard Crawford. They earner higher belts by performing traditional non-contact
BY the end of the week I had a sizeable lump on the top of my head. Down to the Passat CCs low roofline, it was something that might have been enough to put me off the car for good. That it didn't is testament to what I thought of VW's Merc chaser.
The Conficker virus, which had infected an estimated nine millions computers by Thursday is spreading at a rate of one million machines per day according to US software protection firm F-Secure. USB memory sticks infected with the virus trick users
POLICE are appealing for information after a number of power tools were stolen from a parked van. The theft happened on Tuesday, January 20 at 1pm, when the Fiat Scudo was in the car park of Asda on Portrack Lane, Stockton. The stolen tools, overall
A SUCCESSFUL scheme, which aims to improve neighbourhoods across Hartlepool is to take to the streets again Operation Cleansweep tackles issues relating to the local environment, roads, street lighting and community safety. Next week Hartlepool Council
A POWER company is investigating what caused a town centre electricity cut which affected dozens of Darlington businesses. Electricity went off at 68 properties in Crown Street, Northgate and Oxford Street at 11.49am this morning but was restored shortly
A NEW headteacher aims to develop her youngsters for jobs of the future while keeping the school as the centre of the community. Kellie Halliday took on the role headteacher of Knayton CofE Primary School, near Thirsk, after the Christmas holidays.
BUSKING charity fundraiser Norman Evans has launched his biography to tell his life story. The book, entitled We May As Well Dance, has been co-written by two friends, Stephen Proudman, the chairman of Redcars Real Opportunity Centre (ROC) and ROC supporter
Triple World Hurdle hero Inglis Drever has been retired. Time has been called on the 10-year-old's illustrious career after he failed to recover from an injury sustained in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November. Crook-based trainer Howard
STEVE Bates will be tuning in to French television tomorrow night as Brive entertain Overmach Parma in a game that could signal the end of Newcastle Falcons' European Challenge Cup hopes. If Parma spring a surprise in the Parc Municipal, Newcastle's
TWO teenagers have been found guilty of attempted murder after a prolonged attack on a 16-year-old girl. Danielle Moore, 19, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Nicola Dawson, also 19, was handed a six year term. Moore, of Teeder Avenue, Thornaby
A STUDENT is hoping to raise more than £4,500 to fulfill a dream of spending a year helping orphans in South Africa. Sian Taylor, from Harrowgate Hill, in Darlington, is volunteering with Project Trust, a charity set up in the 1960s which has worked
DOCTORS in Darlington will be asking all patients - regardless of age, size or ailment - to have their waist measured and weight checked as part of a new scheme to tackle obesity. The information will be used by health officials to build up
A SCHOOL governor and former council leader has been suspended from a board of governors after apparently bullying a disabled colleague in front of pupils. Malcolm Iveson was unanimously voted off Sugar Hill Primary School's board of governors
A WIDOW has hit out at the Ministry of Defence after it started a legal battle to block compensation payments to nuclear testing veterans. Sheila Gray lost her husband Frank to cancer in 1992, forty years after he witnessed nuclear bomb testing in
THE RSPB is spreading its wings. For it is under its banner that this lavish coffee- table book covering the full span of wildlife in Britain appears. Birds even yield first place to mammals. Following on come reptiles and amphibians, fish,
A FORMER foreign correspondent, whose biggest scoop came during the early years of the Cold War, has died aged 83. John Rettie, who lived in Coverdale, North Yorkshire, spent almost 50 years stationed abroad, working mostly for the Guardian and the news
VISITORS to gardens open to the public feel privileged if they receive even just a scrap of advice from one of the gardeners. Here are more than 100 pages of inside info from head gardeners of the NT. It’s less about basic techniques than subtleties
MANY walking guides feature walks of up to about 14 miles. Ten miles is not uncommon. But probably most walkers aim to do less. This new Dalesman series sets a limit of six miles, with ten walks in each booklet. No pictures, only a sketch map,
OUR daughters might grow up believing the world’s their oyster, but how many truly admirable role models are there among all those dubious celebrities? Here they’ll meet formidable women such as Catherine Littlefield Green, who invented a spinning
HOW can one possibly teach children about what it was like to live through the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust? Many authors have found ingenious ways to try, and these two linked novels are among the most accessible and the most memorable
THE opening of the Pennine Way, the battle over off-roading in the Yorkshire Dales, the clean-up of the Durham Coast – three items of particular North-East interest in this absorbing anthology of writings and reports on the countryside from The
THIS is a behind-the-scenes look at Barack Obama’s campaign to become the President of the US. Supported by remarkable and intimate photographs taken by Callie Shell, who’s followed Obama since 2006, the all-glossy book aims to tell the story
FIVE years after it was saved for the nation a new SOS has been issued to bring the legendary Flying Scotsman back to the main line. The Steam Our Scotsman appeal aims to raise £250,000 to complete the restoration of one of the world’s most iconic locomotives
POLICE are growing increasingly concerned for the safety of a man who went missing from his home more than a week ago. Derek Raymond Brinkley, 52, of Ripon, was last seen by his wife on January 12 and last had contact with her on January 14. Police
A MAN has admitted biting his pet dog in retaliation for the animal nipping him. Paul Cole, 38, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the Akita-type puppy called Tika. Police were called to Coles home in Derby Close, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire
WORK will start next week to replace a footbridge at a North-East beauty spot. The project will be carried out at the Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve in east Durham. The National Nature Reserve - which is between Peterlee and Hartlepool -
RESIDENTS are being warned to on guard against lottery scamsters who seek to steal money from them by cons. A number of scams around potential lottery wins have been sent to residents within North Yorkshire recently. People have had letters or phone
NORTHERN Rock staff are set to receive ten per cent annual bonuses this Friday after the bank achieved its target of repaying a quarter of its £26bn Government loan. About £8.8m is to be paid in bonuses to the nationalised lender's 4,000 staff, as a
CRYSTAL PALACE have agreed to sell young midfielder Ben Watson to Middlesbrough. The Northern Echo revealed Boro's interest in Watson more than two weeks ago, and Palace boss Neil Warnock today confirmed that the two clubs had agreed a £2m fee. Boro
YOUNGSTERS without support enjoyed a happy Christmas time thanks to donations from locals and Thirsk Clock. The Thirsk Clock youth centre, in Thirsk market place, opened on Christmas Day to provide dinners for youngsters. Staff served
PAUL Bird defied the wintry conditions and stiff opposition to win the Cartersport Jack Frost Stages Rally at Croft Circuit, near Darlington at the weekend. The Subaru WRC driver won the Darlington & DMC event by 34 seconds ahead of local aces Chris
A MAN is fighting for his life today after being knocked down as he made his way home from a pub. A police spokesman said the accident happened on the B1283 at the Plough Inn, Haswell Plough, County Durham, at 8.50pm last night. The spokesman said:
TWO teenage girls living in sheltered accommodation have started a campaign to provide disadvantaged young people with new clothes. Rebecca Newton and Kerry Stapleton are working with Consett YMCA so their friends do not miss out on the latest trends
DISCOUNT retailer Wilkinson could take over the city centre store vacated in the summer by the upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose. In August Waitrose closed its 18,000 sq ft branch in The Gates shopping centre, Durham, after two years of making a
A SCHOOLGIRL who went missing with a 49-year-old man on bail for an alleged rape in Darlington has been found safe and well in France. Laura Stainforth, 15, from School Walk, Cleethorpes, north east Lincolnshire, was found with Robert Williams
A NEW initiative to protect residents at risk of tripping and falling in the region is being funded by NHS North Yorkshire and York. The scheme stretches across Hambleton and Richmondshire and it has been welcomed by doctors in North Yorkshire. The
A YOUNG chef who first won plaudits for his cooking last year has reached the latest round of a national competition. Jason Curia, from Northallerton, is through to the regional stage of the Rotary Club’s young chef of the year competition. The 12-year-old
A BUS service set to be cut back because of low passenger numbers has been saved thanks to the offer of public funding. Durham County Council and Nexus, the Tyne and Wear transport executive, will support journeys made by the 71 between Chester-le-Street
AN adventurer’s son has joined in an intrepid trek across Africa to raise funds for charity from his school’s computer. James Harris and Mark Broadwith are heading across Africa in a 22-year-old Peugeot to raise funds for Help for Heroes. The duo, from
YOUNG people are plugging into a new computer craze as part of a scheme to steer them away from crime and anti-social behaviour. It is hoped that mass ‘dance mat’ sessions at Peterlee Leisure Centre will also encourage youngsters to get more involved
POLICE have welcomed a 10 per cent drop in reported crime in an east Durham community over the last year - with detection rates up by 3 per cent, to nearly 30 per cent of all crime. Seaham community inspector Vince Addison said: "We have been involved
A SMALL drinks company is taking on an industry heavyweight it claims is copying its low calorie brands. Alcohol Brands, established by North-East businesswoman Lorraine Griffiths 18 months ago, claims Halewood International is launching an almost
Stockwell (ITV1, 9pm) Dave Gorman In America Unchained (C4, 10.50pm) Movie Connections (BBC1, 10.45pm) THIS summer it will be four years since Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police at Stockwell tube station after being mistaken for a
TWO hundred jobs are to be lost at a North Yorkshire meat factory as part of a restructuring operation by its parent company, it was revealed yesterday. Workers at the Malton Bacon Factory were shocked by the announcement that 200 people – about
ONE of the world’s fastestgrowing jewellery companies has chosen the North-East as its UK base. Danish firm Pandora Jewellery has set up an administrative and distribution centre in Hebburn, South Tyneside, which will serve the 350 outlets nationwide
AN equipment hire firm has developed a sky-scraping device for the construction industry that is being used on sites in Britain and the US. Xena Systems, which was formed in 2004, has manufactured a device that can load materials in to or out
The millions bequeathed to the column by Pavarotti could come in very handy when buying in players for the inaugural North-East place-name football squad FIRST the good news. I’ve been left $31.5m by Luciano Pavarotti. It says as much in an email
WORDS could not best express my feelings when I read the letters from Joe Wellthorpe and William Fisher about the yearlong miners’ strike (HAS, Jan 13). Perhaps disgust and revulsion come easily to mind. Some of my friends and family were miners
YOUR front page (Echo, Jan 14) showed Tony Blair receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from his boss – US President George Bush – in recognition of the work he has done to improve the lives of citizens and to promote “democracy, human rights
Americans are proud of their country and don’t care who knows it. LUCKY, lucky Americans. Not because they have a new president, coming into office on a tidal wave of good will and optimism – for how can one man possibly live up to such a billing
AS a Scotsman, I would be interested in hearing on what grounds Nigel Boddy, of Darlington, feels that Berwickupon- Tweed should be annexed by Scotland, as mentioned by K Young (HAS, Jan 16). I was aware that this is a view endorsed by Berwick
THE simple answer to your article headed “Are our MPs providing good value for money?” (Echo, Dec 4) is: No. The article detailed the expenses of our local MPs and would seem to highlight just how out of control the financial support given to
CALL it “being miserable” but, apart from the economy, this time of the year always seems dour and flat. Inspiration seems hard to come by. I have to say that some HAS contributions add to the misery. Recently, CT Riley, in his criticism of education
LET us say it clearly – and straight away. Parliament, the heart of our supposed democracy, is rotten to the core. First, the Lords. In its original aristocratic form it was, of course, the very antithesis of democracy. But its collective power
As the economic downturn bites, people are looking for extra cash and turning to the sign of the three balls. Steve Pratt reports on the first online pawn broker which is lending money on jewellery, luxury cars and even yachts. THREE golden
FORTY-FIVE years after Martin Luther King delivered one of history’s most memorable speeches, his dream finally came true yesterday. On August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, the great civil rights campaigner talked of having
MICHAEL Chopra could make his first appearance for Sunderland since October in tonight's reserve team fixture with his former employers Newcastle. Chopra is in line to play in the match at Eppleton as he attempts to prove he is worth a place in Ricky
No points again this morning. The story was about Legoland in California unveiling a replica of Barack Obama's inauguration even before the ceremony had finished. Our headline should have won the point: "Brick Obama". Graham Mack awarded himself the
A MAN at the centre of an international fraud investigation by police was previously at the helm of a collapsed North-East internet business, The Northern Echo can reveal. Chris Douglas was one of four people bailed yesterday by police investigating
LOCAL and regional newspapers may be given Government cash because of their vital importance to local democracy, a minister said yesterday. A landmark report into the future of Britain’s media in the digital age is exploring whether local newspapers
A FARMER who created a mini-wind farm on his land is so pleased with the result he is considering expanding it. John Littlefair, of Home Hill, Hart Village, near Hartlepool, had the 100m tall turbine and a base station built on arable land
A MOTHER who was spared jail after admitting having sex with a 14-yearold boy is to be locked up for a year after a judge increased her “unduly lenient” sentence. Mother-of-two Sharon Edwards, 40, of Elton Grove, Stockton, will have to surrender
A NORTH Yorkshire cook has been branded the “worst in the country” by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. Anne England – who has worked at the Little Chef near Skeeby for the past 20 years – took part in the Channel 4 programme Big Chef Takes on
PEOPLE in north Durham are being asked how they would like to improve their surrounding area. Residents of Moorside, near Consett are urged to attend a consultation event about an environmental improvement project on Dunelm Road. The event is being
A SOCIAL worker from the North-East faces jail in the US after he was charged with child sex abuse. Dwight E McGuire was detained by US border officials when he flew into Minneapolis for his father’s funeral last week. The 40-year-old
HAYLEY Turner partnered her first winner for Middleham trainer Mark Johnston when picking up a spare ride aboard Nightjar in the Play Golf At Southwell Golf Club Handicap at the Nottinghamshire venue. Franny Norton had been due to partner
DARLINGTON are facing a fixture backlog after last night’s game at Accrington Stanley was postponed for a second time. Following a pitch inspection the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at the Fraser Eagle Stadium. Heavy snowfall
JOEL Porter will start training tomorrow after five days rest to ensure his availability for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with West Ham United. Hartlepool United’s leading scorer took his tally for the season to 15 with two goals in their last outing
The inauguration of Barack Obama as America's first black president made yesterday a truly historic day. Britain's newspapers certainly thought so. Every national newspaper in the land, apart from one, led its front page on Obama taking
AVOIR Choisi let down favourite-backers at Kempton last time but can reward those who keep the faith as he returns to the track for the Blue Square Median Auction Maiden Stakes. The son of Choisir was far from disgraced when fourth on his Yarmouth
A RECORD number of people are being made redundant and job vacancies are falling as unemployment hurtles towards two million, official figures showed today. The jobless total increased by 131,000 in the three months to November to 1.92 million, the highest
DONALD McCain’s fantastic season shows no signs of letting up and the Cheshire handler enjoyed another successful day at Sedgefield with a double on the card. Bumper winner Strokestown got off the mark over obstacles in the first division of
ANDREW Strauss insists England will be taking a unified squad to the West Indies – with Kevin Pietersen intent on leading from the front. England depart for the Caribbean this morning while still adjusting to the recent power struggle that ended
DURHAM’S search for an overseas player is continuing after their bid to sign Australian rising star Phillip Hughes fell through. Last year’s LV County Champions are on the look out for an overseas player to temporarily replace Shivnarine Chanderpaul
JOE KINNEAR’S reign as Newcastle United manager suffered another set back yesterday when two of his own players came to blows in an amazing training ground bust-up. Unsettled French midfielder Charles N’Zogbia and the locally produced Andy Carroll
SUNDERLAND will have to move fast in their pursuit of Danny Shittu after Newcastle United were alerted to the powerful defender’s availability. Shittu last night hinted that he is ready to turn his back on Bolton after becoming increasingly frustrated
ENGLAND prop Matt Stevens broke down in tears last night as he confessed to a drug problem which could leave his career in tatters. Stevens, 26, faces a potential two-year ban after testing positive for a recreational substance following Bath
MIDDLESBROUGH have tried to resurrect a move to Wigan for Mido by asking for striker Marlon King in exchange. With Latics manager Steve Bruce an admirer of Mido, Boro have floated the idea of swapping the forwards until the end of the season
BARACK OBAMA became the first black president of the United States yesterday and immediately vowed to address the challenges facing a country in “crisis”. In an inaugural speech that refused to shy away from the problems ahead, Mr Obama said
A WALKER feared for his life as he spent two nights in freezing blizzard conditions after getting lost on the Pennine Way. Tom Miles, from London, sheltered in a grouse-shooting butt to protect himself from the weather, but said he thought he
The international standing of the US reached its nadir during the Bush presidency. But, as Joe Willis reports, all that may be about to change THE world is going to find it hard to say “no” to the new US president, says a North-East expert.
A TRUCKER who is on the run with a 15-year-old girl is on bail for the alleged rape of a teenager at a North-East hotel. Robert Williams, 49, sparked an international manhunt after disappearing with Laura Stainforth last week. Police believe they
POLICE have issued an urgent appeal for public help in tracing a missing man. Raymond Arthurs, 30, of Second Street, Chester-le-Street, is in ill health and was only discharged from Durham's University Hospital yesterday (Tuesday). He had been detained
