POLICE are hoping witnesses can help them after a car smashed into railings having been chased by a patrol car. The red BMW 5 Series crashed on the corner of Heywood Street and Ayresome Street in Middlesbrough at 4.18am this morning after a pursuit.
** BREAKING NEWS ** SUNDERLAND defender Pascal Chimbonda is expected to undergo a medical at Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow morning after the two clubs agreed a £3m fee for his services late tonight. The French defender, who was the Black Cats’ best player
A barn near Ripon was set on fire deliberately, experts believe. Fire crews spent most of today managing the blaze at the barn on Cold Stone Lane in Middleton Quernhow.
PC Alan Thompson is holding a beat surgery at Aycliffe Village Hall on Saturday, January 31, from l0am to 12noon. Councillors will also be in attendance. PC Helen Inglis is holding a beat Newton Aycliffe town centre surgery at unit 66 Beveridge Way
PLANS have been submitted for a multi-million pound project to replace and raze a dilapidated school building which was built in the Sixties. Sedgefield Community College will be rebuilt in the first phase of Durham County Council’s Building
A NORTH-EAST man is attempting to break a world record by being the fastest soldier to complete the London Marathon with a backpack and full kit. Warrant Officer Gordon Chaplin lived in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, until he joined the Army 16 years
MIDDLESBROUGH have an FA Cup fifth round away trip to West Ham United as reward for their victory over Wolves. If Sunderland can overcome Blackburn in their replay a week on Wednesday they face a home game against Coventry City. The
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 for the
A TEAM of solicitors have been walking the streets in fancy dress in a bid to raise funds for the RNLI. A total of 19 partners and staff of legal firm Punch Robson were joined by family and friends as they walked from Redcar to Marske and back
AN exhibition featuring images of local architecture through the eyes of young people has been launched in Middlesbrough. The fotografi exhibition consists of artwork using various forms of media including photography, by year ten students
CONCERNS are mounting over road safety outside a school which lost its lollipop lady through retirement at the end of last year. Jean Forbes hung up her pole after 35 years’ service at Vane Road Primary School, Newton Aycliffe, in December. So far
STAFF and students are celebrating after their college was graded as the best in the country. Cleveland College of Art & Design is the top specialist further education Art and Design College in England according to figures published by the Government
YOUNG performers are planning the trip of a lifetime to Sri Lanka this summer, using dance and drama to try and improve the lifestyles of children in an orphanage. The 20-strong group, Stars, aged 13-18, are all members of the Coatham and Dormanstown
ENGLISH teacher Nik Jones is celebrating becoming a author with the publication of his first novel. Mr Jones, 26, who lives in Consett, County Durham, was one of the winners of the new talent competition run by the Newcastle-based independent publisher
A COMPANY’s plan to build warden-controlled sheltered accommodation have won support from councillors despite a neighbouring school’s objections. Brett Bros wants to build 16 homes at Middlewood House, Middlewood, Ushaw Moor, on land that is designated
AN MP is calling for more money to be spent on gritting roads and paths during icy spells. Durham City Labour member Roberta Blackman-Woods says several residents contacted her after slipping on pavements or having car accidents during the recent cold
Chris Laidler recently returned from a 10-week volunteering trip to Peru, organised by Platform 2. He shares his experience with us: "I discovered Platform 2, and the experience they had to offer, while studying for a Uniformed Public Services
A NORTH-EAST man held hostage for 57 days on supertanker when Somali pirates hijacked it has vowed to return to sea. Peter French, chief engineer of the 1,080ft Sirius Star, the largest ship ever hijacked, is recovering from the ordeal in his
AN amateur dramatic group is taking to the stage with two Ronnies but it won’t be a goodnight from me and a goodnight from him. Durham Dramatic Society is staging Terrence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy, which tells the true story of a young naval cadet
NEWCASTLE Falcons reached the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup with a convincing bonus-point win at El Salvador. The Falcons ran in seven tries in Spain to move above Overmach Parma with a 43-14 victory which booked their place away to Saracens
THE recession has hit a new super-council before it has started life because its investments are not earning as much interest as rates plummet because of the credit crunch. Durham County Council will become a unitary council in April, providing services
A HOUSING association has won the contract to carry our repairs to help old and vulnerable people living in their own home. Durham City-based Three Rivers will provide a handyperson and minor adaptations service from April 1 for Durham County Council
A CANADIAN artist known for her animation work on hit films has opened an exhibition featuring views of her new home in the North-East Rebecca Barclay, who has worked on Walt Disney classics and the Christmas favourite The Snowman, has settled with
NORTH-East firefighters have become the first in the country to use a high-tech digital radio system. The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service switched off its old analogue network in December and is now using Firelink, which will eventually
PLANS to demolish miners’ retirement bungalows and build replacements on the same site have won the backing of councillors. The Durham Aged Mineworkers Homes Association wants to raze the 12 Edwardian-style cottages at the George Parkinson Memorial
BUS travellers can now go on-line to see where services run to and at what time. A new interactive map that includes detailed bus routes in County Durham’s principal towns and has timetables for all local services has been installed on Durham County
A CHARITY that helps people with visual impairments is hoping to recruit volunteers to help with its work. The County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted has appointed Carol McAllister as its new Volunteer Co-ordinator. Her main
A HOUSING company is inviting tenants to its latest board meeting this week. East Durham Homes, which runs council housing in Easington, meets on Thursday (January29) at 6pm in the Glebe Centre, Murton. On the agenda will be the Board Training
A MIDDLE-aged man who went missing for almost 24 hours was found after a major search involving police, rescue volunteers and lifeboat crews. Police in County Durham put out an appeal after Keith Michael Hope, 54, of Glebe Terrace, Easington Colliery
SUNDERLAND'S FA Cup fourth-round replay at Blackburn will take place on Wednesday, February 4 (ko 8pm). Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Tuesday either in person at the Stadium of Light on via the ticket hotline (0871 911 1973). Tickets are priced
NEWLY-promoted Championship club Gateshead Thunder have appointed a Geordie as their new head coach. Newcastle-born Chris Hood, 28, an academy player in Gateshead's solitary season in Super League 1999, is the successor to Australian Dave Woods - who
