A MAN with his finger stuck in his car's petrol filler cap had to be rescued by firefighters tonight. Crews were called to North Hylton Road in Sunderland around 5pm. The man had apparently been working on the car and dropped an item
THE World Health Organisation tonight raised its alert level following the outbreak of swine flu to phase five. Director General of the organisation Dr Margaret Chan said that, on the positive side, the world was better prepared for an influenza
TWO people were taken to hospital after a car overturned. The incident happened just after 7pm on Leeholme Road, Leeholme, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham. A woman was released before the arrival of the fire brigade and taken to Darlington Memorial
It was a pleasure to be at the Npower North East Disability Awards at Durham County Cricket Club this afternoon. It is one of my favourite events of the year because the stories which emerge are so inspiring. It is an occasion which makes you think
The story for tomorrow morning's Headline Game on TFM radio is about a row between Devon and Cornwall over pasties. The row broke out after a Devon company won a national award for its "Cornish Pasty". Pasty manufacturers in Cornwall lodged an objection
Defender Tony McMahon has signed a new, three-year deal at Middlesbrough. His previous deal was due to expire at the end of the current campaign and last night penned a contract to stay. Evenwood-born, McMahon has made 38 senior appearances since graduating
THE old Ibiza started to show its age long before Seat announced it was going to get an overhaul. Now, like an ageing model after a visit to the plastic surgeon, the new Ibiza has hit the streets and while it’s not quite a million dollars, it
The Government said today there would be no permanent increase in British troop numbers in Afghanistan once a temporary ‘‘surge’’ for the presidential elections was over. In the Commons, Gordon Brown confirmed plans agreed at the Nato 60th anniversary
POLICE are appealing for help in tracing a woman who took clothes from two high street stores. The woman went into Fat Face, on High Street, Durham, at about 4pm on Saturday, February 28. She picked out two items of clothing and went into a changing
SHOPPERS will be able to bag a bargain and help save the environment when a campaign to protect an east Durham beauty spot is launched this week. People visiting Seaham on Friday will be offered free canvas shopping bags in a bid to cut the amount
WORK will start next month to improve a former railway line, now a popular route for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. The nine-mile line through open countryside from Broompark, on the edge of Durham City, to Bishop Auckland is to have £28,000 of
A POST office has been congratulated for its teamwork after picking up an award at its regional awards. Mowden Park Post Office, in Fulthorpe Avenue, Darlington, will go forward to the national finals for the People's Post Office Awards. The post office
COUNCIL plans to take on powers for fining illegal parkers have been criticised by a leading councillor. Liberal Democrat Coun Peter Freitag said the policy would penalise motorists, whereas the authoritys focus should be on providing better
COUNCIL auditors have criticised the performance of waste management and recycling services in Darlington. Inspectors gave Darlington Borough Council an overall rating of "excellent" in their annual report, with top scores in a range of key areas including
THE library in Northallerton will be holding a special session about British Sign Language during Deaf Awareness Week which begins on May 4. Nearly 15 per cent of the population has some degree of deafness and British Sign Language is the first or preferred
The Spanish government has confirmed a case of swine flu in a victim who has not visited Mexico - the first person to be infected outside North America. Officials said the victim had, however, been in contact with someone who had recently returned from
THIEVES have put motorists and pedestrians at risk by steeling drain covers from an industrial estate. Over the weekend 19 cast iron drain covers were taken from Aycliffe Business Park, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, leaving unmarked holes in the
DANCE students will be performing in Ripon Cathedral at the culmination of a ground-breaking arts programme with the world-renowned Rambert Dance Company. The two-year arts-in-education programme Aspire has been the first of its kind in North
A MODEL railway club that is based in a pub cellar will move into the bar this weekend for its fourth annual exhibition. The Grand Model Railway Club will hold the event in The Grand, on South Church Road, Bishop Auckland. It will be
OUTDATED street lights are set to be replaced after councillors approved new funding. Darlington Borough Council's cabinet has approved plans to spend £30,600 every year for quarter of a century to replace concrete lamp columns. The
A CHILDCARE worker sent a damning email to bosses after she was suspended for allegedly advertising herself as an escort, a court heard today. Mandy Graham, 46, demanded a good reference from Northumberland County Council and threatened to distribute
THE family of a father-of-one who was murdered as he confronted a mob outside his home won an appeal for compensation today. Kevin Johnson's family have finally been awarded £5,500 - half of what they could have won - after being turned down
The Speaker (BBC2, 8pm) The Apprentice (BBC1, 9pm) Extraordinary People: Octopus Man (five, 9pm) THOSE who gain the impression that teenagers today communicate solely by grunting and texting will have been pleasantly surprised by The Speaker.
PLANNING applications are set to be made available online to speed up the process and make it easier for residents and councillors to add their comments. A review group from Darlington Borough Council has worked for more than a year to draw up a list
I HAD the title song of Fame going through my head all day in anticipation of the evening’s performance. I had watched every one of the TV episodes in the Eighties and I loved it. The live show seems to have lost the angst and rejection of student
POLICE have finally identified a body that was dragged out of a North Yorkshire canal more than five weeks ago. He was a Chinese national who had been living in the UK illegally and under a false name since 2001 His real name was Cai Guan Chen and his
A CENTENARIAN passenger shared his birthday with a Dial a Ride service celebrating its first anniversary of business. Sid Unthank, who is at the centre of a family celebration for his 100th birthday, loves his regular trips on the bus with his friend
PARENTS across Darlington are paying different amounts for meals depending where their children go to school. A council study in to the quality of lunch meals has found that schools charge different fees for the same food. A small group of councillors
IT was a very special return for Errington Primary School's retired deputy headteacher Linda Staples when she came back to officially open the school's £1.5m new look. She was delighted to be chosen to cut the ceremonial ribbon on a day of celebration
ONE OF Graham Onions’ first instincts on hearing of his selection in the England Test squad yesterday was to speak up for his Durham colleague Steve Harmison, who was overlooked. After regaining his England place at the end of last summer following an
Elen Rives should use her split with Frank Lampard as an opportunity to do something useful with her life. GOOD grief. It’s as if the last 50 years hadn’t happened... Elen Rives, former partner of Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard is
THERE would be much talk of Onions bringing tears to Somerset’s eyes at Taunton today. Durham’s Graham Onions celebrated his call-up to the England Test squad by taking six for 31 as Somerset subsided to a paltry 69 all out and had to follow
THE body of a oil worker who vanished from a North Sea oil platform has been found following an underwater search. Martin Lindsay, 51, described as being from "the Cleveland area", went missing from the Beryl Alpha platform early on Tuesday
A connoisseur of puns himself, the column is full of admiration for some tribute bands’ ingenious names. IT was just a twopence ha’penny line in last Tuesday’s “News in brief” column. Shildon Civic Hall was to stage a tribute band called Oasish.
A MAN who started out as a trainee with builders’ merchant JT Dove 22 years ago has been named as the manager of its new £1.5m North-East base. Martin Jakolins has been named as general manager of the 1.6 acre site in Stockton, which opened
THE recent increase in female business start-ups in the North-East is being reflected through entries to the If We Can, You Can challenge, it was revealed yesterday. Figures show a 17 per cent growth in the region over the past year, a fact which
FASHIONABLE students have designs on raising hundreds of pounds for a cancer charity. More than 75 textile students from Northallerton College, plan to strut their stuff in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. The GCSE, A and AS-level students will be dressing
A FACILITIES firm has pledged to redesign a North- East youth drop-in centre for free to help keep it afloat. The West End Youth Enquiry Service project, run by charity Children North-East, has been operating out of a rundown Victorian building
POLICE have finally identified a body that was dragged out of a North Yorkshire canal more than five weeks ago. He was a Chinese national who had been living in the UK illegally and under a false name since 2001 His real name was Cai Guan Chen and his
DIGITAL jewellery which can maintain the bond between couples when they are apart, and a high-tech kitchen which can help elderly or disabled people maintain independence, could become realities through a £12m North-East digital technology centre
HOW’s this for an idea which could prove to be a money-spinner for someone? A stopwatch which cannot be reset to zero, but which can be switched on and off under different headings like a computer or mobile phone. Over time, it could record accumulative
RE CT Riley’s comment that we should forget about the Thatcher period and think instead about the present plight of victims of repossession (HAS, April 22). He’s missing the point. The train of events that has produced all this trauma was started
FOR Jonny Britton, despite his strong academic qualifications, big salary and the perks of his high-flying jobs in the property industry, he quickly realised that working for someone else was not for him. After nine months, he realised he
A CLEANING company set up by a North-East mother and daughter has taken on another family member as its first employee. Scrubba’s was set up by cleaner Adele Whitfield and her unemployed mother Brenda to offer a full cleaning service for commercial
I REFER to recent disclosures of lavish expenses, and lifestyles to match, that clearly demonstrate how many MPs are serving themselves, both here in Westminster and Brussels. Funded by the taxpayer, their extravagance confirms what many of us
I WAS so happy to read Ann Allison’s letter (HAS, some editions, April 27) regarding the hard work she and fellow staff members put in for the St George’s Day celebrations at Asda, in Spennymoor. Serving their customers lashings of beef and pork
ON a recent visit to our local hospital outpatient department there was a woman with a terrible cough. This is an area with very little ventilation other than relying on doors opening and shutting. It has happened before when I have been in outpatients
THIS year’s Budget began to unravel within minutes of the Chancellor sitting down. The focus now is rightly on the eye-watering debt levels and total failure to address our financial problems. Locally, the Tees Valley was denied the opportunity
I WAS disgusted to read your article about ten-year-old Morgan Bell, who was banned from playing with his schoolfriends during break and lunchtime at Usworth Colliery Primary School, near Washington, Wearside, because his hair was too short (Echo
WE were all fascinated by the pandemic that wasn’t (bird flu) and the resultant swathes of potential victims that ignored the pleas of the media and didn’t die. However, readers’ interest must now be roused by the latest panic – swine flu (Echo
I WAS delighted when it was decided to award service badges to the Bevin Boys, who served in coal mines during the Second World War. They were introduced to the industry under a scheme initiated in response to an increasing shortage of labour
THE Budget has set in motion an agenda for the General Election. New Labour brought an end to traditional “class politics”, with little difference between the two main political parties – but the picture is changing. Today, the Tories
RE Ralph Musgrave’s letter about speeding (HAS, April 27). Although I don’t condone speeding, I think there are more accidents caused by incompetent drivers who shouldn’t be let anywhere near a car, never mind on the road, rather than by speeding
RE your story about the province of Alberta, Canada, using a Northumberland beach picture to promote tourism (Echo, April 25). Of course, it wasn’t a Canadian beach scene. There weren’t any seal pups being bludgeoned to death. D Reed, Eaglescliffe
THE Prime Minister’s decision to scrap plans for a daily “clocking-on fee” for MPs has left the whole issue of Parliamentary expenses in an even more shambolic state. Gordon Brown announced the proposals on YouTube, apparently without consulting
Lindsay Wagner was one of TV’s most popular actresses as the Bionic Woman, but was more interested in opening the minds of viewers than defeating the bad guys. She tells Steve Pratt how she’s continuing her work running holistic workshops
PINK wowed North-East fans last night during a highenergy show at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena. The R&B singersongwriter, best known for hits such as Get The Party Started, Just Like a Pill and Don’t Let Me Get Me, was in the region
STEELMAKER Corus last night denied reports that a buyer for its Teesside business could be set to pull out, putting 2,000 jobs at risk. In January, Corus agreed to sell a majority stake in its plant at Redcar, Teesside, to a consortium led
THREE more cases of swine flu have been confirmed in England, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today. A 12-year-old girl from Torbay, Cornwall, and adults in Birmingham and London have the virus. Mr Brown confirmed the latest cases during
McLaren has received a suspended three race ban for misleading stewards at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this month. The team was called to the Paris headquarters of the International Automobile Federation this morning. McLaren were charged with
ALAN BERRY’S stable star Look Busy came out on top in a thrilling finish to the Listed EBF Lansdown Fillies’ Stakes at Bath. The daughter of Danetime enjoyed a fantastic year in 2008 with victories in Group Three and Listed company featuring
PATKAI can warm up for his likely Cup campaign with victory in the Woodcote Stud Sagaro Stakes at Ascot. The four-year-old shaped as a highly promising stayer last term and he will be returning to the scene of his greatest triumph for this Group
TONY Jeffries knows his second professional bout to be considerably tougher than his first – but the Sunderland fighter is expecting the outcome to be the same at Crowtree Leisure Centre on Saturday night. Jeffries made a blistering start to
Yorkshire v Worcestershire, County Championship Day One YORKSHIRE completed their first century opening partnership in the County Championship for nearly two years, but in the end rain left them frustrated after day one of their opening home fixture
Somerset v Durham, County Championship: Day One TO put things into perspective, Somerset were woeful yesterday. They took a huge gamble by preparing a result pitch and putting Durham in, only to bowl dreadfully in the morning and drop six catches
As the cinemas pack in the crowds for the highly anticipated blockbuster movie ‘Wolverine – X-Men Origins’, the ever popular, animated incarnation of the iconic Marvel hero lives on. The original ‘X-Men’ cartoon series was a huge hit in the 90’
A FILM highlighting a campaign to prevent a multi-million pound development scheme will be screened in the House of Commons. Teesside film-maker Craig Hornby made Coatham: A Common Concern to highlight a five-year fight to prevent the development
The seventh North East Disability Sports Achievement Awards take place at Durham's Riverside cricket ground this afternoon and I'm honoured to be a guest. It's always an inspiring event and I'm looking forward to presenting one of the awards. A report
A BELOVED pet, originally rescued from the back streets of Bahrain, has been returned to the bosom of his family after going missing nearly five months ago. Ali Cat, a jet black tom cat, was brought to the UK from the Persian Gulf state in
We were spoilt for choice in this morning's Headline Game on TFM radio. The story was about a chihuahua which was blown away by a freak gust of wind in Michigan. We had 11 headlines to choose from and the selection, in order of excellence
THE mother of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has broken her silence to issue a heartrending plea for help in tracing her daughter. Mother-of-two Joan Lawrence spoke in public for the first time since 35-year-old Miss Lawrence failed to turn up
SHADOW foreign secretary William Hague stressed the importance of the hire industry to the economy when he opened a new depot in the region. Richmond MP Mr Hague opened Yorkshire-based SHC Hire Centre’s new depot in Northallerton, North Yorkshire
DURHAM pace bowler Graham Onions has been named in the England 12 for the first npower Test match against the West Indies which starts at Lord's on Wednesday. Onions joins fellow Durham player Paul Collingwood in the England squad, but there is no place
A NEW national screening drive that aims to reduce the number of sudden deaths among young people will be launched this weekend. Housed in a mobile trailer, doctors and nurses backed by the Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry) charity will begin a
A MAJOR scheme to improve a rural village hall has been boosted with a National Lottery grant for £10,000. The Crakehall Village Hall committee, near to Bedale, has been given the funds under the Lottery’s Awards for All scheme. The
A COUNCIL has been accused of unfairness when it approved a controversial quarry extension. Durham County Council backed Lafarge Aggregates’ plan to extend Thrislington Quarry east of the A1(M) in October last year. Objector Eric Potts, of Bishop
YOUNGSTERS are flexing their muscles as they help transform their own school playground. Pupils at St Peter's Primary School in Brotton, who helped design the new playground, will now assist in putting the plans into practice with the help of volunteers
DARLINGTON complete their campaign at Chester City on Saturday, but their biggest match of the season comes a day later when Quakers stage a game to raise desperately needed funds. And assistant manager Martin Gray is appealing for Darlington
IT had been billed as a mustwin game, but Danny Guthrie still feels the point earned against Portsmouth on Monday could prove crucial to Newcastle’s chances of staying in the Premier League. The Magpies extended their winless run to nine matches
AFTER chairman Niall Quinn asked for more vociferous support, midfielder Andy Reid last night made his own attempts to win back the fans by reaffirming that the players care about Sunderland’s struggles. The angry travelling support at The Hawthorns
GIANFRANCO ZOLA has emerged as the early frontrunner for the signature of Middlesbrough’s Matthew Bates. Bates is no nearer to signing a new contract at the Riverside Stadium and West Ham United have indicated to the player’s representatives
HUNDREDS of the region’s part-time soldiers face the axe in a shake-up designed to make the Territorial Army better prepared for war. The posts will be lost from signals units in Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Newcastle, whose technology
VETERANS of one of the most hard-fought battles of the Second World War gathered yesterday to remember thousands of their comrades who died 65 years ago. More than 20 survivors of the Battle of Kohima gathered in York, to mark the anniversary
THE victim of an alleged sex assault tearfully told a court that she despises the man accused of carrying out the attack. Giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Leonard Michael Young, the teenage girl told Durham Crown Court that
COMPETITORS from across the country will be visiting a County Durham pony show at the weekend. The Dales Pony Society Spring Stallion and Breed Show will take place at Streatlam Farm, near Barnard Castle on Saturday. More than 150 ponies
THE Prince of Wales witnessed an “unlikely” new vision for Venice yesterday – parts of the island could soon resemble Middlesbrough. Business leaders believe the Italian island city, famed for its Renaissance architecture, could learn from the
THE “grotesque” killing of a North-East teenager, found burnt alive in a wood, was inspired by a spoof horror film, a court heard yesterday. The decomposed body of 17- year-old Simon Everitt, originally from Escomb, near Bishop Auckland, was
PROSECUTORS have dropped the cases against 50 motorists who denied speeding on the A66. The decision has prompted calls for officials to clear hundreds of drivers who had admitted the offence. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says it will
TEDDIES took over a nursery in Teesdale at the weekend as children, families and teachers attended an open day. The Teddy bears picnic at the Small World Nursery in Staindrop, near Barnard Castle was attended by more than 40 families, all armed
A COUNCIL has been accused of maladministration and unfairness when it approved a controversial quarry extension. The former Durham County Council backed Lafarge Aggregates’ plan to extend its Thrislington Quarry east of the A1(M) last October
FOUR in ten Britons could catch the deadly swine flu virus within the next six months, leading health officials said. Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) taskforce which raised the alert over the outbreak
