Archive

COMMUTERS travelling to and from Darlington are reminded to be extra cautious when driving on the A66 tonight. Weather conditions are not good. Plenty of heavy rain is bouncing off windscreens. This affects visibility and road safety.

A WOMAN needed treatment by paramedics after an attempted robbery by a teenager on a bicycle. The 39-year-old was attacked as she went to visit friends in Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street on Sunday. At around 6.30pm, when she was

Change of mind over the Headline Game on TFM radio. We're going with a story about a woman who was accidentally shot while on a hotel toilet in Florida. Janifer Bliss was hit in the lower leg when the woman in the next cubicle dropped her gun and it

A MAN was taken to hospital tonight after suffering internal injuries from a road traffic accident on the A66. The accident, involving a car and a large goods vehicle, happened at Cross Lanes, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, at about 7.50pm

Top Cockfield mechanic Neville (Chevy) Wright, steered two classic Mercedes motors to success at a national car show. Car fanatic Neville won five accolades at the Mercedes Benz Club’s National Concours event in Milton Keynes, and was the only competitor

The story I fancy for tomorrow morning's Headline Game on TFM radio is about a Chinese trucker who has been fined for having a shower while driving his lorry on a motorway. The driver had a sprinkler kettle rigged up above his head in the cab of his

HUNDREDS of mourners are expected to attend the funeral of a businessman from the region, who died when a passenger plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Middlesbrough-born Arthur Coakley, from Sandsend, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, was on

THE organisers of a charity football match to raise money for Sir Bobby Robson's cancer charity have hit out at reports that tickets are not selling. Former Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby, who is fighting cancer for the fifth time, will be

PUPILS are helping to shape plans for their future school. Durham County Council plans to build a new school to replace Spennymoor Comprehensive School and Tudhoe Grange School. Both have surplus places and the buildings are in need of repair so will

Thousands of people lined the streets of a Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, to pay their respects to eight British soldiers killed during the Army's bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan. Among the servicemen repatriated were five soldiers from 2nd

A FULLY decorated Christmas tree complete with snow greeted visitors to this year's Flower Hall. The novel idea, which included vegetables wrapped in fleece, saw the National Farmers' Union (NFU) win the supreme champoionship for the best entry for the

FEARS that electronic identification (EID) of sheep could hit trade were voiced at the show. David Airey, chairman of the West Riding branch of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said he had "grave concerns" about the technology which will be introduced

FARMERS' leader Peter Kendall had an upbeat message for the industry. Agriculture was fairing better than other industries through the recession and it had also benefited from the currency which made imports expensive and exports cheaper. The public

A THREE-day music event is taking over the centre of Bishop Auckland and the grounds of the Bishop of Durham’s home Auckland Castle this week. Organisers of an annual Proms in the Park concert have teamed up with BRASS: Durham International Festival

A SPORTS festival for south Durham primary schools will be the first project to be funded through a new community grants scheme. Council house management company Dale & Valley Homes has given £500 to the Three Towns Partnership Community Games being

HARTLEPOOL’S mayor is urging organisations to offer offenders a fresh start in life while paying for their crimes. Stuart Drummond has joined forces with the National Probation Service Teesside to promote personal placements. The placements enable offenders

A NEW information card detailing the positive side to Middlesbrough has been distributed to businesses. lovemiddlesbrough has produced 2,000 "Z" cards to highlight key facts in an effort to move away from the negative issues affecting the town. The

A HIDDEN historic gem has been opened up to locals and tourists with the launch of a new tearoom, which has created eight part-time jobs. Grays Court, situated just inside York’s famous walls, near Monk Bar, dates back to 1080, and was commissioned

A POPULAR police officer has left his rural beat after earning a transfer to a public protection role. PC Lee Featherstone, who has worked in Bedale, North Yorkshire, for several years, has moved to North Yorkshire Police headquarters, at Newby

POLICE in Stockton have taken part in a national campaign targeting goods vehicles. Operation Mermaid took place on the A19 southbound at Portrack, in Stockton, between 6pm and 10pm on July 6 and was run in partnership with VOSA, HM Revenue and Customs

VULNERABLE people across Teesside are to be given more support with the help of two new specialist units. Cleveland Police is providing the vulnerability units, one for the north of the area and the other for the south. They will each house a team of

A MIDDLESBROUGH environment charity has been overwhelmed with donations to help with a community project - after an appeal in The Northern Echo. Middlesbrough Environment City ‘s growing together project was on the lookout for plant pots and other gardening

A VILLAGE primary school closed this morning for the rest of the summer term because of an outbreak of suspected swine flu cases. A total of 68 pupils and five teachers at High Coniscliffe Primary School phoned in absent this morning prompting Darlington

A WOMAN needed treatment by paramedics after an attempted robbery by a teenager on a bicycle. The 39-year-old was attacked as she went to visit friends in Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street on Sunday. At around 6.30pm, when she was near Beamish Transport

FOOTBALL fans will get the chance to quiz members of their club's new regime including its manager and chairman. Darlington FC's new boss Colin Todd and chairman-elect Raj Singh will be among the panel at a fans' forum next month. Mr Singh has decided

FOOTBALL fans will get the chance to quiz members of their clubs new regime including its manager and chairman. Darlington FC's new boss Colin Todd and chairman-elect Raj Singh will be among the panel at a fans' forum next month. Mr Singh has decided

PUPILS have set up an enterprising food business as part of their studies. Students from across a range of courses at Branksome School, in Darlington, have combined to set up the project. Students taking construction and rural studies have built an

AN INDEPENDENT candidate who is running for a seat on a tiny parish council which has been targeted by far right extremists has outlined his policies. Steven Mitford hopes to win a seat on Whessoe Parish Council so he can represent the village he has

A MAJOR consultation programme is being launched which will have a far-reaching influence on the road network of England’s biggest county. North Yorkshire has a highways network of more than 9,000 kilometres - equivalent to the distance from the UK to

POLICE are combing a North-East beauty spot in the hunt for a 37-year-old man who has been missing for more than 24 hours. Search teams are in the Horden Dene area of County Durham, as concern grows for welfare of self-employed plasterer Adrian Welsh

TWO teachers at a south Durham school are taking on gruelling sports challenges in the name of good causes. Parkside Sports College’s Allan Langford, deputy headteacher, and Guy Gray, sport subject leader, are asking individuals or businesses

A PARAMEDIC who diverted an ambulance containing a 999 patient who later died has quit his job. Father-of-four Ali Asghar, 69, died soon after arriving at the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, after the paramedic, 53, drove the ambulance

TRANSPORT group National Express has made £500m running its rail operations despite receiving £2.5bn in public subsidy, MPs were told today. The firm, which has refused to fund the loss-making East Coast Main Line beyond the next few months, has "ripped

A drug treatment centre will hold an open day to calm fears among traders who felt its visitors were affecting business. The Castlebridge Centre, in Bishop Auckland, hopes a tour of the discreet service will ease concerns among town centre shopkeepers

HUNDREDS of mourners are expected to attend the funeral of a businessman from the region, who died when a passenger plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Middlesbrough-born Arthur Coakley, from Sandsend, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, was on

A JURY has cleared a police officer of unlawful wounding after he repeatedly punched a suspect in the face during an arrest. But it was revealed today by force bosses that PC Simon Atkins could still face disciplinary measures as a result of the incident

A FORMER Dambuster will be taking part in a gathering of Bomber Command veterans this weekend. Ray Grayston was the flight engineer on the Lancaster bomber which successfully attacked and breached Germany’s Eder dam in the famous 617 Squadron

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a suspected arson at a student flat. Someone smashed a window at a home on Laburnum Avenue, in Durham, before pulling the curtains out and setting them alight. The fire destroyed the curtains and caused smoke

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a suspected arson at a student flat. Someone smashed a window at a home on Laburnum Avenue, in Durham, before pulling the curtains out and setting them alight. The fire destroyed the curtains and caused smoke

A JOBLESS heroin addict who sold drugs on the streets to fund his habit and “top-up” his benefits was today jailed for three years. Paul Boyes was caught by police with six £10 wraps hidden inside a Kinder egg secreted between his buttocks in Middlesbrough

A TOWN’S heritage has gone on display - in the form of an archway across one its smallest ginnels. The arch in Bakers Alley, Thirsk, shows off the town’s roots in agriculture and racing. It includes a drover from a local milestone and

PRIMARY school meal prices across North Yorkshire have been frozen, in an effort to help families struggling against the recession and boost the uptake in the service. The charge for a meal is being fixed at £2, with the discounted charge of £1.80 for

THE spirit of the Forties will be recaptured at the weekend, when hundreds of history enthusiasts converge on a heritage railway for two days of nostalgia. The Wensleydale Railway, which runs from Leeming Bar to Redmire, in North Yorkshire,

Your correspondent was surprised and delighted to receive a letter from Adrian Braddy, editor of the Teesdale Mercury recently. In it he says "I am delighted to inform you that a picture of yours has been selected for next year's Teesdale Mercury

A FAMOUS swing bridge is to be temporarily closed to allow essential works to be carried out. Electrical and hydraulic components of the 100-year-old swing bridge at Whitby need to be uograded. To ensure the work can be carried out safely

THE headteacher of a North Yorkshire school is retiring after 16 years of looking after the school and it’s pupils. Colin Dolman has been headteacher at South Otterington Community Primary School, near Northallerton, since it opened in 1993, and has

A SURVEY measuring the impact of litter, dog fouling and other neighbourhood nuisances on the lives of residents will help focus efforts to spruce up an east Durham village. Durham County Council is carrying out the research in Easington Colliery

Sublime victory in this morning's Headline Game on TFM radio. The story was about a meteorite, found in the Hambleton Hills in North Yorkshire, being expected to fetch £90,000 at auction. "The price is meteorite" was our headline (I pointed out that

This Thursday evening the Scunthorpe Scorpions visit the South Tees Motorsport Park at 7.30pm for the first leg of the second round of the Knockout Cup competition but with one key figure missing. For in the early hours of Monday morning the Leven-based

CHILDREN teamed up with a charity to select items for a time capsule that has been embedded in a new stone seat. And the pupils from the Methodist primary school in Richmond joined those who have been involved in the construction of the seat

A SOCIAL club in north Durham has raised more than £1,000 for members of the military wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. Charity events at Dipton Workingmen's Club has raised of £1,366 for Help for Heroes. Club chairman Dave Cleghorn said members had

PUPILS and staff at a North Yorkshire school have celebrated the opening of a new extension by creating a handmade mosaic to decorate the space. The extension to Great Smeaton School has created a new entrance hall and extra teaching areas that allow

A PROFESSIONAL cricketer from Sri Lanka visited a school in the region to offer coaching sessions to pupils. Mahesh Rajaratne, from Kandy, visited Bedale High School, where he shared his experiences of the game with some of the youngsters.

One of the most common complaints I receive as editor is that we don't publish enough positive news about young people. That's why I always enjoy being involved in school award evenings, which celebrate the achievements of students. Tonight, I'm guest

HANNA and Ned’s ordinary life changes dramatically when their parents take them on holiday to Malaysia, their mother’s birthplace. Their destination is the remote island where mum and dad first fell in love...but the romance quickly turns to catastrophe

THESE two little books, generously illustrated in black-and-white, are sure to please very young children who want a more substantial story than picture books can offer. Each contains three linked domestic tales which can be read aloud either in

ABI’S visit to see her dad in a North-East dale takes a sinister but exciting turn when she investigates the true story of the local witch, Jane Wake. Suddenly magic is in the air, strange forces are unleashed, the centuries roll back and Abi and

NEWCASTLE have reacted with dismay after being told by the Football Association that they cannot proceed with a friendly against Dutch side FC Utrecht at the end of the month. The Magpies, preparing for life in the Coca-Cola Championship after

MOST classical myths portray the great heroes as monster-defying paragons of masculinity, but this wonderful novel shows one at least in a different light and introduces readers to a woman who was surely their equal. Queen Dido is sole ruler of

CHRIS Mills in Butterknowle has just bought this "rampant horse" at auction in Darlington. It is rearing up over the word "Invicta", and a sticker above it says "Eddisons Whessoe Rd roller". It comes from an Aveling and Porter road roller. Thomas Aveling

FROM her early years as an RAF child and her flat-sharing antics with Jennifer Saunders, to her outspoken views on sizeism and her marriage to Lenny Henry, this book chronicles the extraordinary, hilarious rise of a complex, dynamic and unstoppable

IN A dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at crumbling Hundreds Hall, home to the Ayres family. But is the family haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? From a wonderful writer

WHEN Audrey makes a devastating discovery about her husband, New York radical lawyer Joel Litvinoff, she is forced to re-examine everything she thought she knew about their 40-year marriage. And in the course of battling their own demons and each

BENEATH the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada’s cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city’s shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet cafe, a chance conversation and an intriguing

ALL Michael Parkinson really wanted to do was play cricket for Yorkshire and England. Instead, television beckoned and for three decades Parkinson interviewed the movers and shakers of the late 20th Century. In Parky he recalls a full life with

AN extraordinary and dramatic depiction of the legendary battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415, St Crispin’s Day. Cornwell skilfully brings to life the hours of relentless fighting, the desperation of an army crippled by disease and the exceptional

JAMES Bond is back in a thrilling new adventure. It’s the swinging Sixties and a flood of narcotics is pouring into Britain. Sinister industrialist Dr Julius Gorner is identified as the source and James Bond is dispatched to investigate.

THE SPENNYMOOR TIMEPIECE It stands in the tower above the Town Hall With four large faces on view At each quarter we hear its rhythmical jingle To remind us another striking hour is due. For many years it has remained aloft Hearing

As youngsters alight from their carriages for the prom, the column enjoys some brilliant beer and fine food just a limo’s length away. WE’D surreptitiously been drinking in the Wear Valley Hotel for two years, and around the stove in the Vulcan

THE double dip merchants have seen some success in their predictions, but not as significant as hoped, as the stock market encountered a tricky start this month. Doom and gloom have had the upper hand, but before any falls in value could approach

ONE of the founders of Centrica target Venture Production has urged fellow shareholders to hold out for at least £1.5bn from the British Gas owner. With a 7.4 per stake in the North Sea oil and gas company, Larry Kinch said the strength of

A £20M factory making underwater cables for the world’s largest wind farm has been officially opened. Last year, JDR Cables announced it was developing an umbilical cable manufacturing facility in the deep-water berth at Hartlepool dock. About

A DISUSED factory site could be turned into one of the most environmentallyfriendly and sustainable developments in the country. The City of York Council is considering a bid for £6m in Government funding to transform the old British Sugar site,

The intricate and turbulent emotional life of stepfamilies is the subject of Teesdale writer Anne Fine’s latest adult novel. And once again, she has come up with a suitably horrid heroine. Sharon Griffiths catches up with her. TRICKY things

● At least 1.4 million pensioners must work in their retirement to make ends meet, says Dean Mirfin at equity-release specialist financial advisor Key Retirement Solutions. He says 17 per cent of pensioner households earned income from work in

WHEN the world’s financial markets crumpled last year, many small investors might have felt safe in the knowledge they had money salted away in with-profits policies held at big insurance companies. These supposedly “bombproof” investments are

THE Mandale Group, owner of Newcastle’s prestigious West One building, has let the entire 10,000 sq ft top floor to Balfour Beatty for ten years. The West One building is located at Forth Banks, between The Central Station and The Quayside. It

A FAMILY lighting business has expanded its operations. Castlegate Lights has moved to Stokesley, North Yorkshire, after nearly 30 years in Middlesbrough and Stockton, where trade had declined. The showroom, on the Terry Dicken Industrial Estate

A CONSTRUCTION company is turning into something of a family affair with six fathers working alongside their children. Whelan, based in Gosforth, Newcastle, has five fathers and sons working together, and one father and daughter. Construction

LAW firm trainees scored an impressive double when they took on accountants and engineers in an inter-firm trophy. The Dickinson Dees squad won round one of the Prospects Cup, a national inter-firm business game for graduates and professional trainees

A LAW firm has played a significant role in helping some of the most high-profile computer games in the market to be converted for mobile phones. Laura Harper, an associate in North-East based Ward Hadaway’s intellectual property team, who specialises

A SPECIALIST repair company from County Durham is likely to increase turnover to £2.5m and create jobs after winning work on another of the UK’s most highprofile buildings. Darlington-based Stone Technical Services has secured a contract to carry

LAW firm Sintons has expanded its commercial group for the second time in weeks with an appointment from a rival Newcastle legal practice. Jamie Corcoran, from Ward Hadaway, has amassed a strong reputation in his field and is described in Chambers

A CUMBRIAN law firm is making its first advances into the North-East by opening a base in Newcastle. Burnetts Solicitors, from Carlisle, is defying the cutbacks seen in many legal firms to open an office on Newcastle’s Quayside, to develop and

JUDICIAL review is often talked about – and feared – but rarely understood. Put simply, it is a mechanism by which decision-making by public authorities can be challenged in the High Court. The power to apply for a judicial review remedy is a prerogative

SAUSAGE-MAKER Debbie and Andrew’s has won a deal to supply three varieties of its sausages to a convenience store chain. The company, which started in the kitchen at Debbie and Andrew Keeble’s farm near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and is

THE necessity for businesses to find ways to publicise themselves in the economic downturn is having a positive impact for an online search specialist. Infoserve said that during the recession, increasing numbers of retailers and small ventures

A CONSTRUCTION firm has won a contract to build a production and clean room at a technology park. North-East firm Surgo Construction has been appointed to the project at NETPark, near Sedgefield, County Durham. The company, appointed by Durham

Freefall (BBC2,9pm); Coast (BBC2, 8pm); Property Snakes and Ladders (C4, 8pm); How To Be Old (BBC4, 9pm). WRITER-DIRECTOR Dominic Savage says that his films are about confronting life’s realities, not escaping them. So there are no happy

THE price of petrol at the pumps has nothing to do with the price of oil on the world market. The big supermarkets control the price; this was proved last Thursday when Asda reduced it to below £1 a litre. Lo and behold, every main garage and

AT their latest G8 meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, world leaders came up with a brilliant plan. Mankind must now control the weather and make sure that world temperatures don’t rise by more than two degrees Celsius compared with 1900. And, of course

RE your recent correspondence about headlights (HAS, July 6, 9 and 10). How is it inconsiderate using dipped headlights during daylight? How does it cause problems? The fact is that any vehicle using dipped headlights, at any time, is much more

ON Wednesday, July 8, I was on my way home on my electric scooter at about 4pm. A man drove past me and shouted out of his car windows that I was not allowed on the road. This happened as I was going along Station Road, Darlington. At that point

IN vitro derived (IVD) sperm is just the latest development in stem cell research which has been commanding such media and public attention in recent years and is at the forefront of medical research. While I sympathise with couples who are unable

CAN we all sleep a little easier knowing that Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs is to remain in prison? Justice Secretary Jack Straw overruled a parole board recommendation to release Biggs as he had shown no remorse for his crime. Almost 80 years

TALK of the closure of local newspapers came home to me last Friday as I was reading The Northern Echo. On just two pages, we had your excellent Comment article, the always readable columnist Ray Mallon with his usual shrewd insight and the lovely

THE ten-day period up to last Friday should have been an eye-opener for our MPs regarding the equipment, or more to the point, the lack of the necessary equipment, which has led to the deaths of 15 of our Armed Forces in Afghanistan. We are sending

THE First Ashes Test, which ended on Sunday in Cardiff, was what a game of cricket should be: physical, mental and moral warfare; a mixture of tragedy and farce. As usual, the monstrous egoist Kevin Pietersen provided the farce by, in the first innings

As an Army wife and sister of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, Moira Russell has written a moving letter to The Northern Echo championing the troops’ role in that country. She talks to Steve Pratt. AYEAR to the day after her brother, Sergeant Major

RE Christopher Wardell’s letter about wrestling memories (HAS, July 8). For many years I have been a great fan of professional wrestling, which used to be on ITV’s World of Sport programme every Saturday afternoon when I was a boy. Those who

MIKE Keenan, one of the great characters of North-East cricket – and among the most dedicated – has died suddenly, aged 72. He was a man, it’s recalled, who’d do anything for anyone. Just two days earlier, he’d been presenting the NYSD League

LETS Roll can drag Chris Thornton out of the doldrums with a victory in the Mary Elizabeth Westwood Celebration Handicap at Beverley. To be fair to the Middleham handler, his string is now down to single figures but Lets Roll has done his bit to keep

MIDDLESBROUGH officials have held talks with the out-of-contract Danny Webber, and the former Sheffield United striker could replace Mido if the Egyptian completes a season-long return to his homeland. Webber left the Blades at the end of last

NEWCASTLE’S players have united to demand a quick solution to the uncertainty surrounding the club. Owner Mike Ashley continues to press for a sale of the Championship outfit but, while sources close to the sale suggest progress is still being

NEW recruit Jon Andre Fredriksen will make his Hartlepool United debut tomorrow after completing his move from Sarpsborg. The Norwegian midfielder will join up with his new team-mates in Holland ahead of the game with Cambuur. Pools lost 3-2

Blyth Spartans 1 Darlington 2. COLIN Todd will run the rule over another couple of trialists during the forthcoming friendlies with Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough, but the Darlington boss admits the club’s budget could rule out any more

PAUL Collingwood will only gain real satisfaction from his marathon match-saving effort in Cardiff if England build on that final day of defiance and go on to regain the Ashes this summer. Last wicket pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar earned

YORKSHIRE’S former Durham coach Martyn Moxon admitted that his side lacked a killer instinct after their run of championship games without a win was extended to 19 by yesterday’s draw at Headingley. “We just have to be more ruthless and

AN increasingly docile Headingley pitch turned a potential thriller into a tame draw yesterday, but not before Durham had turned a likely defeat into potential victory. It wasn’t difficult to tell which team had won four successive championship

STEVE BRUCE has landed Sunderland’s second signing of the summer by signing Paraguay captain Paulo Da Silva. The 29-year-old completed his move from the Mexican league, where he has been playing for Toluca, yesterday by signing a three-year deal

ENGLAND are facing an anxious wait to determine whether they face another dilemma over the balance of their side after all-rounder Andrew Flintoff emerged as a doubt for the second Ashes Test. The 31-year-old Lancastrian reported soreness and

A NEIGHBOUR of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has criticised police who searched his house as part of their investigation, claiming it was “ransacked”. Blake Beresforde, who lives two doors away from Ms Lawrence, in York also said he feels he

NEW measures have been put in place to deal with young patients needing accident and emergency treatment during a hospital staffing crisis. It will involve some injured children being transferred from North Yorkshire to Teesside by ambulance.

A BUSINESSMAN who was given the all-clear to import recreational drugs by the Government was prosecuted months later by one of its agencies. Company boss Patrick Wilson was arrested along with his two brothers and a friend after shipping hundreds

THIEVES are putting children’s lives at risk by stealing fencing from the side of a busy road. Highways officials believe the metal mesh panels may be being stolen from one of the region’s busiest dual carriageways to make animal pens and chicken

A POLICE watchdog was considering its options last night after an attempted murder trial collapsed because officers unlawfully searched a solicitor’s home. Durham Police referred the case, which involved five people accused of plotting to shoot

A HIDDEN treasure of the North-East will celebrate a 21st anniversary this weekend. Durham’s Botanic Garden is 25 acres of woodland, on the outskirts of the city, run by Durham University. The garden features plants from China, Japan, New Zealand

HEALTH bosses have reassured residents that there is nothing to fear from a new psychiatric unit opening in their neighbourhood. People living around the former Victoria House nursing home, in Darlington, have expressed concern about Cambian

A BRAVE mother will plunge 10,000ft from a plane to raise money for a charity close to her family’s heart. Kelly Hocking, 24, of Billy Row, County Durham, feared for son Alex’s life when he was born five weeks prematurely and with a hole in his

THE North-East is losing £115m every year Heathrow is not expanded, according to business leaders. A study by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) claims that the failure to build a third runway at the London hub is costing the country £1bn a

HAVING spent so much of the first Ashes Test staring at defeat, England’s dramatic draw against Australia must have seemed almost as good as a win. Thanks largely to the heroics of Durham’s Paul Collingwood, England escaped getting off to an awful

A FOOTBALL club yesterday pledged its support for one of its former players as he fights cancer. Former Celtic striker John Hartson has been diagnosed with testicular cancer which has spread to his brain. The 34-year-old, who played

THE stage is set for the biggest event in the region’s agricultural calendar. The final preparations have been made to ensure that the three-day Great Yorkshire Show gets under way today as smoothly as possible. Hundreds of farmers, traders and

£90,000 for rock that came on down ... from space. A CHUNK of rare space debris that fell to Earth in the region is expected to fetch a fivefigure sum when it is auctioned next month. The Hambleton Meteorite was found near the white horse of Kilburn

A FRAUDSTER who conned his friend blamed an Indiana Jones-style curse linked to a Nazi chalice looted from Hitler’s henchman Hermann Goering. Former showjumper Derick Smith, 58, stole hundreds of pounds from childhood friend Lesley Shaw after

THREE osprey chicks are almost ready for take-off after being ringed and checked by experts. The six-week-old birds, the first to be born in Northumberland for at least 200 years, are thriving and are expected to take their first flights in the

An inquest into the death of a man killed by a banned driver whose stolen car was catapulted over the central reservation of a motorway has questioned a tactic used by police up and down the country to stop fleeing criminals. Gavin Engelbrecht

NEWCASTLE fans reacted angrily last night after learning of the cancellation of the club’s pre-season friendly in Holland later this month. The decision to call off the match in Utrecht was made by the FA amid fears of potential trouble between

A BANNED driver who killed a father-of-two during a stolen car chase showed no remorse yesterday as he spoke about the tragedy for the first time. Barry Taylor told an inquest into the death of 52- year-old Billy Forrest: “I was trying to get