THE number of people in hospital with swine flu in the region has risen significantly in the past week, health bosses have confirmed. A total of 58 patients are being treated for the disease in hospitals across the region, according to statistic released
SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has announced another major development in a North-East town. It plans to open an environment-friendly store in Peterlee, County Durham, hot on the heels of proposals announced for a store at Stanley, also in the county, and
WORK will begin within weeks on two mothballed North-East housing schemes, under a £4.3m scheme to kick-start the crisis-hit construction industry. The projects are among 115 stalled developments given the go-ahead by the government yesterday, with the
CHILDREN and shoppers experienced things that go bump in the night at a half-term event. Bosses at the Cornmill Shopping Centre set up their Scary Zoo on Thursday to thrill and frighten people during the half-term holidays. Timed to coincide with Halloween
YOUNG people are being urged to be more visible as the dark nights encroach. And to encourage youngsters to be more safety aware Redcar and Cleveland Council gave away a free fluorescent hat, scarf, or set of gloves, to the first 50 children that the
TOURISM officials are crowing after the unscheduled arrival of thousands of visitors to the region, due to the sighting of a rare bird. The eastern crowned warbler was spotted by keen local bird watcher Doug Holden in Trow Quarry, South Shields, on Thursday
LEADING boxer Paul Truscott is packing extra punch into a new scheme to help encourage local people to get fit and active. The Middlesbrough-born former Commonwealth featherweight title holder will officially launch Tees Valley Leisure's Passport to
MEN wanting to improve their fitness can head down to Stillington Community Centre to be put through their paces at a boxing-inspired exercise session. Stockton Council's Box-Fit lessons use boxing moves to work the muscles and get the heart rate up.
STUDENTS have rallied to the cause by donating hundreds of items for an appeal to help children in troubled parts of the world. Staff and students at Darlington College have been collecting in aid of Samaritan's Purse for a Christmas shoebox
VOLUNTEERS have spoken of their delight at discovering the true extent of a civilian settlement next to a Roman fort - running for hundreds of yards along an ancient route. Preliminary findings of a geophysical survey reveal the traces of buildings
A DISABLED grandmother was knocked to the ground by a mugger who grabbed her purse. The force of the blow also caused the pushchair containing her two-year-old grandson to topple over. The 53-year-old woman, who is registered disabled, had just been
The Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP) Forum met on Tuesday night to discuss priorities in the area. The TAP board will meet to discuss projects and agree the initial allocation of this years budget on Wednesday, November 11 at Toft Hill and Etherley
A FURTHER appeal has been made for witnesses to come forward to help a police investigation into the road death of a 12-year-old boy. Steven Atkinson was thrown from his bike in a collision with a car, on the A183 Chester Road, Sunderland, on Saturday
A WOMAN was arrested after being rescued apparently threatening to jump from a river bridge for the second time in five weeks. Police were alerted to a report of a woman threatening to jump from Prebends Bridge, in Durham, shortly before 10pm last night
A TEENAGER has won the first fishing competition set up to honour a community champion. Fisherman took part in the 2009 Champions fishing contest at the Maidendale Nature and Fishing Reserve, in Darlington. They competed for the Bill Cook Memorial Trophy
A PENSIONER is celebrating after an undated 20p she found in her change turned out to be worth £50. Nancy Laidman received the payout from The London Mint Office, a specialist coin collecting company which is paying £50 for 20p "mule" coins released
YOUNG people in Middlesbrough are being given half-price bus travel in a ground-breaking scheme to help them access employment. The scheme, which will give young people unlimited discount travel throughout Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool
A GROUP of young people have made amends for their anti-social behaviour by working with police to clean up public areas. The youths were caught by police in Northallerton earlier this month after a spate of graffiti around the town and were
A BOOKER Prize-winning novelist and her daughter were among those who braved burning embers to raise money for charity. Pat Barker, 66, and daughter Anna Ralph, 35, were part of a crowd of about 30 who walked barefoot across 20ft of embers in Durham
Stereophonics are set to release their new album Keep Calm and Carry On, which was written by lead vocalist Kelly Jones. With 11 top 5 singles, 21 top 20’s and five consecutive No. 1 albums Stereophonics have stood the test of time to become one of Britain
A WOMAN was arrested after being rescued apparently threatening to jump from a river bridge for the second time in five weeks. Police were alerted to a report of a woman threatening to jump from Prebends Bridge, in Durham, shortly before 10pm yesterday
FIREFIGHTERS are urging people in the Northallerton area to attend public firework displays rather than take the risk of using fireworks at home. The fire service is responsible for organising and running the annual community fireworks display at the
A party this weekend to celebrate the transformation of a Working Men’s Club was nearly cancelled after a last minute row over its opening hours. The owners of Tow Law’s trendy new bar Club X breathed a sigh of relief when county councillors gave their
POLICE in North Yorkshire have promised to take a tough line with anyone caught using Halloween or Mischief Night as an excuse to cause anti-social behaviour. Officers have been working with local shopkeepers to encourage them to not to sell flour and
A LUCKY punter in the Hartlepool and Peterlee area is sitting on a £595,593 lottery jackpot. Their winning six balls were drawn on Wednesday, October 14 and the clock is ticking on their chance to claim the life changing prize. The numbers were 5, 11
I've just been filmed by the BBC for the Politics Show on Sunday. They are doing a feature about the debate over council publications and they wanted my view. I said what I've said before - that I think it's wrong for public money to subsidise council
A LUCKY punter in the Hartlepool and Peterlee area is sitting on a £595,593 lottery jackpot. Their winning six balls were drawn on Wednesday, October 14 and the clock is ticking on their chance to claim the life changing prize. The numbers were 5, 11
Polly Weeks talks to North-East actor Alun Armstrong about playing a legal eagle for the fact-based historical drama Garrow’s Law. FOR the past five years County Durham-born Alun Armstrong has established himself as the popular, if troubled
The wellies were all-important in re-creating Compo on stage, actor Harry Dickman tells Viv Hardwick. THE actor who turned down the Royal Shakespeare Company in favour of stand-up comedy with Butlins is currently wearing the most famous pair
Voice cast: Elijah Wood, John C Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer 97 mins WITH Tim Burton’s name attached as a producer, you can be certain that 9 – not to be confused with the musical Nine, due for
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Alfred Molina, Matthew Beard, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson. 100 mins THE Sixties have yet to start swinging. Life in suburbia in 1961 is pretty dull for 16-year-old schoolgirl
Steve Pratt chats to Carey Mulligan about returning to being a 16-year-old cellist for the Sixties-set movie, An Education. WHEN she was 19, Carey Mulligan appeared in a play where she was 14. So playing a 16-year-old schoolgirl in the early
Viv Hardwick talks to author Andrew Martin about his joy at being given a steam-powered special as part of the Durham Book Festival. IT’S trainspotters’ paradise. York-born author Andrew Martin, creator of the “steam detective” series featuring
AN unusual song from a female artist, narrated from a male perspective. Lana has a deep and soulful voice inspired by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin. Catchy and edgy. Out now. Heather McTurk
A beautifully soothing, poetic song about Gurrumul’s grief for his father. Bapa is the new single from the extraordinary and award-winning album Gurrumul, sung in Yolngu dialects by this Aboriginal Australian singer. Gurrumul’s voice is delicate and
THE first UK single from Spencer is subtle and charming. His style is familiar in many ways but somehow avoids direct comparison. Taken from the album Calling All Magicians, this is a lovely song of nostalgia. Out now. Heather McTurk
THE band’s strange and compelling journey has entered a new stage with the unveiling of this double album, the latest in a selection of classic collections from the Grammy-winning and Brit nominated Oklahoma outfit. Eighteen songs push the boundaries
CANADIAN multi award-winning singer-songwriter Michael Buble has announced that he will be returning to the MetroRadio Arena on Wednesday, May 12 to woo North-East audiences with tracks from his latest studio release, Crazy Love. With over 22m
SLOW Down is the instantly likeable debut single from Essex teenagers Stereo Decade. The four 18-year-olds have caused something of a sensation down south, selling out the O2 Islington Academy, Camden Barfly and London’s Hard Rock Café. The song
IN a few short months 19-year-old Reilly from Torrance near Glasgow, has sold out two Scottish headline tours, played Glastonbury and T in the Park and has his debut single Gimmie A Call (which is on the album) in the top 20 of the national singles
AFTER Michael Jackson’s death earlier this year it was only a matter of time before a series of albums would be released, celebrating his landmark career. Released alongside Jackson’s album This Is It, this is an exciting concept – fresh versions of
THIS is the perfect introduction to Teitur’s previous albums and his considerable talent as a singer songwriter. It’s a bewitching collection of songs. The filigree guitars and Teitur’s unique voice are accompanied by Scandinavian folk themes and clever
Let's get one thing straight, despite all the bluster and bravado, Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley may say he has taken the club off the market - but he hasn't. If someone was to offer him the supposed £80m asking price he desires then he'd snap
WHAT’S ON: Gilad Atzmon & Strings, The Sage, Gateshead, Saturday, 0191-443- 4661. CD REVIEWS: Ian Shaw/Somewhere Towards Love (Splash Point Records SPR008CD) This is not only the best record Shaw’s ever made, but also one of the finest jazz vocal
FROM the opening haunting riff of Guitar Town, released in 1986, Nashville peers knew Steve Earle was here to break traditions. Although this album brought his name and talent to the forefront of the listening world, he been working for a few years
At 82, Andy Williams explains to Andy Welch why he’s still likes to perform twice a day, six times a week. "Not a lot of people have their own theatre,” says Andy Williams, sitting in the dressing room of his Moon River Theatre, Branson, Missouri
I’M just back from playing some concerts in Switzerland, where audiences seem hungry once more for UK folk music, after a period where bluegrass and world music has dominated their roots and acoustic gig scene. We certainly had a great
WHAT’S ON: The Northern Sinfonia and Chorus conducted by Nicholas Kraemer present Handel’s Theodora at The Sage Gateshead, 7pm, tonight. Box office: 0191- 443 4661. REVIEWS: Einaudi: Nightbook (Decca 4763639) Ludovico Einaudi unveils his new project
MARSHALLED taxi ranks and new pick-up points are being introduced to help Durham’s late-night revellers find their way home more easily. A late-night bus service will also be improved in the latest initiative of the Nightsafe campaign, run by Durham
A WOMAN was arrested after being rescued apparently threatening to jump from a river bridge for the second time in five weeks. Police were alerted to a report of a woman threatening to jump from Prebends Bridge, in Durham, shortly before 10pm last night
Camilla Dallerup tells Viv Hardwick why she’d have loved to have partnered boxer Joe Calzaghe in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. DANCER Camilla Dallerup doesn’t see herself as one of the victims of the curse of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing
I LIKE Tony Gordon. Yeah, I know, he’s a cold-blooded killer and clearly a maniac, but I can’t help but not want him to get found out. Not that I’m condoning the fact he went to elaborate lengths to get Liam bumped off and is now engaged to his
Public Enemies (15, 134 mins, Universal, to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99) Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Stephen Graham, Billy Crudup, Stephen Lang, Jason Clarke, David Wenham, Stephen Dorff. BASED on Bryan Burrough
WHAT is it with little boys and war wounds? Mine insist they need sticking plasters for the slightest scratch or graze and I’m sure they only keep picking scabs so they can show them off for longer. If they get a bandage it’s even better, a real
YES, Bard groupies, “The one with the bear” is back in town. This production is a rich feast for the eyes and food for the soul. Greg Hicks is a masterful King Leontes, horrid but human. Leontes calls his heavily pregnant wife Hermione “bed-swerver
William Harbutt, inventor of Plasticine, has given millions of children around the world hours of enjoyment. The column delves into his formative years spent in North Shields. HE helped shape the lives of millions of youngsters, now William Harbutt
THE most talked-about tour of the year took Newcastle by storm as Bernie, Linda, Coleen and Maureen – collectively known as The Nolans – proved that sisters are doing it for themselves with a concert that captured the girl group’s energy and
I WROTE to the Secretary of State on July 4 to express my concerns about the position of Stockton Sixth Form College where a proposed £22m new building plan was hit by a lack of government funding. When I did not get a response I wrote again on
I THINK it is fair to say that my support for the Conservative Party has been consistent within HAS. I have, by my own admission, lectured self-proclaiming socialists on their support for a Labour Party that no longer represents the “voice of
CONGRATULATIONS for publishing the story about former government advisor Andrew Neather’s claim that this Government deliberately plotted to open up the UK to mass immigration and radically change our country (Echo, Oct 24). I suspect there is
Katie: My Beautiful Face, Channel 4, tonight, 9pm. EIGHTEEN months ago, Katie Piper was a beautiful young woman with a burgeoning career as a model and TV presenter. Then she suffered a horrific attack, arranged by her boyfriend, when acid was
THE BNP was taken to court over not accepting coloured people. Why? Because the BNP is now a threat to the main parties. If people were that worried why didn’t they do it ten years ago when the party was just starting up? Because they never thought
HAVING watched Nick Griffin on BBC’s Question Time, I think he might be right. As an ethnic Celt, I think we should send them all back to where they came from – the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans. Give the country back to us, the
SEDGEFIELD Labour MP Phil Wilson’s comments in favour of MPs employing their family members (Echo, Oct 26) are outrageous. It clearly illustrates that MPs still fail to understand the anger over their abuse of the expenses system. I hope Sir Christopher
TWO weeks ago, I wrote about the great economic divide opening up between Labour and the Conservatives – and now I have found another chasm just as wide. Of course, any clash over who should have the power to make key decisions for the North-East
The death of Ashleigh Hall has brought back memories for one woman of her daughter’s near-miss with an internet “groomer”. Jim Entwistle speaks to her about the safety of our children on the internet. "IT’S a shame it takes a death to make kids
IT is never easy to put sporting rivalries to one side in a football-mad region like the North-East. But those who care about this part of the world understand the cultural and economic importance of all our clubs doing well. Newcastle United is
CORRESPONDENT David Lacey implied that the recession was caused by Government spending (HAS, Oct 24). This is inaccurate. It was caused by the banking crisis – something the Financial Services Authority should have prevented. Another correspondent
The tragic case of 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall who was found dead after meeting a man via the internet raises some interesting legal questions for newspapers. A 32-year-old man, Peter Chapman, had appeared in court charged with unlawful killing, kidnap
ROSIKA seems to be a filly on a seriously upward curve and a step up to Listed level is unlikely to stop her progress in the EBF All-Weather 20th Anniversary River Eden Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield. The daughter of Sakhee edged out a decent sort
TONY Quigley is ready to defend his British super-middleweight title tomorrow and told Liverpool rival Paul Smith: ‘‘You don’t scare me.’’ There is little love lost between the two men ahead of the showdown at the Echo Arena in the city’s dockland
JENSON Button may be able to rest easy now he has the Formula One world title in his pocket, but his future remains far from settled. In his own words, Button insists he can be ‘‘a little more relaxed’’ as he heads into the season-ending Abu Dhabi
ENGLAND were last night finally offered some encouraging news on the injury front when Wasps predicted that Simon Shaw should be available to face Argentina. Shaw is on course to make his first appearance since the Lions tour in Sunday’s Guinness
GLOUCESTERSHIRE chairman John Light has called for an appropriate tribute to recognise the ‘‘worldwide standing’’ of former Test umpire David Shepherd, who died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. Shepherd, who was a batsman for the county
THE Association of Tennis Professionals were last night considering their response to Andre Agassi’s revelation that he used crystal meth in 1997 and lied to avoid a drugs ban. Eight-time grand slam winner Agassi has admitted in a new book that
THIS year’s Great North Run winner Martin Lel has been forced to withdraw from Sunday’s ING New York City Marathon. Lel, who won the marathon in 2003 and 2007, has failed to shake off a leg injury. Lel, 31, won the Great North Run on September
HULL City have denied reports Phil Brown has been sacked as their manager. A number of bookmakers, including Paddy Power and William Hill, yesterday suspended betting on Brown being the next Premier League manager to leave his job. However,
PORTSMOUTH’S turbulent season continued to unravel after the Premier League confirmed yesterday that a transfer embargo has been imposed on the beleaguered club. In the latest astonishing development at Fratton Park, Portsmouth were handed the
AN EMOTIONAL Rebecca Romero has slammed as ‘‘ludicrous’’ and ‘‘unnecessary’’ the proposed changes to the Olympic track cycling programme which would deny her the opportunity to defend her title at the London 2012 Games. The 29-year-old, who won
Manchester City 5 Scunthorpe United 1 MANCHESTER City’s wealth has bought great quality and it was more than enough to outclass Scunthorpe at Eastlands to secure a Carling Cup quarter-final slot. The Championship visitors did their best, but City
Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1 TEENAGER Fran Merida netted his first Arsenal goal as Arsene Wenger’s young Gunners beat Liverpool 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup. Just back from the Under-20 World Cup with Spain, the 19- year-old
FORMER Newcastle United chairman Freddie Shepherd has revealed that during his reign he refused a lucrative offer to sell the naming rights to St James’ Park. Mike Ashley’s intention to generate income by offering potential sponsors the chance
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Gordon Strachan has defended the quality of players he left behind at Celtic after Tony Mowbray attacked his legacy at the Scottish giants. The Boro players have already noted Strachan’s positive influence in training and
NYRON Nosworthy believes that he has forced his way back in to Steve Bruce’s plans despite being part of the Sunderland side that crashed out of the League Cup. Prior to the penalty shootout defeat to Aston Villa on Tuesday evening, Bruce had
MORE than 50 MPs are demanding an investigation into high fuel bills after a huge rise in the number of the region’s families who are too poor to heat their homes. They are calling for a competition inquiry into claims that the six largest energy
ARSENE Wenger hailed Fran Merida’s impact after the Spanish teenager helped fire his young Arsenal side into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium. The 19-year-old former Barcelona trainee returned
VISITORS will get a unique view of a historic abbey during a three-day celebration of the Victorians’ fascination with all things gothic. The Victorian Gothic event will run at Whitby Abbey from today until Saturday. Period characters including
A WORLD-RENOWNED company based in Sunderland has thrown its backing behind efforts to stage World Cup football in the city in 2018. Berghaus is backing the Sunderland host city campaign, as it bids to be part of England’s 2018 World Cup bid,
AT least 1,000 jobs are being created in the North-East through the banking arm of Tesco setting up a call centre, it was revealed yesterday. Tesco Bank has taken a 15- year lease on a building at Quorum Business Park, in Newcastle, a move which
NORTHERN Rock could end up owing the taxpayer £27bn which could take a decade to repay, it was revealed yesterday. The revelation came as the nationalised Newcastle-based lender was given approval from the European Commission for it to split into
A MEDICAL surgery from County Durham has been named alongside St Paul’s Cathedral and a university in Australia in winning a global construction award. Sacriston Surgery won the international award for community benefit at the Royal Institution
A PASTOR who runs an orphanage in India has visited the region to meet the people who fund his vital work. Yesu Padam runs the Kathleen Home in Narsapur, south-east India. It cares for 85 children and 20 widows, who would otherwise be living
A MAN who said he was unable to work because of a bad back ran two companies and had a job as a tree surgeon, a court was told yesterday. David Burton took more than £33,500 in benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and his council
A LUCKY golfer will still embark on a dream trip, despite the organising company going out of business. Mark Robinson had his bags packed ready to fly to a tournament in Portgual’s Algarve when he was told he would be unable to go. The 38-year-old
A DRUGS gang has been ordered to pay back nearly £60,000 of its illegal earnings. The gang, serving a total of 27 years in prison, are believed to have earned close to £750,000 before Cleveland Police closed down their operation. Ringleaders Ian
A MAJOR initiative to urge workers to ditch their cars in favour of bicycles was launched yesterday. More than 70 public and private sector employers, including several in the North-East, have already signed up for the Cycle to Work Guarantee
MEMBERS of Parliament who are standing down at the next election will learn next week whether they will lose up to £54,000 of their resettlement grant in a fresh crackdown on their allowances. The Kelly inquiry, set up after the expenses scandal
A FRESH wave of postal strikes will go ahead from today after hopes of averting the action collapsed last night. Up to 120,000 members of the Communication Workers Union will walk out from 4am, causing huge disruption to mail deliveries. The
THREE people are wanted by police for their roles in two cash scams in North-East supermarkets. A man and a woman entered Sainsbury’s, in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, on the evening of October 5, and bought a can of coke While the cashier was
THREE fitness club members have been jailed for their role in a huge plot to import steroids and growth hormones from the Far East. David Newcombe, Kevin Lewis and David Fletcher were recruited by others linked to the Darlington gym to wire money
DOZENS of people have been showing off their best side, ahead of having their faces projected in a city. Huge portraits of 100 people will be projected onto buildings in Durham Market Place for the Heart of the City event. The show, which will
THE story of a footballing pioneer who made his name in the North-East will be presented to some of the sport’s most influential people today. A gathering of the Black List – British football’s 30 most important black figures – will listen to
THIS is the face of the man accused of killing a teenage girl after befriending her on Facebook. Peter Chapman appeared in court on the day the mother of his alleged victim warned parents not to let their children use social networking sites
THE timeline of events following Ashleigh Hall’s disappearance is revealed in chilling detail on social networking sites. Over the weekend, her Facebook and Bebo home pages were filled with excited teenage chatter as friends exchanged comments
NEW figures have confirmed that the North-East continues to have the highest death rate for mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer linked to asbestos. Statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive yesterday show that the male death rate for
POLICE have warned householders to be ultra-careful about the disposal of personal documents in the wake of a case in which an identity thief was jailed for three years. Rachel Allday stole bank statements, credit cards and utility bills to help
