COMEDIAN and actor Sir Norman Wisdom died today at the age of 95. His family said he died "peacefully" this evening at the Abbotswood Nursing Home on the Isle of Man. He had suffered a series of strokes over the past six months. In a statement, the
THE head of the UK's online child protection agency has stepped down following a disagreement with the Government over the body's future, sources said tonight. Home Secretary Theresa May accepted the resignation of Jim Gamble, chief executive
LAPTOPS are great but they aren't noted for their music playing capabilities. When a manufacturer has crammed in a hard disk, a DVD drive, a processor with its fan and all the other gubbins a portable PC requires there's precious little space
POLICE believe a gang of travelling criminals was behind a spate of purse snatches in a city centre. The thefts took place around the Market Place, in Durham, between 1pm and 2pm on Thursday, September 30. A number of purses were taken from handbags
HISTORY does repeat itself. Certainly Echo Memories - which from this Thursday will be transformed from a two-page also-ran into a 12-page supplement - does. In 1998, we looked at when bombs had fallen in Darlington during the Second World
The second round draw of the FA Carlsberg Vase has thrown up another meaty tie for STL Northern League champions Spennymoor. Moors, who won a difficult game at Bedlington last Saturday, have been handed another STL Northern League team, West Auckland
LOOKS are important to the French. That might be somewhat of a sweeping cultural stereotype and Gerard Depardieu might be the exception to the rule, but in the main it's a statement that holds water. Take the Megane Coupe GT. No one
THE trial of a sub-postmaster accused of murdering his wife will begin almost a year to the day after the alleged killing took place. Robin Joseph Garbutt, 45, will appear at Teesside Crown Court on March 21 next year to be tried for the murder
JO JACKSON cut a disconsolate figure in Delhi as her miserable 2010 continued on day one of the Commonwealth Games - missing out on a medal by the width of a fingernail. Richmond-born Jackson has had a nightmare preparation for the Games seeing her training
A PENSIONER has told how he clung to a telegraph pole as he waited to be rescued from flash floods. Malcolm Dowson, of Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, was among dozens of people left counting the cost of widespread flooding in the county. The 68-year-old
PLANS have been formally submitted to build nearly 1,000 homes on the outskirts of Thirsk despite locals concerns it may detract from the area. Developer Castlevale has entered plans with Hambleton District Council to build 920 homes on the edge of Sowerby
A SERVICE that has probably helped save thousands of lives is this month celebrating its tenth anniversary. Since 2000 the North Yorkshire and York Stop Smoking Service has provided support for over 31,000 people, helping them all to reach their initial
A NIGHT of Bollywood dancing and curry has raised £1,400 for charity. The Indian night, in aid of the i-connect charity, was held at The Durham Centre, home of Emmanuel Church, in Durham, on Saturday, September 25. Dancer Sarita led guests through
GRAEME McDowell won the Ryder Cup for Europe after a Celtic Manor classic that crowned captain Colin Montgomerie's golfing career. US Open champion McDowell's 3&1 victory over Hunter Mahan gave Europe a dramatic 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 triumph over
A MUSEUM devoted to the bygone world of vet James Herriot is now embracing the latest in networking technology. It has launched its own You Tube channel where visitors can interact on-line – getting answers to their questions and taking behind-the-scenes
MORE than £12,000 in fines and costs has been awarded to Darlington Borough Council through licensing legal proceedings during the past two years. A report to the council's licensing committee shows that £5,845 of fines and £4,166.50 of costs has been
SUNDERLAND striker Darren Bent has been included in the England squad for next week's European Championships qualifier with Montenegro. But there is no place for Newcastle's Andy Carroll, who had been mentioned as a possible inclusion following his omission
DRIVING down the A66 between Darlington and Middlesbrough is usually a joyless task. Like a tarmaced version of a conveyor belt, its about as unchallenging a piece of highway as you can imagine. This day, however, was different. The reason? Hondas
THE curtain comes down on racing action at Croft Circuit, near Darlington this weekend when the British Automobile Racing Club hosts a 17-race programme, including a number of leading championships. Headlining the action is the prestigious Formula Palmer
The Octonauts (CBeebies, 4.50pm); Rory And Paddy’s Even Greater British Adventures (Five, 9pm); Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two (BBC2, 6.30pm) THE new animated series on CBeebies brings a crew of underwater heroes to the screen. And for a series
TURN AWAY The burning pathway waits Turn away victim – turn away Turn away and resist temptation Turn away from the temptation Of the deadly silver needle Death on a hot spoon The chemical assassin It bites like the Cobra Turn away Paul Snaith
I HAVE no problem in accepting that a Muslim community centre may be built near Ground Zero providing an equal amount of tolerance is applied to the opening of a pork butcher next door to it, a gay bar across the street and an off-licence on its
I WAS totally disgusted after reading about a 25-year-old unemployed man reportedly having fathered eight children with eight women, with two more children said to be on the way (Echo, Sept 21), resulting in a potentially massive benefits bill
SUPPORT sessions for Polish families in north Durham have been organised. Sure Start is inviting people to drop into their sessions at Glenroyd House, on Medomsley, in Consett, for advice and to meet other mums, dads and carers. A translator will be
The Friendship Force, which started in the US, is 33 years old. Sharon Griffiths speaks to some of the widely-travelled members about the welcomes they have received in homes around the globe. IT ALL started around the time US President Jimmy
RE your story about Professor Martyn Evans being asked to pay £155 after ticket machines would not let him out when he left a rail journey from Birmingham at Darlington instead of Durham – station staff saying his ticket was invalid because he
THERE’S already been quite a lot of interest in the Government’s proposal to hold a referendum throughout the UK on the voting system we use to elect MPs. This is due to take place next May 5 when there will also be local government elections
YOUNGSTERS are being urged to play safely while gas work is ongoing in a city centre. Officials from Northern Gas Networks visited Durham’s Chorister School to teach children how to play responsibly while gas works are taking place near their school
WE live in a complex, inefficient world where economic practice does not meet economic theory due to the lack of knowledge of the state of markets. This is compounded by the self-indulgence of those who have the opportunity for personal gain.
TEN would-be illegal immigrants have been found hiding in a delivery of washing machines. The stowaways, four Afghans, four Iranians, one Palestinian and one Iraqi, were found on a truck destined for Teesside. Some of the foreign nationals were hanging
I HAVE been a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party. Once in a while politics throws up a person you know will make a great leader and the Labour Party had such a person in David Miliband. I was certain he would be elected and was devastated
IMPORTANT changes to The Northern Echo are introduced this week. Our new Weekend supplement, containing sevenday television and radio listings, pages of puzzles and packed with features about homes, gardens, celebrities, and food is published
Peter Snow, television presenter and author, chats to Viv Hardwick about his new book about the Duke of Wellington and a forthcoming talk on the life of the British commander. PETER SNOW reckons he’d have met his Waterloo in attempting a friendship
CLASSROOM stress is at an all-time high. Local authorities are paying millions to provide cover for teachers who are ill. Everyone suffers when a teacher is on long-term sick leave. Classes are disturbed, the curriculum is interrupted and the
THIRTEEN people had to be rescued and firefighters received more than 30 calls as heavy rain caused widespread flooding across North Yorkshire at the weekend. Emergency services said five people, including a ten-year-old child, had a particularly lucky
Tynedale 22 Blackheath 21 OF the two wingers opposing each other in this gripping game Blackheath’s Tyson Lewis has the more impressive try-scoring record. But it was Peter Cole who proved the matchwinner and took Tynedale alongside
MIDDLESBROUGH were not happy about having two forwards sent off following a flare-up in which hosts Birkenhead Park received one yellow card. Boro, who claim the flare-up was sparked by a stamping by a home forward, were winning 22-21 in what
Harlequins 23 Newcastle Falcons 12 NEWCASTLE rugby director Alan Tait was far happier with his side’s performance at the Stoop than in last weekend’s thrashing by London Irish. Tait said: ‘‘We were outstanding. Just little things that were done
COLIN Montgomerie placed a note above the lockers of every one of his Europe team to read when they arrived at Celtic Manor yesterday. ‘‘Team US are going to come out fast,’’ it read. ‘‘Make sure we come out faster.’’ On the third spectacular
LEE Westwood last night hailed a ‘‘phenomenal effort’’ from Europe’s Ryder Cup stars after their Celtic Manor masterclass left the United States in disarray. Westwood and Luke Donald led from the front by inflicting the heaviest matchplay defeat
ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger looked for positives in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea which leaves the Gunners lagging seven points behind their London rivals in the Premier League. But Wenger was critical of defender Laurent Koscielny for his first-minute
A MOTORCYCLIST has died following a collision on a County Durham road. Nigel Wright, 45, of West Crescent, Darlington, was heading west through Middleton-In-Teesdale when he was in collision with a car driven by a 66-year-old woman. It is believed the
JUST as happened at The Belfry in 2002, Tiger Woods may not be in a position to influence who wins the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor today. Europe need five of the 12 singles but Woods goes out in the eighth spot – and Phil Mickelson is tenth.
LIVERPOOL manager Roy Hodgson admitted yesterday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Blackpool was a “nightmare result” but will not accept his underperforming side are in a relegation battle. Charlie Adam’s penalty and Luke Varney’s perfectly-timed run
CHESTER-LE-STREET smashed Guisborough’s unbeaten second division record and boosted their own promotion hopes with a 5-0 win. Chester had struggled following relegation last season, and manager Stuart Sherwood said: “Our problem was that we
DARLINGTON Cleveland Bridge have made an impressive start to their first season in the competition and victory at Windscale propelled them into second position. The Bridge built a two-goal interval lead and, after conceding midway through the
SPENNYMOOR manager Jason Ainsley is hoping his team don’t draw another Northern League club in the second round of the FA Vase. Moors won a tough tie 1-0 at Bedlington and Ainsley said: “The togetherness of our players was fantastic.
I WAS sorry to read that former Tottenham Hotspur and England centre-forward Bobby Smith had died at the age of 77 (Echo, September 21). I remember him from the early 1960s. His club captain was Danny Blanchflower and when the two of them were
THE start of a new season usually causes a bit of a stir with the big teams taking a while to get off the mark but I think as the first few weeks of fixtures and cup ties have shown, no team can take things for granted. Cup competitions are notorious
IT is only a few months since the World Cup and the memory of England’s poor performances and early removal from the tournament is still fresh in the mind. One of the many under-performing players for England was striker Emile Heskey who blundered
I AM writing to express my disgust at Darlington Borough Council for taking all the money from the cars who are selling at the football club’s weekly car boot sale, £10 a car. Is there one bit of private enterprise left in this town that John
A DATE has been set for the trial of a sub-postmaster accused of beating his wife to death. Robin Garbutt, 45, denies murdering wife Diana at the post office they ran together in Melsonby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, in March.
NO wonder Darren Bent doesn’t get a game for England. Despite two goals at Anfield and an 8/10 performance according to your reporter he couldn’t get in The Northern Echo team of the week. He was pipped by a Hartlepool United substitute (Behan
FABIO Capello will unveil his latest England squad today – but it is next week when the difficulties start. Rio Ferdinand and John Terry should both get automatic recalls for the squad to face Montenegro in the Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley
SVEN-GORAN Eriksson dismissed suggestions his time at Leicester will only be short lived after being unveiled as the club’s new manager at the Walkers Stadium yesterday morning. The former England manager, 62, has penned a twoyear contract,
AN angry Chris Hughton last night accused referee Martin Atkinson of making two “horrendous decisions” to condemn Newcastle to a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, and confirmed Hatem Ben Arfa had broken his leg in the opening stages of the game
Manchester City 2 Newcastle United 1 WHEN a ten-year-old Adam Johnson joined Newcastle United’s Academy in 1997, he dreamed of scoring in a Premier League game involving the Magpies. Yesterday, he did, but not in the way he envisaged
IT’S two games, two clean sheets for Peter Hartley after the central defender was restored to the Hartlepool United side. Having not played since the opening day of the season when Pools drew at Rochdale, Hartley was handed a chance at Plymouth
“THE worst decision ever” was how new Darlington striker Daniel Powell labelled the controversial moment when referee Darren Handley did not award a penalty during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Wrexham. Visiting defender Frank Sinclair used both
A JOBLESS father-of-three took part in a year-long crime spree and sold thousands of pounds-worth of stolen wheel-trims on eBay. Police received more than 60 reports of theft from motorists in the Darlington area throughout last year, a court
INVESTIGATIONS are under way after three fires at the weekend were thought to have been started deliberately. Although no one was hurt in the incidents, the fires have damaged the buildings, according to North Yorkshire Fire Brigade. Fires at
THE experiences of North-East soldiers in Afghanistan will be the subject of an exhibition next month. Durham County Council has received more than £50,000 to tell the story of 3 Rifles’ recent tour in the war zone. The exhibition, at the Durham
PREPARATIONS for the launch of this year’s Houghton Feast Festival are nearing completion and organisers hope the annual event will be bigger and better than ever. Professional artists are working with children to make parade lanterns and
RARE and expensive sports equipment stolen from a North-East car has been returned to its rightful owner after it was put up for sale on internet auction site eBay. Police raided a Darlington house and recovered the two rare archery bows and
A NORTH-EAST company has urged businesses to bolster their green credentials by taking advantage of a Government cost-saving initiative. Alpha Lighting and Electrical, a Sunderlandbased commercial lighting specialist, advised companies to make
A RETAILER boasting decades of experience in the clothing trade has joined the board of an expanding business and training group. John McGowan has been appointed a non-executive director at Durham Business Group, which provides networking,
A TEES Valley engineering firm has commissioned a North-East company to ensure it wows existing and potential clients at an exhibition centre. Darchem Engineering, which produces parts for everything from Aston Martin cars to Eurofighter Typhoon
DRIVERS will be able to scrap their old cars in an environmentally-friendly way when one of the UK’s fastest-growing companies continues its expansion in the North-East. European Metal Recycling’s Darlington plant, which is due to open in the
MUSICAL fans met a character from the silver screen on Saturday. Mrs Potts, from Beauty and the Beast, was in Joseph Pease Place, Darlington, to meet children and parents at a family fun day organised ahead of Darlington Operatic Society’s stage
Plymouth Argyle 0 Hartlepool United 1 FOR Mick Wadsworth, breaking the Enigma code would be easier than working out Hartlepool United’s contrasting form. How can the team with the leakiest home record in the Football League, with 15 goals conceded
A SUB-POSTMASTER accused of killing his wife arrived at Teesside Crown Court this morning where he is expected to hear details of a new trial date. Robin Garbutt was last week released on bail while tests are carried out on a possible murder
THE chairman of the British National Party (BNP) visited the region on Saturday. Nick Griffin met supporters and party members collecting signatures for the BNP’s Bring Our Boys Home petition, which calls for the withdrawal of British troops from
Darlington 0 Wrexham 1 DIFFICULT to score against but blunt in front of goal – that’s been the way of it for Darlington this season and it is a formula which has succeeded in grinding out a series of low-scoring wins and draws. That no team in
MATTHEW Bates acknowledged his second goal for his home-town club left a bittersweet taste. The Middlesbrough defender struck to earn the lead against Portsmouth in the 29th minute, the exact same time he netted his only other goal for the
Sunderland 0 Manchester United 0 WHEN it opened in 1997, the naming of Sunderland’s stadium was met with raised eyebrows – while Newcastle fans quickly coined a name for the ground, a moniker considered less than complimentary. But on
BOLO Zenden would not have been surprised if Sunderland had picked up three points against Manchester United on Saturday. The midfielder, who started his first Premier League game of the season in place of the ineligible Danny Welbeck, hit
Middlesbrough 2 Portsmouth 2 MIDDLESBROUGH’S matchday programme revealed the club has struck a four-month shirt sponsorship deal with Ramsdens. The company is believed to be one of the largest family pawnbrokers in the UK. It’s fair
A MAN who bit off part of his girlfriend’s nose has been sent to a secure hospital for the protection of the public. James Stubbs, 37, from Darlington, was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, Teesside Crown Court heard. He told
A MEMORIAL bench has been unveiled to honour a late MP at his favourite beauty spot. Dr Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, died suddenly earlier this year. A bench facing the sea at Saltburn’s Upper Parade has
Northern Ventures Northern Gains, the League magazine, again addresses the issue of offensive language by reproducing on the cover two letters of complaint. The first is from a retired police officer who took in his first Northern League game for 20
HIGH-SPEED rail lines from London to the North will be the Government’s top priority, the Tory conference will be told today – with planning to start next year. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will announce he is pressing ahead with £33bn
MORE than 250 dog lovers and their canine friends braved heavy rain yesterday to take part in a Waggy Walk at Wynyard Woodland Park, near Stockton. Among them was Karen Lewis, from Ingleby Barwick, whose Yorkie-cross Xena needed a warm shelter
FIRMS in the region have failed to secure lucrative construction contracts to build the 2012 London Olympics. Companies in the capital have won more than £2.7bn of deals awarded to create venues and infrastructure – compared with £9.5m in
THE trial of two men accused of killing six Royal Military Police soldiers in Iraq seven years ago is to be split into separate hearings, The Northern Echo understands. Iraqi law prevents more than three killings being examined as part of the
POLICE said last night they were powerless to prevent a swingers’ club operating in a sleepy North-East market town. The Swingers in the Manor Club describes itself as “the most up-and-coming swingers’ club in the North-East”. Among the attractions
THE world record for human mattress dominoes was thought to have been broken in the North-East over the weekend. Palantine Beds, in Newcastle, toppled 400 mattresses, beating the existing record set by a team in the US, on Saturday, after four
A REGIONAL business forum has reiterated the need for a single North-East economic development agency. The Northern Business Forum (NBF) has sent a letter to every council in the region saying it is not prepared to support individual Local Enterprise
TABLE football enthusiasts from across the UK descended on the region at the weekend as it hosted its first international foosball tournament. Star of the event at Darlington’s Coachman Hotel was Garlando World Champion Rob Atha, who was joined
A TEENAGER has been named one of the country’s best young pig handlers. Ryan Perry, from Washington, Wearside, was reserve champion in the British Pig Association’s Young Pig Handling Championships. The 17-year-old said: “I was up against some
THE family of a woman who died from cancer have thanked singer Tony Hadley for sending flowers to her funeral. Jacqueline Bamber, from Spennymoor, County Durham, died last month after a four-year battle with breast cancer. The 55-year-old’s
FOUR police officers will be interviewed under caution after the collapse of an attempted murder trial. The conduct of officers during the inquiry into the shooting of Joe Clarke could lead to criminal charges being brought against them.
DRAGONS’ Den panellist Duncan Bannatyne joined hundreds of well-wishers who braved pouring rain yesterday to support the police officer blinded by gunman Raoul Moat. The millionaire joined PC David Rathband in a blindfolded walk along the Northumberland
BUDGET cuts at a council mean surveillance footage of hundreds of crimes will no longer be investigated by a senior council officer on behalf of the police. Darlington Borough Council has removed a senior officer from its CCTV team and will
SCHOOLS have been urged to deliver “value for money” for taxpayers after a Northern Echo investigation revealed the scale of spending on supply staff. Figures show schools in three council areas spent £18m in a year on staff covering for absent
