Newcastle Benfield and Whitley Bay edged closer to leaders STL Northern League leaders Spennymoor with victories last night. Benfield had a comfortable 5-0 victory over Tow Law. They took the lead with a sidefooted goal by Scott Fenwick after
LIAM Plunkett was at great pains to ensure he scored his maiden first-class century yesterday as Durham reached 471 for eight in reply to Durham University's 235. After a disappointing season with the bat last year, Plunkett batted very sensibly and
DETECTIVES have this evening charged two men aged 22 and 19 for the attempted murder of a 24-year-old man in Skipton, North Yorkshire. The 19-year-old man was also charged with a separate offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a 20
Ray Ranson has revealed that Coventry's owners, Sisu, blocked a move for £35million England and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll three years ago. The former Sky Blues chairman also revealed that the club had an option to buy England midfielder
A MOBILE phone company has confirmed 40 staff will be affected by plans to "outsource" more of its work away from the North-East. The staff who work for Orange in Yarm Road, Darlington, on its nightshift customer services team, have been offered
FRANK Maloney has described Stuart Hall as "North-East boxing's flag bearer" ahead of Saturday's British title fight at Rainton Meadows Arena. Hall is hoping to become the first Darlington fighter to win a Lonsdale Belt outright when he takes on John
POLICE have issued a warning following a number of incidents in Saltburn and Marske when rogue tradesmen offered to build fences and lay driveways for large sums of money. Police community support officer Anne Farrell-Thomson, of Cleveland Police, said
IF you're a fan of modern military thrillers you're going to have fun with anything Matt Lynn writes. Having decided to strike out on his own after years ghost writing for soldiers-turned-authors, he's on something of a roll. His first
For the Football Association to have any credibility, it had to show teeth - rather than gums - in its response to Wayne Rooney's foul-mouthed outburst into a television camera on Saturday. The FA announced last night that the Manchester United
MORE than 5,000 people have signed a petition against plans to move a historic market. Stockton Borough Council wants to relocate its 700-year old market to the south of the town hall as part of £20m plans to refurbish the High Street. The current location
POLICE were called to a residential area after reports that a distressed man was causing a disturbance. It was initially thought that the man, who was found near Blackwell Court, in Colburn, North Yorkshire, may have been armed, but North Yorkshire
A RENOWNED rabbi is to chair a series of discussions on art, the mind and religion. Rabbi Lionel Blue, a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme, will chair weekly talks at Durham University’s Grey College. Titled
MANCHESTER United striker Wayne Rooney has been charged by the Football Association with use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language following his foul-mouthed hat-trick celebration at West Ham on Saturday. The England forward issued
A HISTORIAN is appealing for information on a curious slide which has come into his possession. Durham-based local historian and author Michael Richardson, custodian of the Gilesgate Archive, has recently come across the image, which shows a military
AN investigation is underway after a cat was blasted with a shotgun and her mate poisoned. Both cats belonged to the same woman, who has been left devastated by the attacks on two of her pets in the same week. Police and RSPCA inspectors are trying
TEENAGERS have staged their own in-school charity fashion show. Youngsters from Lord Lawson of Beamish School, in Birtley, Gateshead, created models’ outfits and haircuts showcasing styles from the 1960s to the present. The event, held
A CAMPAIGN to stamp out racism at football grounds has been spreading its message in Hartlepool. The Show Racism The Red Card scheme uses ex-professional players to spread the message. And Gary Bennett, John Anderson, Olivier Bernard, Curtis Fleming
A COMMUNITY group which wants to reopen a village pub has rejected the offer of an alternative venue. Skeeby Community Pub Society was formed last year to oppose plans by developer Jon Whitfield to convert the Travellers Rest, which closed several
Lucy Ward isn’t content with just being a Wag. The Middlesbrough make-up artist wants to help brides look perfect for their special day. She talks to Ruth Addicott about launching her business. SWAROVSKI crystals on their toenails and a blow
Until now, sweat control technology has been the domain of sports wear. But a new range of shirts has been launched that can prevent unsightly patches. THEY’RE unsightly and not even the fittest of men can avoid underarm sweat patches at some
A SHOPKEEPER accused of murdering his postmistress wife challenged a paramedic sent to treat her who told him rigor mortis had set in, a court heard today. Robin Garbutt, 45, denies bludgeoning his wife Diana's head three times as she slept
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s first visit to The Sage Gateshead, featuring two giant works by masters of instrumental colour, left an indelible impression on the audience. The concert opened with Richard Strauss’ cinematic Don Quixote, sub-titled
AFTER three years, The Pigeon Detectives, the indie rock band from Yorkshire, are set to release their hotly-anticipated new album and single. They have an infectious desire when translating recorded material for a live audience, and their unquestionable
HOTEL staff have been put on the alert after it was revealed that wanted man Simon Keith Wilson could be staying at a guest house or B and B in North Yorkshire. The 27-year-old, from Scarborough, is thought to be currently staying in the Harrogate or
WHAT a night this turned out to be. For both acts stormed the place – with, I hasten to add, the vociferous help of a bunch of young, well-oiled and enthusiastic fellow nationals of Little Miss Higgins. From the off, Saskatchewanbased Higgins
Lambing Live (BBC2, 8.30pm) Justice (BBC1, 2.15pm) Great British Menu (BBC2, 6.30pm) THEY’RE small, woolly and taste great with mint sauce. Whether you’re a carnivore who enjoys eating them, or a vegetarian who prefers to see them frolicking in
SUFFERING Bunions! Bunions! Like pickled onions My toes are funny uns Although rarely seen. Aching? Aching? No, I’m not faking In my socks baking Majestic: serene. I wash and tend them Alas, I can’t bend them But I defend
A DOCUMENTARY chronicling the 16-year history of the rock band, the Foo Fighters is to be screened in the region this week. Foo Fighters Back and Forth is being shown at more than 200 cinemas across Europe on Thursday night. Oscar and
A MAN has been left with serious facial injuries following an early morning assault. The 36-year-old was found on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, just after 6am this morning. The alarm was raised after the victim was spotted by a member of the public
TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant Vodafone continued with its drive to focus on key markets by selling its stake in a French mobile phone firm for £7bn today. The sale of the 44 per cent stake in SFR comes as the UK based firm looks to reduce its assets in markets
A BID to secure listed building status to save a library earmarked for demolition has been rejected by a government minister. The library site is key to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Councils plans to regenerate the town centre with a 31m leisure and
A TOP Gear episode which caused controversy with jokes about Mexicans has been cleared by the broadcasting watchdog. Remarks broadcast by the BBC presenters included branding Mexicans "lazy, feckless and flatulent". The corporation later apologised
THE grandson of a Darlington MP is setting the literary world all a-quiver with his stories of kinky sex with a Chinese Empress, which are published on Thursday. I have to say that is one of the most sublime sentences I have ever written. He was Sir
LIFEBOAT volunteers were scrambled when two teenagers got cut off by the rising tide at the bottom of cliffs. Members of Sunderland RNLI Lifeboat Station, who were called to Seaham, in east Durham, at about 5pm on Sunday, arrived to find the boys had
A MAYOR will host a charity fashion show on Wednesday night. Councillor Mamie Simmons, the Mayor of Durham, will hold the city’s fourth annual fashion show at Durham Town Hall. The event will raise money for Coun Simmons’ Mayor’s Appeal charities:
A TEENAGE powerhouse has been given a real lift after shattering two British records. Emmanuel College student Shaun Kelly broke the Under-18 105kg unequipped powerlifting record with a combined total of 540kg for the squat, bench and dead lift. He also
Evan Bryson, a man who devoted his life to getting kids off the streets and into football, has died. He was 82. For 48 years he was secretary of the celebrated Redheugh Boys Club in Gateshead, the two great unwritten rules that there should be no smoking
ANTON Ferdinand declared that his Sunderland teammates are under no illusions – the Black Cats are in a relegation battle. Sunday's woeful 5-0 defeat at Manchester City confined Sunderland to their seventh defeat in ten games, in a
Millwall Lionesses 2 Sunderland Women 3 Sunderland Women sealed the FA Premier League National Division title after coming from behind to win 3-2 at Millwall yesterday. Needing only three points from their final three games to land their first major
Consett acting manager Dave Hagan accused his side of lacking passion as they threw away their title chances with a 1-0 defeat at Billingham Synthonia. Synners also ended Shildon's title hopes earlier in the week, but Consett still had a chance to overtake
Whitley Bay made it a double Wembley weekend for the North-East when they reached their third successive FA Vase final on Saturday, all thanks to striker Paul Chow. Chow, who scored in the first 20 seconds at Wembley last season, netted a hat-trick to
EVAN Horwood admits he is still trying to work out how his third goal of the season came about on Saturday. After cracking strikes against Northampton and Colchester, the left back netted a bizarre effort at Swindon Town. Home goalkeeper Paul Smith
IN the latest issue of FourFourTwo, the football magazine that sponsors Swindon Town, Mick Wadsworth offers tactical advice on how to cope when your team is three goals down. The Hartlepool United boss has had plenty of experience in that field of late
NORTH-EAST businesses have made a positive start to the year and are planning to increase their workforces, a quarterly economic survey has shown. The North East Chamber of Commerce’s (NECC) Business Barometer report for January to last month
A TRAINING charity is inviting applications for an engineering apprenticeship scheme, supported by leading process industry firms. The TTE Technical Training Group’s four-year Tees Valley production technician (TVPT) studentship is supported
THE embattled retail sector will remain in focus this week when Marks & Spencer reports on recent trading, while restaurant chain Prezzo will also shed light on consumer conditions. Marks & Spencer is expected to add to evidence of a sharp slowdown
A HOUSING company which ensured an employee could continue to work for it after losing her sight has been recognised by a charity. Margaret Cutter, 57, who was employed as a receptionist at East Durham Homes, lost her sight after suffering a
DAVID CAMERON said in Parliament last week that ordinary Libyans want freedom, justice and democracy. He described these as “the things we take for granted”. The European Convention makes it illegal for any public body to discriminate for political
THE taking of scrap is a scourge affecting many residents’ lives. Vans and small lorries cruise the back lanes of Bank Top and other parts of Darlington. A lookout on the top looks over the walls spotting any “scrap” items. Elderly
IN the early Eighties, I worked for some time in India. Two of the things I missed most were pork pies from a certain butcher in Darlington and driving on well-maintained tarmac roads. Forty years later and the pork pies are as good as ever,
After spending his entire career in the police force, former Chief Superintendent Graham Pears is putting his experience to good use as an author of crime fiction. He talks to Sarah Foster. WHEN asked the question: “Did you always want to be a policeman
HUGH PENDER writes that “millions are suffering under dictators in Africa with no help”(HAS, March 26). Yet when non-African nations try to do something an African leader simply has to say or imply “colonialism” and leaders from neighbouring countries
Darlington Memorial Hospital has, over the years, been the focus of a lot of criticism. I speak as I find. I attended day surgery for an operation recently and found all the staff extremely efficient, attentive and friendly. They created
ALDOUS HUXLEY once conjectured that “maybe this world is another planet’s hell”. In view of current events in Japan, he is probably correct. Each day we hear further gloomy news about disasters, both natural and man-made, striking at the heart
FRED and Barbara Jones (HAS, April 1) are, of course, correct that the casualties we should be most concerned about are those who are in future going to be affected by the fallout from the Japanese nuclear power stations. This leaves us in a quandary
LOCAL newspapers have their knockers: the doom-mongers, the critics, the rosetinted spectacle-wearers who drone on about how much better it was in their day. Well, it seems to me that local newspapers are still important and, occasionally, the knockers
THE ghastly saga in Libya unfolds with our forces perpetuating a civil war by supporting the weaker side. A gruesome tally of civilians killed by western bombers is set against what might have happened had we not intervened. David Cameron and
THIS weekend, a respected Roman Catholic charity claimed that a brutal civil war had resulted in more than 1,000 people being shot and hacked to death in a single African town. Contrary to what you might be thinking, though, the African town in
His film has no title and still isn’t completed, but a decade after setting out to make a movie, Newton Aycliffe-based Ben Race is determined not to give up. He tells Steve Pratt how the public can help him. WATCHING unedited scenes from The
WHILE Steve Harmison is kept under wraps until the opening championship match in Hampshire on Friday, another Ashington bowler was the pick of the Durham attack yesterday. In their earliest start to a first-class season they handed a debut to
NEWCASTLE Falcons face a crunch showdown with Leeds at Kingston Park on Saturday after the bottom club cut the gap between the sides to two points by beating Exeter 27-22 yesterday. The Falcons were again crushed by their LV Cup final conquerors
MIDDLESBROUGH survived a big scare on Saturday before emerging with the home win which lifted them two places in their battle against relegation. They led 10-0 at home to Chester, only to have prop Craig Chapman sent off and trail 15-10 before
DARLINGTON Mowden Park have four players in the Newcastle Falcons Development squad for tonight’s match at Worcester. Prop Ralph Appleby, who has featured before, will be joined by prolific winger Robin Eatough and youngsters Liam Riley and George
A BOUYANT Conservative group believes it can capitalise on a Labour Party malaise to make big gains in Darlington. Senior Tories in the town say that while their share of the vote remains stable, Labour voters are looking for alternatives - with the
DARLINGTON'S Labour group unveiled its four-year vision for the town yesterday at the launch of its local election campaign. The party will field a full complement of 53 candidates at next month's election, and they were present at the launch at the
JULIO Arca admits he was the most relieved player on the pitch after Stephen McManus' stoppage-time header earned Middlesbrough a dramatic 3-3 draw with Leicester City. Arca passed up a golden opportunity to equalise when he failed to convert
WHATEVER Danny Graham can do, Ayegbeni Yakubu can do better. For the second match in succession, Middlesbrough were undone by one of their former centre-forwards. For the second match in succession, they displayed commendable spirit and resolve
COUNTY Durham trainer Michael Dods landed the biggest win of his career as Sweet Lightning won the first feature race of the new flat season, the William Hill Lincoln, at Doncaster. Dods, who is based at Denton, near Piercebridge, watched Johnny
THE campaign to resurrect a historic motor racing event has gone up a gear. Middlesbrough and District Motor Club had joined forces with the Motor Sports Association (MSA) to try to resurrect the Saltburn Hill Climb, which fell victim to a clause in
STEVE BRUCE has lamented the loss of a cutting edge which has seen Sunderland drop from Europa League hopefuls to possible relegation candidates, culminating in a disastrous 5-0 drubbing at Manchester City yesterday. The Black Cats’ winless run
A SCRAP dealer has appeared in court in connection with the theft of £1.5m worth of train parts and cabling. Brian Brady is said to have weighed in the expensive metal at a North-East yard over a ten-month period last year. Prosecutors
THE world's largest flash mob event is said to have occurred in Mexico City on what would have been the late Michael Jackson's 51st birthday when more than 12,000 people gathered to dance to his hit 'Thriller'. Maybe the organiser of a flash
Manchester City 5 Sunderland 0 MANY have pointed to the January departure of Darren Bent to explain Sunderland’s sudden dip in fortunes. It is true enough that in the eight games since Bent’s transfer to Aston Villa, Sunderland have lost six
A MOTHER-OF-ONE who fell while rollerblading has died after her family allowed doctors to remove her life-support. Caroline Place had suffered severe brain damage after falling backwards while rollerblading for the first time in South Park,
HUNDREDS of North-East firms have officially expressed an interest in bidding for contracts with Hitachi Rail when it starts work on its new County Durham plant. Within five days of a website being launched for supply chain companies to express interest
THE father of a soldier murdered in Iraq says the battle to bring his son's killers to justice looks "less and less likely" to succeed. A court in Baghdad has refused to overturn an earlier decision to acquit two men accused of killing six
A JUDGE allowed a child sex pervert walk free from court after admitting people would be "puzzled to say the least" at his decision. David Barnes was spared jail despite engaging in "cyber-sex" with a 13-year-old schoolgirl and downloading
AN organisation hoping to save four North-East leisure centres threatened with closure has reaffirmed its position after scrutinising the accounts. Spectrum Leisure and Management (Slam) said it can now draw up a "viable" business plan after
HEADTEACHERS have condemned the dismantling of careers services across the region and accused the Government of failing students by blundering over plans to replace them. The comments follow a survey by The Northern Echo revealing the extent
TWO friends who last saw each other moments before jumping from a plane in 1963 have been reunited for the first time in nearly half a century. John Dawson got the shock of his life when former Army colleague, Tom Brown, phoned his home in
A COUNCIL which invoked the fury of dozens of families by closing seven old peoples' homes is poised to sell up to five of the facilities, potentially raising millions of pounds. Labour-run Durham County Council, which faces cuts of £125m over
