THE police officer blinded by gunman Raoul Moat said tonight his wife had "called time" on their 20-year marriage. PC David Rathband made the announcement that he and his wife Kath were separating permanently on Twitter. He Tweeted: "Sad to announce
Darlington RA produced the comeback of the season so far when they scored four times in the last 20 minutes to snatch a 4-4 draw at Hebburn last night in the STL Second Division. The RA seemed to be down and out when Hebburn striker Liam
A Vie at Home party will be held in Hutton Magna Village Hall on Tuesday 29th November at 7:00pm. It includes make-up and facial demonstrations, a raffle with a difference, Christmas gifts, beauty products, jewellery and fragrances. Some items will
FABIO Capello has made eight changes to his England side for this evening's friendly with Sweden. Joe Hart, Phil Jones and Theo Walcott are the only players to survive from the side that secured a 1-0 win over Spain on Saturday. Capello has named a
ONE Show host Matt Baker has admitted he is suffering excruciating saddle sores after his rickshaw challenge raised more than half a million pounds and counting. The County Durham-born presenter is pedalling nearly 500 miles from Edinburgh to London
A selection of signed prints from paintings of Richmond by the highly acclaimed Darlington based Gina Morton has been released in time for Christmas. Images include an autumn view of Cornforth Hill, the view over the town from Green Howards Way also
A TRAINING course offering residents the chance to take a first step on the ladder towards a career in youth work starts next week. Durham County Council is offering a Level One youth work training course over three days. Anyone over 16 years of age
POLICE are appealing for information after thieves broke into a kennels and stables and stole a diesel generator. Intruders snapped the chain on a gate to get onto the site at Hamsterley Vale, near Consett at some time between Friday, October 21 and
AN arts centre is to stage an anniversary concert to mark its 50th anniversary. International opera singer Graeme Danby and BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Alfie Joey are to perform at the Lamplight Arts Centre, in Stanley, on Thursday,, November 24, starting
EUROPEAN visitors headed to a primary school as part of a fact finding mission to improve relations. Fishburn Primary School, near Spennymoor, has hosted pupils and teachers from across Europe. Visitors from countries such as Turkey, Poland, Germany
VISITORS to a market town will be able to travel back in time as a mural depicting Crook’s history is unveiled. Members of St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook, have worked with a local artist to create a large mural showing the town’s history.
The 27-year-old has joined the Shaymen on a short-term loan until January, when the move will automatically extend to the end of the season. Walshaw was signed from Guiseley by Mark Cooper in May after he finished top scorer in the Blue Square North
A MUGGER who attacked a teenager and stole his valuables in a late-night ambush was yesterday jailed after a judge branded him "a bully boy". Carl Bishop knocked the youngster to the ground and kicked him in the back after he and two friends approached
ONLY five operating care homes remain under the control of Southern Cross Healthcare after the Darlington firm transferred a further 24 to new landlords today. It brings the total transferred since September 30 to 743, as the firm continues its operational
A CENTRE for battered and abused women has won a national award. My Sister's Place, based in Middlesbrough, has been recognised by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. The Award for Excellence in Counselling and Psychotherapy
A TWICE-CONVICTED drug dealer is starting his latest prison sentence after being caught "high up the chain" in a plot to sell heroin across the region. Cafe owner Paul Terry and his "patsy" Peter Williams were arrested after a police surveillance
A LIBRARY refurbished at a cost of £1.9m was officially opened to the public yesterday. Stockton Central Library opened two weeks ago and 1,500 people visited on the first day, easily more than double the usual number. Yesterday, author and historian
WORK to reduce the risk of flooding to homes in Hartlepool begins next week. Seven properties in Lancaster Road and Amberton Road will benefit from the £650,000 NorthumbrianWater scheme. The work, which will begin on Monday and take up to five
COMMUNITY gardners used their own produce to make soup and raise nearly £200 at a well-attended farmers' market on Saturday. Saltburn Farmers' Market was packed as the autumn sun shone and the soup sold out before lunchtime. Sue Featherstone,
STAR Wars came to the streets of one of the region's towns on Saturday. A stormtrooper and a sandman, both characters from the Star Wars movies, flew in from the Galactic Empire to the That's Entertainment store in Captain Cook Square, Middlesbrough
IT is often said that we are a proud nation of dog lovers, so why is it that very few actually clean up after their pooch? Many more just bag up the mess and either throw it to one side or hang it on a tree like a smelly Christmas decoration. Our streets
THE Borough of Newham has the highest unemployment rate in London at 13.7 per cent. Tottenham has a rate 8.9 per cent and, according to the local MP has only 150 jobs in it's local JobCentre. Last week in Parliament, David Cameron was asked what he
FORMER Prison Governor Niall Clifford posed the question why would any prison officer report for work at any after the not guilty verdict handed to Kevin Thakrar at Newcastle Crown Court after his attack on three staff at HMP Frankland (HAS, Nov 11
PLEASE do stand corrected Mr D Llewellyn as I believe your letter (HAS, Nov 1) was inaccurate on a number of fronts. The new swimming pool at Consett will form part of a joint project with Consett Academy. It will not be run by the academy nor will
I NOTICE in the last few days that the ability to comment on letters to the editor published online seems to have been removed - or applied only to selective letters. Is this a deliberate policy or a system fault? Graeme Robertson, Billingham.
AS is traditional in Darlington on the approaches to the festive season, the annual archaeological digs are timed to start up on the approach roads to the town centre. Ever eager to improve Christmas trade for the towns shops, the towns road engineers
AT long last America has concluded that China is a threat to the world through its growing economic might. It is absolutely amazing that it has taken so long for this big penny to drop. Some 15 years ago, when the West started piling billions upon
THE grand European project is dea. Its like the Norwegian Blue parrot of Monty Python fame, its still on its perch but its dead, it has expired. The original aims were worthy, an attempt to ensure peace and co-operation on the Continent and prevent Germany
TRAINEES from east Durham have taken their first steps onto the ladder of a career in building thanks to a new project. The initiative supported by East Durham Area Action Partnership, East Durham Homes and Kier aims to improve the appearance of communities
Yorkshire have announced the capture of former Australian Test star Jason Gillespie as their new first-team coach. The White Rose county have also unveiled Paul Farbrace as their new second-team coach, Ian Dews as their director of cricket
THE co-pilot of an RAF helicopter which crashed, killing the pilot and two others, has pleaded guilty to negligence. Ex-Flight Lieutenant Robert Hamilton, who was left paraplegic by the crash, was on board the £20m Puma when it crashed in a
A THIRD fewer house burglaries were committed across Darlington last month compared to the same time last year, with figures expected to drop still further. Police believe a number of campaigns and approaches have helped to limit the number of homes
A VILLAGE is to lose its evening and Sunday bus services in the new year because of a loss of subsidies. The number 12 service between Darlington and Middleton St George, which is run by Scarlet Band, via a council subsidy, during evenings and Sundays
ONE of the region’s leading businessmen was found dead earlier today. Gus Robinson MBE, who was 62, founded Hartlepool company Gus Robinson Developments in the early 1970s. The construction, plumbing and electrical company went on to
A MILLION pound project to preserve Teesdale's natural beauty and rural landscapes officially starts this week. The Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership, funded by the Heritage Lottery, will be launched during a ceremony at The Hub, in Barnard
POLICE are warning shoppers to be alert after two incidents at an out-of-town shopping centre. One woman had her purse stolen from her car and another saw her handbag go missing. Both incidents happened at the Arnison Centre, near Durham City, on Wednesday
A COUNCIL is failing to tackle horrendous taxi problems created by its deregulation of the trade, cabbies have claimed. Since Durham County Council allowed unlimited numbers of taxis to operate in Durham city centre from September 1, up to 400 cabs have
Turner recently returned to action having spent six months out after suffering a recurrence of the knee injury he sustained when he collided with a post in the draw with Everton last November. In the absence of Titus Bramble, Turner has started the
Cabaye limped off in the first half of Newcastle's 2-1 win over Everton prior to the international break with a groin strain but the midfielder has since linked up with the France national squad. Magpies boss Alan Pardew admitted he didn't expect Cabaye
A GLASS artist has opened her own studio and gallery in the heart of Durham. Janet Rogers, who works in stained, leaded and kiln fused glass and pate de verre, has opened the Crushed Chilli Gallery, in the former St Margaret’s church hall, on the city
DURHAM Tees Valley airport has strenuously denied that safety was put at risk due to the alleged relaxing of immigration checks. Last night a leaked email from a UK Border Agency official at Durham Tees Valley stated that managers were not allowed to
AN MP has accused Arriva of behaving extremely badly over its decision to cut rural bus services in the region. Helen Goodman, the MP for Bishop Auckland and Teesdale, met with Durham County Council officials to discuss Arriva’s proposed cancellation
A POLICE chief says he is so concerned about the impact of drinking on young people he wants the age at which alcohol can be bought at offlicences raised to 21. Click here to for more information on Alcohol Awareness Week Durham Chief
THE Boundary Commission was under more pressure last night to do a U-turn in respect of controversial changes to parliamentary seats, after the North-East’s main political parties rejected plans for socalled “super” constituencies. At a commission
A PLAN to open a free school in government offices was condemned as “completely nuts” by a North-East MP last night. Jenny Chapman said it was crazy for ministers to propose a new school in Mowden Hall, Darlington, across the road from two successful
A MAN has admitted knocking down and killing a pedestrian crossing a road late at night. Married father-of-two sons David Moore died at the scene of the hit-and-run, in Wood Lane, Ferryhill, County Durham, at 11pm on Sunday, March 27. The 54-year-old
APPLAUSE greeted the funeral cortege of a North-East born footballer in his adopted home town yesterday. Former Sunderland manager Jimmy Adamson made his name as player and later manager of Burnley, leading the Lancashire club to the Football
HARTLEPOOL UNITED: The club confirmed they won't appeal against goalkeeper Scott Flinders' sending off in the FA Cup tie with Stevenage. Flinders was shown a red card in the eighth minute by referee Mark Heywood for bringing down Chris Beardsley in
Darlington's long-term existence may remain in question, but their youth team hope to be the future of the club and take centre stage this evening. They have an FA Youth Cup tie at home to Shrewsbury Town (7pm) with the prize for the winners a third
A NORTH-EAST property and mining firm has provided funding for new audio and visiual equipment at a community facility. The Banks Group, based in Meadowfield, Durham City has made a 2,199 grant, via its community fund, for the new equipment at Bishopton
GORDON Brown has expanded its growing family law department by appointing a new head for its Childrens law team. Jenni Wilson, who is an associate solicitor advocate, will lead the firms Public Law Childrens Unit and will be based in both its
PUBLIC sector workers are having to face up to the most rapid and widespread changes in a generation, according to a leading law firm. Experts at Ward Hadaway, which has offices in Newcastle, said the sweeping changes to the sector will see a radical
A NORTH-EAST software giant has been hit with a multi-million pounds damages claim over its decision to abort takeover talks with an Australian group. In August it emerged that FTSE 100 company Sage had entered into exclusive talks to buy MYOB
CHARGES have been dropped against a sixth man who was said to have been involved in the punishment beating murder of a suspected thief. During a brief hearing at Teesside Crown Court yesterday, prosecutors offered no evidence against David Woodier
A PAEDOPHILE who offered to pay a prostitute for finding him an underage girl to have sex with was yesterday jailed indefinitely. Long-distance lorry driver Mark Robinson, from Stockton, was given a sentence of imprisonment for public protection
A NORTH-EAST hospital trust has admitted that a catalogue of errors and bad communication led to a mother losing her life shortly after giving birth to twins. An inquest in Newcastle heard yesterday how Joanne Hatton’s condition “spiralled out
TEACHERS and pupils at the former school of the region’s newest star are backing her to win X Factor. Teesside High School, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, has launched a Facebook and Twitter campaign to urge people to vote for Amelia Lily Oliver
PRESSURE is mounting for a major review of the criminal justice system after a triple murderer was cleared of trying to kill prison officers. Despite admitting stabbing three staff at Frankland Prison, near Durham City, Kevan Thakrar was cleared
AN ENGINEERING firm is winning contracts across the world for its expertise in white water canoe courses just three years after diversifying into the field. Having just completed a major project closer to home in the Tees Valley North-East based Patrick
Yorkshire will today announce the capture of two Australians who they expect to underpin their LV= County Championship Division Two promotion bid in 2012. It is understood that county bosses will unveil Jason Gillespie as their new first-team coach and
George Soros, the fund manager who made over $1bn betting against the pound in 1992, has called gold ''the ultimate bubble'', writes Michael Rankin. Precious metals are seldom out of the news. From updates on the latest price movements to yet another
COUNTY Durham manufacturing firms are amongst the first to benefit from a new initiative to provide smaller businesses with expert guidance on making their products more environmentally friendly. By the end of 2013 around 80 small and medium sized firms
A WORLD-LEADING industrial training organisation has launched a new partnership with a County Durham security systems firm. As a result of the tie-up between the TTE Technical Training Group in Middlesbrough and Cam-Tec Systems, based in Newton Aycliffe
THE image conjured by the word "mill" could be of a picturesque scene of a windmill spinning in the breeze alongside a field of swaying corn or perhaps a pre-Industrial Revolution watermill, its wheel turned by the waters of an idling stream. These pioneering
THE UK's biggest fresh milk supplier revealed a slump in profits as it struggled to pass on rising costs to its supermarket customers. Robert Wiseman Dairies, which supplies a third of the fresh milk consumed in the UK, said pre-tax profits fell 42 per
Shildon will give new centre half Ian Maddison his full debut in their away game at Penrith tonight. Shildon boss Gary Forrest signed Maddison from Sunderland RCA last week, and he made a brief sub appearance on Saturday in the 2-2 home draw with Consett
AN epileptic kitchen porter told friends “I wish I was dead” hours before being killed in a devastating hotel blaze, an inquest has heard. James Butterfield, 41, died in his room in the staff quarters of the 170-bedroom Majestic Hotel, in Harrogate
BORDER checks were relaxed hundreds of times at UK ports, including in the North-East and Yorkshire, under a pilot scheme authorised by Home Secretary Theresa May this summer, figures show. Fresh evidence released by Labour also showed that passengers
A DEAL has been struck between a North-East city and an IT giant to create a new hi-tech computing environment. The Cloud, in Sunderland, will be one of the first of its kind in Europe, drawing on existing IBM technology delivered in China and
A MAN has died in a crash involving a wagon and three cars on the A1. The collision took place at 7.34pm tonight just north of Denwick, near Alnwick, in Northumberland. Emergency services called to the scene found the man dead. Any witnesses are asked
