THIS year marks the 50th birthday of the humble audio cassette tape - the medium that revolutionised the way people listened to music. Invented by Philips, the compact audio cassette became a tremendous success because the Dutch giant allowed other
The owner of Sunday's Arc winner will trouser just shy of £2million. Although it is only the third-richest horserace in the world it is, arguably, the most prestigious and even the most fervent of jumps fan will know the first Sunday in October means
Newcastle went down 2-1 to Manchester United in the Capital One Cup a little over a week ago but the Magpies have an immediate chance to gain some revenge as the pair meet in a Premier League encounter at St James' Park on Sunday. William Hill quote
A MAN who shot a video of a sheep with an upside down head which has been viewed by more than 233,000 people in a week has insisted it is genuine. The video on Youtube, shot by Allan McNamara, of Eston, Middlesbrough, shows the the animal, called
WHEN Sean Price became Cleveland's Chief Constable in 2003, in the wake of the hugely expensive and confidence-sapping corruption inquiry Operation Lancet, I confess that I found him to be a breath of fresh air. He took a different approach to
RYAN Noble has returned to Hartlepool United on a month's loan from Sunderland. The striker made nine appearances last season on a temporary basis and has returned to the club to get some first-team football under his belt. Pools boss Neale
Teesdale artist Ann Whitfield will be opening her studio for another weekend later this month. Vistors can view her work at 2 Raby Avenue, Barnard Castle on Saturday and Sunday 27th & 28th October between 10:00am and 5:00pm on both days.
North-East born actress and model Donna Air talks to Gabrielle Fagan about coping as a single parent and her healthy-living regime THERE’S no doubting Donna Air’s genuine enthusiasm for healthy living as she deftly slices carrots, shreds ginger
Try these charity buys ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October EATING FOR A GOOD CAUSE With only 100 calories per pack, there’s no excuse not to indulge in one of Propercorn’s delicious bags of gourmet popcorn, made from natural ingredients
With British Egg Week approaching and new research revealing eggs are better for you than 30 years ago, there’s never been a better time to get scrambling. Diana Pilkington reports THE humble egg has had a tough time over the years. They were still
A JURY today cleared a man of murdering his stepfather's drinking friend after an argument about a comment he had made a week earlier. Christopher Morgan, from Consett, County Durham, who admitted manslaughter, will be sentenced at Teesside Crown
RAIL enthusiasts building a full-size £137,000 steam locomotive hope to have the engine on the tracks by the end of the year after it passed safety tests. Based at Shildon Engineering’s site, on Shildon’s Hackworth Industrial Estate, County Durham
TODAY’S crop of celebrity chefs would have had a hard time cutting it in the kitchens of yesteryear. Rather than feted as culinary kings and queens, the likes of Gordon, Jamie and Nigella would have been household servants in the 19th Century.
THREE men have appeared in court accused of being part of a drug-dealing operation in the North-East. Wayne Robson, 40, John Flynn, 44, and 63-year-old Peter Samuel Davies have been in custody since their arrest, on suspicion of involvement in
A WOMAN has been attacked near her home by a man wielding a wooden club. Gemma Swales, 25, was left unconscious after the beating. The mother-of-two was so badly hurt that when partner Paul Briggs, 29, saw her after the incident near their home
I WAS surprised by Robb Meggs’ letter pouring scorn on singers such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby (HAS, Oct 1). Singers such as these are from a time when the only requirement was the ability to sing in tune to the music while standing still
IT might be amusing if I had offered some simplistic view of “how to defeat terrorism” as Kev Mcstravick alleges (HAS, Oct 2). He should not twist my words. He accuses me of “repetitiously” suggesting that the West is “somehow culpable” for
THE season, for Hartlepool United, began on an abysmal note - and tomorrow Neale Cooper wants his players to start again. A week before the League One campaign started, Pools lost 5-0 at Crewe in the Capital One Cup. They are back there tomorrow
MORE than 30 groups and individuals will be vying for top honours at this year’s green awards. The shortlist has been revealed for the 2012 County Durham Environment Awards, to be announced at a ceremony in Durham City, on Tuesday. Organised
CONTRARY to the assertions of Ian White (HAS, Oct 3) at no time did the vice chairman of Hurworth Parish Council approach the former director of planning and environment at Darlington Borough Council for his opinions on anything relating to bees in
DURING the Labour Party Conference the two Eds, (Miliband and Balls) told us what they would do to improve our lot. However, just two weeks ago they were saying they could not give us concrete promises because they didn’t know what they would find
I THINK Ed Miliband gave a great performance at the Labour conference (Echo, Oct 3). He has established his credentials as a man with a clear vision of what Labour could do in government to take this country forward. If we become a cohesive
THE region is playing host to the filming of an opera with difference this week. Bafta-nominated director Rupert Jones is shooting an opera featuring homeless performers from Middlesbrough, Gateshead and Newcastle. The project is a Streetwise
WHAT is really going on between Blackwell Golf Club and Darlington Borough Council? Why has the council not invited members of Stressholme Golf Club, and all interested parties, to a meeting? A letter is surely no substitute for being able to express
THEY say that whenever anyone went to Napoleon to sing the praises of this or that general, he would cut them off with one short question. “Yes, but is he lucky?” He had a point. Life’s not fair. We all know talented people passed over
A FRAUDSTER who befriended businessmen before conning them out of £600,000 in a car scam has been jailed. Adam Adamou, 39, tricked York-based tax advisors James and Martin O’Toole and their associate David Breeze into handing over hundreds of thousands
A CAMPAIGN highlighting the impact tax avoidance has on poor people is coming to the North-East. The Tax Justice Bus will pull into Durham City on day 45 of its 53-day nationwide tour on Sunday. Durham County Councillor Pauline Charlton and
The first 007 film opened in cinemas 50 years ago today. On Global James Bond Day, Steve Pratt casts an eye over the poster boy of the secret service THE “less is more” advance poster says it all in bold red and yellow. The graphics show a bullet
World record-breaking locomotive Mallard have returned to UK soil for the first time in more than half a century. The Dominion of Canada and Dwight D Eisenhower locomotives will be transported from Liverpool to the National Railway Museum’s (NRM
FASCINATING details are emerging of how “Project Vane” aims to restore the arts to Darlington’s empty Arts Centre. It is an exciting project which could provide a blueprint for how the arts can survive in the age of austerity. Rather than a
VERTU Motors, which is the parent company for car retailer Bristol Street Motors, is celebrating the success of staff working at its call centre in Gateshead, which also has ten vacancies. The company is recruiting staff and is keen to dispel the
BROOKSIDE and The Royle Family star Sue Johnston, currently appearing in Coronation Street, will star in a BBC1 comedy series about the lives of a family from Birkenhead on Merseyside. Lapland (the show’s working title) follows a 90-minute special
FORMER League Of Gentleman member Steve Pemberton is writing one of the episodes in the newly-commissioned fourth series of ITV1 drama Whitechapel. He stars with Rupert Penry- Jones and Phil Davis in the series, which is written by Ben Court and
THE Norstec meeting came as Stockton-based Reef Subsea Power and Umbilical unveiled a new remote operated vehicle (ROV) that will help it to secure more work in the renewables and oil and gas sectors. The Q1000 trencher, built by Soil Machine Dynamics
THE Prime Minister has backed a renewable energy group which is part of an industry aiming to create thousands of jobs in the region. The offshore wind network called Norstec was announced by David Cameron at the international Clean Energy Ministerial
AFEW numbers into his Symphonica tour appearance at the arena on Wednesday night, and George Michael says: “Newcastle, I think you’re the loudest venue yet.” Yeah, I bet he says that to all the audiences. If that sounded a tad insincere, it
FORMER ballerina Darcey Bussell is taking her new role as one of the Strictly Come Dancing judges seriously. She’s even been in training for it. “I decided I wanted to learn some of the Latin and ballroom dances so that I could have a really good
A TRAIN operator’s former service quality manager has been charged with fraud after rail tickets were allegedly sold on the black market. Trevor Watt, who worked for East Coast, faces a charge of fraud by abuse of a position of trust. The charge
A NORTH-EAST builder has called for more women to break into the male-dominated industry after his company appointed its first female engineer. Sarah Jopling, 22, from Newby, near Middlesbrough has spoken of her delight at joining Owen Pugh Group
HOG roasts and old English mead were among the most popular items on offer when a medieval market returned to the historic heart of a North-East city yesterday. The four-day market got under way in Durham City’s Market Place, with stallholders
SRI Lanka’s spinners carried them through to the final of their home tournament, with a 16-run ICC World Twenty20 victory over Pakistan at the Premadasa Stadium. Rival openers Mahela Jayawardene and Mohammad Hafeez top-scored with 42 on each side
A LORRY driver has fallen off the flyover on the A19 northbound carriageway following an accident. Cleveland Police said the lorry had turned on to its side just after the slip road from the A66 that joins the A19 flyover at 11am today. The
A GROUND-BREAKING project offering victims and witnesses a policing-by-appointment service has clocked up its 100,000th visit. Durham Police launched the service on a trial basis in 2008 and it proved so successful that it was expanded force-wide
WORK on repairing eroding peat bogs in the north Pennines can continue thanks to a £500,000 grant. The National Partnership grant from Biffa Award has been given to a collaboration between the Friends of the North Pennines and the North Pennines
THE parents of a North-East boy who has one of the rarest inherited diseases is backing today’s Jeans for Genes campaign to raise money for research into genetic disorders. It was bad enough when Kyran Richmond, from Chilton, County Durham, started
MORE than 200 people packed a village church to question planning officers who are looking at plans for a home for troubled youths. Residents in Hunwick questioned officers for more than an hour-and-a-half about plans submitted by Empowering Youth
REDCAR MP Ian Swales said he is glad to see the resolution of the disciplinary case against Sean Price. He said: "I am glad to see that these matters are being resolved at last. "Local residents should rest assured that the disciplinary matters
THE chairman of Cleveland Police Authority has said Sean Price's attitude was "completely unacceptable" following his sacking. The chair of the disciplinary panel, Joanna Greenberg QC, concluded there was “no doubt that Mr Price’s conduct breached
TV PRESENTER Selina Scott is attempting to raise £30,000 to buy a copy of a Dickens novel with a direct link to a North Yorkshire town. The 1844 copy of A Christmas Carol is signed by Charles Dickens for the widow of his close friend and Malton
A MURDER trial jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict today when the judge in the case concludes his summing- up. Judge Simon Bourne-Arton will send out the panel of seven women and five men after delivering his speech on the evidence
A FEMALE doctor was asked to leave a gym after fellow members complained the denim skirt she was wearing was “inappropriate”. Sy Parker was exercising at DW Sports Fitness Club, in Middlesbrough, when a member of staff told her they had received
"CLEARLY, I am extremely disappointed with the result today. I believe the disciplinary proceedings have sadly come to an incorrect conclusion. "When the judgement was delivered and I was offered the chance to put forward mitigation I declined
CLEVELAND Police's Chief Constable Sean Price has been dismissed after being found to have committed gross misconduct following an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation. A disciplinary hearing convened by Cleveland Police Authority
DEAN Richards doesn’t have anything to prove at Newcastle, according to former Falcon John Bentley, but he’s still tipping the one-time England international to guide his old side back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. Richards returned
Consett are the latest club to attempt to stop the Spennymoor steamroller when they visit the Brewery Field today. Moors have won all nine of their league games so far this season, but there is one ray of hope for the Steelmen – Moors conceded
JAMES McFADDEN took another step towards joining Sunderland yesterday and manager Martin O’Neill admitted the forward will provide much-needed competition on the wing. The 29-year-old has been without a club since leaving Everton at the end of
ON the pitch, it ended in disappointment, with the concession of yet another late goal. But it was away from the field of play that Middlesbrough's home game with Derby County on Wednesday really set the alarm bells ringing. The attendance of 13,377
Final Score: Newcastle United 3 Bordeaux 0 ALAN Pardew last night claimed his Newcastle players had finally clicked into top gear during a convincing Europa League victory over Bordeaux. The Magpies moved to the top of Group D as they inflicted
IN-FORM Lukas Jutkiewicz has urged Middlesbrough’s supporters to be realistic and not to expect ‘vintage’ performances every week during the team’s attempts to achieve promotion this season. Since returning from Blackburn Rovers with three points
TWO North-East footballers and a former County Durham stable worker have been accused of race-fixing. Former Newcastle and Sunderland striker Michael Chopra – who last year revealed he had gambled away up to £2m – and former Darlington and Newcastle
AN air ambulance came to the rescue of two cyclists yesterday – only to discover they were air medics themselves doing a fundraising ride. The Great North Air Ambulance was called to take two people to hospital who had been involved in an accident
THE developers behind a project to restore a former arts centre closed because of council budget cuts have spoken publicly about their plans for the first time. Graham Thrower and Andy Bottomley, the men behind plans to develop Darlington Arts
A HEALTH union has accused hospital managers of using bullying tactics after more than 5,400 health workers were sent advanced notification of redundancies. Bosses at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust have sent out forms known as HR1s, which
A DOG found scavenging for roadkill on moorland was probably left to die because her owners were unwilling to pay for her to be treated for cancer. The border collie, named Beauty by the animal sanctuary owner who found her, has secondary tumours
A SEX pest who groped a pensioner on a bus has been ordered to undergo treatment and stay away from his traumatised victim. Brian Calvert, from North Yorkshire, was warned by a judge that if he offends again, he should expect a prison sentence.
A MAJOR new intiative to turn around struggling schools in the North-East is under way. Last night the Northern Education Trust – hailed as the first multiacademy educational trust based in the North-East – was formally launched in Durham City.
AN amateur footballer who attacked a spectator for winding him up during a Sunday morning game was spared prison after a judge ruled he was grossly provoked. Peter Carling walked free from court yesterday despite following Chris Black after the
A GROUNDBREAKING partnership between the Church of England and the Methodist Church will be inaugurated in the region this Saturday. The agreement, between the Ripon and Leeds Anglican Diocese, which covers a large chunk of North Yorkshire, and
MORE than 30 groups and individuals will be vying for top honours at this year’s green awards. The shortlist has been revealed for the 2012 County Durham Environment Awards, to be announced at a ceremony in Durham City, on Tuesday. Organised
TOWN centre trade in Darlington could receive a welcome boost with the reopening of a landmark hotel devastated by fire in 2008. The blaze at the King’s Head Hotel – now known as the Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel – in Priestgate, was one of the
AN attacker who battered a neighbour with a metal hammer shaft was yesterday jailed for nine years for what a judge described as a persistent assault. The victim suffered at least eight separate wounds to his face and head in the onslaught from
THREE men have appeared in court accused of being part of a drug-dealing operation in the North-East. Wayne Robson, 40, John Flynn, 44, and 63-year-old Peter Samuel Davies have been in custody since their arrest, on suspicion of involvement in
A WOMAN from the North-East facing drug charges in Indonesia has told a Bali court there are many inaccuracies in the prosecution’s case. Lindsay Sandiford, 56, who was born in Redcar, has been charged with selling or facilitating the sale of more
A CAMPAIGN group has launched legal proceedings against NHS officials who decided to close a children’s heart unit in Leeds and make families travel to Newcastle or Liverpool for surgery. Save Our Surgery (SOS) said it has filed for permission
CLEVELAND Police’s beleaguered chief constable Sean Price has today been sacked for gross misconduct and told his behaviour was "shameful". Sean Price has been the subject of disciplinary action over allegations relating to the recruitment of the
