A PARISH council chairman has been censured by his colleagues over a leaflet he circulated highlighting a planning application for a major housing scheme. Peter Ray, chairman of Etherley Parish Council, produced the circular after plans for 21
FAMILIES in villages to the west of Stockton have spoken of their shock at finding their children are being denied a place at Egglescliffe School. Parents from at least 17 families in villages including Carlton, Long Newton and Redmarshall are
A WEEKEND of celebrations have been held to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Northern Football League, the world’s second oldest. It is a major milestone in the sporting and social life of the North-East, and, of football in general.
A PARTY has been held to celebrate the first birthday the parents of a baby girl were warned she might not reach. Little Ammia Storey was born last March suffering from a rare abdominal wall defect, meaning her vital organs are outside her stomach
RESEARCHERS, led by a team at Newcastle University, have found that people born with a rare abnormality of their chromosomes have a massively increased risk of a rare childhood leukaemia. In this abnormality, two specific chromosomes are fused
A CHURCH hall has been destroyed by fire following a suspected arson attack. Police are investigating after the blaze reduced St John’s Church Hall in Meadowfield, near Durham, to charred timbers and scorched corrugated iron panels. Three fire
Sunderland are now odds-on at 10/11 for relegation after an abject display saw the Black Cats lose 2-0 at Norwich City. The Canaries were the only side of the bottom eight to win. West Brom lost 2-0 at Hull City to bring the Baggies into the relegation
A ZUMBA teacher is well on her way to smashing her £50,000 fundraising target after a completing a marathon workout session. Around 50 people took part in the three-hour long zumbathon, at Mercure Kings Hotel, in Darlington, today (Sunday, March
A SUDDEN hailstorm is believed to have caused a multi-vehicle pile-up on a treacherously steep road. Police, fire crews and ambulances were called to the scene this afternoon (Sunday, March 23) when two cars overturned, coming to land on their
A SUDDEN hailstorm is believed to have caused a multi-vehicle pile-up on a treacherously steep road. Police, fire crews and ambulances were called to the scene at about 4.30pm this afternoon (Sunday, March 23) when six cars were involved in a traffic
A CHARITY which provides support and advice for farmers in rural County Durham experienced a 15 per cent increase in the number of queries it dealt with in 2013 compared to the previous 12 months. Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (Utass
HUNDREDS of runners pulled on their trainers and did their bit for charity this weekend. Both young and old descended on South Park, in Darlington, to take part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile. Participants could run either one, three,
Fun swim sessions with toys and music for children aged up to five years old are running at Belle Vue Swim Centre, Consett on Mondays, Tuesdays Wednesdays and Fridays from 12pm-1pm. Admission for one parent and one child costs £3. BREATHE EASY:
DOZENS of swimmers donned on their goggles and took the plunge this weekend to help raise money for charity. Swimmers at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, were taking part in the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Swimathon to help raise money for vulnerable
A PICTURESQUE country park became a scene of mayhem today (Sunday, March 23) when hundreds of runners took on one of the North-East's muddiest assault courses. Muddy Mayhem, at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield, County Durham, saw competitors of all
A SEX attacker who indecently assaulted two women in Sunderland is being hunted by police. The first attack happened at 2.50am this morning (Sunday, March 23) when a 23-year-old woman was walking along Derby Road and was approached by a man who
THE annual St Cuthbert’s Day annual pilgrimage has been staged over the weekend. The Northumbrian Association's seven-and-a-half mile walk from Chester-le-Street to Durham Cathedral took place on Saturday. It retraces the final route of the
A LIVERY owner has criticised Darlington Borough Council for failing to deal with illegal flytipping near his business. Bags of building waste, old televisions, Christmas trees, mattresses, and deadly asbestos are just some of the items that have
Police are appealing for help to trace a missing Houghton-le-Spring woman. Emma Louise Barron, 28 , has not been seen since leaving her home at Burns Avenue North just before midday today (Sunday, March 23). Police are concerned for her welfare
Pat Glass MP holding surgery Pat Glass, MP for north-west Durham, is holding a surgery on Friday, March 28, from 100am–12pm at the The Miners Institute, Church Street, Langley Park. Constituents are asked to call 01207-501782 to book an appointment
POLICE have confirmed the body of a man found in a river in York is missing Ben Clarkson. This afternoon (Sunday, March 23) officers confirmed that a body found in the River Foss on Friday, March 21, has been formally identified as Mr Clarkson.
SPRING was in the air for folk music lovers as an annual festival came to Darlington. Musicians and dancers from across the country took part in Darlington’s Spring Thing Folk Festival, which transformed town centre venues into a hive of activity
THE Labour party has deselected five Middlesbrough councillors after undergoing an interview process with local activists. The five - Councillor Len Junier, who represents North Ormesby and Brambles Farm ward; Councillor Pervaz Khan, who represents
A COMMUNITY project to improve a beauty spot overlooking the River Tees has received support from a local retirement village. The Front at Middleton One Row has been transformed over the last year, with volunteers from a friends group working to
YOUNG people spent a night under the stars to raise awareness of youth homelessness. Residents from Tees Valley YMCA, together with support workers and other volunteers, slept in St Cuthbert’s churchyard, in Darlington, on Friday (March 21).
A celebration of Baptism is to take place at Stokesley Methodist Church on Saturday, March 29. The church will be displaying items relating to baptism, including a collection of christening gowns, certificates and other memorabilia of interest. The
BOWLERS celebrated a special day in their club's history after rallying round to ensure its survival. At the end of last year, members of Spennymoor Indoor Bowling Club launched an appeal to pay back a £24,000 brewery loan and stem an annual loss
A WOMAN was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after being thrown from her horse which then landed on top of her. The woman, from the Thirsk area, had been riding at a farm near Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire, at about 12.40pm on Saturday
A TEAM of talented Darlington gymnasts will compete in a national competition. Members of Darlington Gymnastics Club will represent the north of England at the National Club Grades competition in Birmingham, in May, after a successful show in the
A CAR was set alight outside and a house that was also targeted are being connected by Cleveland Police. Officers were called to a report of damage to a house on Ampleforth Road in Middlesbrough at around 6.45am yesterday (Saturday, March 22).
PRIMARY schools in Stockton and state schools in Durham, Harrogate and York have fared well in the top of the Sunday Times 101 Best Places to Live. They were praised in the second part of the newspaper’s supplement which ranks the best places to
STUART LAUNDY joined the celebrations as Tow Law Town FC lined up against South Shields for the club's 3,000th fixture in the Northern League - which is itself celebrating its 125th anniversary. TOW Law Town's big day began with a blizzard, not
DOG owners are invited to a free microchipping session at Middlesbrough’s Albert Park next month. The event, in partnership with the Dogs Trust, the Middlesbrough and District Dog Training Association and Albert Park Dog Walkers, will be held at
CAKE was served to elderly residents as part of a celebration at a care agency this week. Workers at the Enable care agency, based at Preston Business Park, near Eaglescliffe, made cakes and biscuits as part of Nutrition and Hydration Week, which
A MAN dragged a woman into a vehicle compound and raped her in the cab of a van. Thomas Stephen Mason, who was said to have found it hard to come to terms with what he did, initially denied raping the woman when arrested and later charged with
DIMI KONSTANTOPOULOS will have nightmares for weeks after the horrible moment in the dying seconds of Middlesbrough's defeat to Queens Park Rangers at the Riverside Stadium. The big Greek goalkeeper will never forget the way the ball bobbled up
Spennymoor Town took a big stride towards promotion with a hugely important goal by Kallum Griffiths to clinch a valuable point in a 3-3 draw at league leaders Celtic Nation. Moors substitute Keith Graydon changed the course of the game when Moors
Durham City produced one of their best performances of the season when they thumped fourth bottom Bedlington 6-1 – and then management pair Adam Furness and Ian Skinner were bizarrely sacked. After the game which saw City climb to seventh in the
Three fire crews and an aerial ladder are currently at the scene of a fire in St John's Church Hall on the A690 at Meadowfield, near Durham. The hall, measuring 40 by 20 metres is described as "well alight". Two crews initially responded from
HUNTING, horse breeding and racing in Victorian England form the basis of a new exhibition at a North-East museum. The display has been put together by volunteers and has gone on show at The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. The hunting section
DO you know your waders from your raptors? If not, a course being run by the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty's (Aonb) WildWatch project will help. Those taking part will learn to identify the different species in the area
COMEDIAN Matt Richardson went the Xtra mile for fans in the region. After completing a gig at The Witham, Barnard Castle, on Saturday night, the Xtra Factor co-host stayed on to chat to his audience and pose for selfies. He was in the town
TWO teenagers were injured in a hit and run outside a school in a North Yorkshire town. The girls, aged 15 and 16, were on the crossing outside Meadowside Primary School, in Halfpenny Lane, Knaresborough, at about 6.45pm on Friday, March 21 when
A COLLECTION of Crown Derby ornaments were among a huge haul of goods stolen from a North-East house. Police say the items, including candlesticks and plates, plus an iPad air, gold bracelet and antique gold earrings were worth between £20,000
