NEWCASTLE UNITED and Middlesbrough have both been handed home draws in the FA Cup third round, but Sunderland will be heading on their travels if they beat Walsall in a replay next week. Newcastle, who have a wretched recent record in the early
DURING nigh on 40 years in journalism, I’ve seen lots of good ideas and plenty of bad ones. The Great Parks Auction was definitely one of the better ones. It started in March, at Theatre Hullabaloo in Darlington, when four local companies, Capita
MIKE ASHLEY claims talks to sell Newcastle United are at a “more progressed stage” than ever, and is hoping to have relinquished control of the club by the end of the year. Ashley has been in talks with a number of interested parties in the last
A ROAD has been closed after a vehicle struck the underside of a low bridge. Station Road in Penshaw, near Sunderland, is currently closed due to the collision. It happened late on Monday afternoon and police said the bridge is now unsafe.
A LITTLE boy who has overcame his obstacles to become a fashion model and television star has helped bring Christmas to the North-East. Six-year-old Teddy Berriman turned on the festive lights on the tree outside County Hall in Durham, and the tree
A JURY have been asked to consider whether a pharmacist accused of murdering his wife was a man capable of enacting “fantasy thoughts into real life effect”. Jurors have heard how Mitesh Patel, 37, created an entire world hidden from his wife,
HIGH street tycoon Mike Ashley has called for a new tax on online retailers as part of a radical change he says is needed to save the high street. Appearing before MPs, the Sports Direct founder said any retailer that makes more than 20% of its
STUDENT footballers played the equivalent of 16 matches, back-to-back, in an endurance test netting £7,066.19 for a worthy cause. The Durham undergraduates were joined by university staff and other enthusiasts for the 24-hour match, backed by a
WORK to clear a major spill on a North-East road has continued. The A1231 eastbound was closed on Thursday after a spillage along a half mile section of around two tonnes of a non-hazardous by product of the leather tanning process. Due to the
A SERIES of raids across Hartlepool saw seven people arrested and quantities of suspected Class A drugs, associated paraphernalia, a large amount of cash and suspected stolen goods recovered. Cleveland Police targeted the Owton Manor area in a bid
THE man known as “Nick” whose allegations sparked the Westminster sex abuse probe can now be identified after a judge lifted legal restriction. Carl Beech, 50, who is accused of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud
FAMILIES and students braved the elements to take part in a neighbourhood’s Christmas community festival. The event in Neville’s Cross, Durham, included a lantern parade, crafts and activities for children, a visit to see Father Christmas and dance
SAFETY campaigners have given revellers a simple message this festive season – Don’t Drink and Drown. With statistics showing alcohol being a factor in the majority of the 13 drownings in County Durham in the five years since 2013/14 – with one
AN investigation is underway following the death of a man who was struck by a lorry. Steven Hodgson, 41, of Woody Close, Consett, died following the collision on the A691 Lanchester Road at 3pm on Friday. The investigation is being carried out
DUNCAN WATMORE returns to first-team action with Sunderland tomorrow, but the winger will be encouraged to continue taking things slowly as he approaches the end of his injury hell. Watmore will make his first senior start for more than 12 months
THE new governor of a fire service has launched an action plan to rescue the brigade from going bust, and has warned the public must pay more to maintain frontline services. North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, who
DARLINGTON manager Tommy Wright has sought to clarify the comments he made on Saturday, when he said he had had enough of excuses for players missing training. Speaking after the 3-1 loss at Chester, Wright told the club's website: “The excuses
A GROUP of Labour council leaders have hit out at plans to bring Durham Tees Valley Airport into public ownership. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen is believed to be making the announcement on Tuesday morning, but the five Tees Valley council leaders
A £14.5M new biotechnology lab in Teesside is expected to create 50 high-value jobs and bring £4m a year into the regional economy. The Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority has pledged £7m of investment towards the FUJJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
A COUNCIL is predicting that it will be in a much improved budget position after reducing its anticipated overspend by almost £3m. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council was looking at recording a budget overspend of £4.2m but members of the authority's
DURING nearly 40 years in journalism, I’ve seen lots of good ideas and plenty of bad ones. The Great Parks Auction was definitely one of the better ones. It started in March at Theatre Hullabaloo in Darlington when four local companies, Capita,
HIGH-achieving students have ensured a North Yorkshire school has retained its ‘Top state school in the North’ title. Following another summer of exceptional exam results, Ripon Grammar School (RGS) has been awarded first place in The Sunday Times
HUNDREDS of people descended on a small village at the weekend to learn more about one of the first battles of the English Civil War which took place there exactly 376 years ago. Cannon fire echoed across the skies and muskets were fired to commemorate
A TEENAGER is being treated in hospital after being injured with a 'sharp object'. The 19-year-old suffered non-life threatening injuries to his arm and finger following an incident in the Eltham Crescent area of Thornaby at the weekend.
SINGER Jess Glynne is the latest artist confirmed to perform at Dalby Forest next summer. The pop star's debut album ‘I Cry When I Laugh’ has been a chart staple for a staggering 170 weeks with triple platinum sales. And she is best known for
I READ recently that five per cent of the British public can imagine having a romantic relationship with an emotionally charged and intelligent robot. They obviously have no knowledge of Arthur C Clarke’s enigmatic and prophetic book, 2001: A Space
A VULNERABLE woman was left unable to leave her home after her wheelchair was stolen. The 81-year-old's wheelchair was taken taken from the garden of her house in Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, between Friday and Saturday. Police have appealed
A DRUG-DRIVER has been banned from the road after admitting he smoked cannabis before climbing behind the wheel. Stephen Costello, 39, arrived in a vehicle to his home on Upper Church Street, in Spennymoor, where police were visiting on an unrelated
Hot air HEADLESS chickens normally run around farmyards, not the halls of Westminster, but that’s exactly what’s going on today. The majority of Britain voted to leave the EU. But will their wishes ever be granted? As a leaver, I am annoyed
THE People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has targeted the tiny Dorset village of Wool in regard of the name. What Peta forgot to research is that Wool derives its name from the historic word “welle”, relating to the many water springs
OUTLOOK bleak. That is the doleful forecast around Westminster over the plight of Theresa May's Chequers plan for Brexit – and indeed for her own future as Prime Minister. With yet another ministerial resignation at the end of last week, the prospects
A RARE visitor to the region has been spotted perched in the reedbeds at RSPB Saltholme – the first sighting in Cleveland since 1852. An elusive little bittern was first spotted early last week but a keen-eyed birdwatcher managed to capture an
THREE pug puppies have been stolen from a flat after a burglary. An appeal has been made for information to help find the 12 week-old female puppies which were taken from a flat in the Bilton area of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, between 11pm and
The opening chords of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture pack and punch and there was no holding back when the Royal Northern Sinfonia, under the baton of Lars Vogt, delivered them at Sage Gateshead. An incisive account of the piece set the scene for the
A PEDESTRIAN is critically ill in hospital after he was knocked down by a car. The man was struck by the car, a Ford Fiesta ST, as he was crossing Lowhills Road, in Peterlee, County Durham, just before 11.30pm on Friday, November 30. The vehicle
CONCERNS have been raised about public health services in County Durham as council bosses prepare to face the highest grant funding cuts in England. On November 29, Durham’s County Council’s health and wellbeing board heard about proposed changes
A CHRISTMAS tree dubbed ‘Britain’s worst’ was lit up in all its splendour last night. Northallerton’s cone-shaped artificial Christmas tree got the unfortunate title before being seen with its lights on. Tree dubbed 'Britain's worst'
NEWCASTLE UNITED youngster Sean Longstaff has signed a new four-year contract with the club. The 21-year-old, who is a product of the Magpies’ Little Benton Academy, has put pen to paper on a new deal which will keep him at St. James’ Park until
A BUSINESSMAN has been slapped with a bill for more than £400 for a parking ticket issued to a van he sold in 2015. Terry Williams is facing the £423 bill after the Mercedes Sprinter van he once owned received the ticket in Birmingham. The
A FIRE which has left a young child in hospital with serious injuries may not have been deliberate, police have said. Latest: Girl, 7, fights for life after fire Fire ripped through a house in Esk Road, Darlington, on Saturday afternoon
A NEIGHBOUR told how she tried in vain to rescue a seven-year-old girl from a burning home following a suspected deliberate fire. Update: Darlington fire which injured girl, 7, 'may not have been deliberate' say police Kathleen Wilkinson
THIRSK market traders decorated their stalls and donned their Christmas jumpers to enhance the Christmas spirits at last week’s festive market. The regular Saturday market was joined by six extra stalls selling local crafts and alcoholic gifts whilst
A NORTH-East shoe company is urging people to donate their unwanted footwear to help vulnerable and homeless people through the winter months. Charles Clinkard has teamed up with the Teesside Philanthropic Foundation and is asking customers to
A LEADING Catholic boarding school has opened a new equestrian arena to improve facilities for students. The new arena at Ampleforth College, near Helsmley, has been installed by local company Hymas Arenas with Dressage and Show Jumping facilities
MOVES to help looked after children and people leaving care realise their hopes and dreams are being extended across the whole of North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council's new strategy, "We care because you matter"aims to give young people
STEWART DOWNING thinks Middlesbrough need to forget about what might happen during the January transfer window by hitting the new year on another unbeaten run that would have them firmly in the mix for an automatic promotion place in 2019. Saturday
A SCHOOL is asking for the help of residents as it considers the best way to preserve and display its heritage. Wolsingham School has a collection of framed photographs of students who gave their lives in the First World War. The story of the
CHILDREN will have a trip under the sea to ease their anxiety while waiting in a hospital's waiting area. Artist Emma Kendall created the original artwork free of charge before volunteers helped out with the painting in Darlington Memorial Hospital
A MAN turned up with an axe at his girlfriend’s family home hours after threatening to “chop up” both her and her friends, a court heard. On being told he could not see her as she was unwell upstairs, Joshua Thain wielded the axe, twice narrowly
Sarah Caldecott, photographic coordinator for The Northern Echo picks her camera club pictures of the week
A REGENERATION partnership, set up to revive communities and economies in the Durham coalfields, has secured planning permission for its 2,000th home. The property will be at Gibside, Chester-le-Street, where Durham Villages Regeneration Company
EACH week we profile a member of the Northern Echo Camera Club. This week it's David Ibinson, from Murton, County Durham. Who or what inspired you to take up photography? I'VE always had an interest in photography but only took it up seriously
IF there’s one thing Alisha Cowie can count on, it’s family support. When the 19-year-old, from Spennymoor, was crowned Miss England, in September, her mum Amy famously stormed the stage. Granddad John wears a t-shirt saying, ‘Miss Newcastle’s
A DISTRICT council is 'vehemently opposing' North Yorkshire County Council's plans for a new one way system. NYCC wants to put in place a new one-way system at St Nicholas Street in Norton, near Malton, but Ryedale council is against the plans.
WHEN Darlington Borough Council announced they were going to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to litter, we welcomed their hard-line stance. There is no excuse for dropping litter in the town centre, and it is nice to see a council proactively
WANTED. A new manager at Hartlepool United. Must be able to turn a losing mentality into a winning one. Six successive National League defeats became seven as Pools chucked away a deserved victory in a matter of seconds. Despair rules along
A CHRISTMAS village for families, shoppers and revellers has opened on Tyneside. The Christmas Tyne, Gateshead Winter Village launched on Baltic Square, on the Quayside, on Saturday. It features an indoor-outdoor cinema screening an array of
A GROUP of Sea Scouts transformed an overgrown patch of land into a deluxe bird-feeding area with a nautical theme. The 8th Blyth Sea Scouts created a wildlife haven outside the training hut at Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club, near Consett– which
FAMILIES can meet a very merry special guest at Hardwick Park this month. Father Christmas will visit the Sedgefield park’s cosy yurt to see children and hand out gifts on Saturday, December 15; Sunday, 16; Friday, 21 and Saturday, 22. The sessions
MARTIN DUBRAVKA is hoping Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to West Ham does not do too much damage to Newcastle United’s confidence, and is calling for an immediate reaction when the Magpies return to action at Everton on Wednesday. Newcastle’s three-game
IN the summer of 2017, Rafael Benitez thought he had agreed a deal to sign Javier Hernandez. Newcastle needed a striker, Hernandez was desperate to leave Bayer Leverkusen, and the fundamentals of an agreement were quickly brokered. As has so often
A BUSINESS whose staff trekked from river deep to mountain high for charity, is boxing clever in a bid to reach its own £50,000 target. Staff from The High Street Group of Companies, based in Newcastle, have raised more than £40,000 for cancer
CHRISTMAS crafts, free refreshments and children singing carols will be on offer for older residents who are being invited to a community centre this week. Ageing Better Middlesbrough, a scheme to reduce loneliness among people aged 50 and older
STAR gazers could be treated to an impressive meteor shower tonight. Experts at Kielder Observatory say the early hours of Friday morning will provide the best opportunity to spot the Quadrantid meteor shower. The shower is expected to reach
IT seems particularly apt in this run up to Christmas to have a meet the boss who spent a formative part of her career in the festive department of the North-East flagship department store, Fenwick. Claire Foster, who runs MAC Security and Fire
A CONSERVATION scheme at a Richmondshire nature reserve has received a £29,000 cash boost from the district council. The Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve project has been awarded almost £9,000 from the authority’s social fund. A large portion
PANTOMIME posters and party photographs are part of an exhibition showing how Darlington residents celebrated Christmas in times gone by. Darlington Libraries' Centre for Local Studies has put together a display to help visitors get into the festive
A GOLF club is helping to drive a cure for brain tumours through a year of fundraising activity. Members of Darlington Golf Club supporting the Brain Tumour Research charity following the death of Paul Richardson, husband of the club’s Lady Captain
BINNED by at least seven councils this year, Darlington’s new litter police have been accused of using intimidating tactics in their efforts to clean up the town. Enforcement agents from the Kingdom Services Group have issued at least 383 on-the-spot
A COASTAL nature reserve is set to receive nearly £50,000 in funding to secure the heritage site for future generations. Repairs, restoration and new developments to the tune of £49,947 will be carried out at the South Gare Nature Reserve, in Redcar
A MOTHER who survived an abusive relationship hopes to support other victims by sharing her story in a national awareness campaign. Gemma Muncaster, from County Durham, has built a new life for herself and her two sons after her ex-partner left
YET another game on the schedule. Exactly what Jack Ross did not want. The Black Cats manager’s commitment to progression on all fronts – naming as strong a side as he could at Walsall – remains commendable, but Sunderland could have done without
A MAN wielding a hedge trimmer cut his neighbour’s wrist and eye during a “rage” sparked by an argument with his mother. Darlington plasterer David Taylor was overheard having a “tantrum” before he went into the street and launched an attack on
A CHOIR which started life with part-time fishermen singing sea shanties in their local pub is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Marske Fishermen's Choir evolved from a group who used to play instruments in the town's Ship Inn after
A BOY born in Bethlehem on Christmas Day achieved a university's highest ever English mark. Scoring a record 98 per cent for his dissertation, Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Disi graduated from his English Master’s degree at the University of Sunderland this
TALES of increasingly surreal gatherings of science-fiction and cult television fanatics sparked by a childhood obsession with Doctor Who, Star Wars and Blake’s 7 were the inspiration for a newly re-issued book. North-East writer and radio presenter
