Middlesbrough and Newcastle United have been handed home draws in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Boro’s reward for overcoming Peterborough United on Saturday is to face League Two side Newport County at the Riverside Stadium. Newport - where
TONY BLAIR and Sir John Hall are among those paying tribute to Lord Foster, the former MP for Bishop Auckland who died on Saturday aged 81. The former Prime Minister said: “Derek was a great colleague and friend who I came to know well in Parliament
TONY PULIS has effectively been told not to expect Wolves to allow Adama Traore to return to Middlesbrough on loan this month. With Pulis on the look out for attacking reinforcements following the opening of the window, the possibility of the flying
A CONVICTED sex offender who was once branded a danger and given an extended sentence for public protection has been back in court. But this time, Ronald Harcourt was in the dock for deleting his Google searches and text messages to his girlfriend
A MAN has been told he is facing prison after he admitted a string of sexual offences concerning children. Brian Jackson, 50, pleaded guilty to a total of eight offences when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court. He admitted two charges of making
A JUDGE has demanded a medical report report before dealing with a teenager for dangerous driving. Isaac Samuel claims he was suffering a panic attack when he committed the offence on roads in Stockton last October. The 18-year-old’s lawyer
A MAN will stand trial in the Spring on a series of serious charges – including three rapes. Andrew Vicente denied all the allegations when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court on a live video-link from Durham Prison. The 47-year-old is charged
A DEAL that will result in the regeneration of almost 1,500 acres of land that was once used for North-East steel making has been described as "the most exciting regeneration project in the whole of Europe" by a Government minister. Northern Powerhouse
A LONER who amassed a collection of hundreds of child abuse pictures has walked free from court. Glenn Douglass downloaded the images on his computer and sent one of them to a chat room for other perverts. The 45-year-old told a probation officer
LORRY drivers look set to be banned from staying overnight on an industrial estate, despite warnings such a move would create issues elsewhere. Hambleton District Council’s leading members are set to consider launching a Public Space Protection
A BUSINESSMAN is offering a £1,000 reward for information following an arson attack on his premises. Freddy Bourdais, owner of Plastic Mouldings Northern Ltd, is offering the reward for any information leading to a conviction following the incident
POLICE have appealed for witnesses after a man was left with serious facial injuries following an assault at the weekend. A Durham Police spokesperson said the 34-year-old man was assaulted in the Church Street area of Seaham, at around 11pm on
ANDREW DAVIES has left Hartlepool United, his contract ended by mutual consent. The centre-half was the main signing in the summer for then manager Matthew Bates, but has been released just six months into a two-year contract which had an option
Newport hero Padraig Amond wrote a classic FA Cup giant-killing tale before the budding journalist admitted his next newspaper column would be compiled with a "sore head". Amond's 85th-minute penalty produced the biggest third-round shock as the
HUNDREDS of cannabis plants have been seized after police uncovered a large-scale underground operation during an early-morning callout. Police were called to the property in Sunderland at about 5.45am on Friday to a report of a suspected burglary
POLICE have released CCTV images following a shop robbery. The incident happened at McColls on Elwick Road, Hartlepool, at around 7.50pm on Thursday, December 13. Officers would like to speak to two men seen in the images as they may be able
A SEMI-professional footballer who teaches the sport he loves to brain injury survivors has been nominated for a new award. John Mbandi relocated from his home in Kenya to study sport and exercise sciences at the University of Sunderland. The
LEADING members of a council which has maintained the third lowest council tax in the country look set to approve launching a £40m commercial property investment arm to help protect frontline services. Hambleton District Council’s cabinet will
THIRTY years ago, the coalminers came out on strike, and were branded “the enemy within”. Contrast that with our withdrawal from the EU. The whole nation was given a vote to stay or to leave, and it was all above board. The miners at the
THE search is on for 150 bikes owners want to give away for families and children to borrow. Vehicle leasing firm Synergy Automotive, has set a new target after becoming a Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries donation station last year when 100 bikes were
THE Durham Challenge Cup tie between Darlington and Hartlepool United will take place this month at Blackwell Meadows. Quakers revealed at the weekend that they had been considering switching the tie to The Northern Echo Arena, but today it has
WHEN it comes to dividing opinion, the honours system is guaranteed to inspire heated debate. For example, a knighthood for John Redwood – best remembered for his embarrassing failure to remember the words of the Welsh national anthem while Welsh Secretary
THE owners of a family-run business are looking to put a "terrible" 2018 behind them after they lost thousands of pounds worth of supplies in a fire and suffered multiple burglaries. Cindy Bennett, who runs glazing and glass cutting business Andy
A MAN accused of taking drugs into a women’s prison refused to leave his cell for his court appearance. Stephen McCabe is accused of trying to pass various class C drugs on to an inmate during a visit to Low Newton Prison, Durham, on April 14 last
PAEDOPHILE hunters teamed up to snare a man who was seeking to meet what he believed were underage girls for sex, a court heard. Anthony Fish thought he was communicating with a 15-year-old and then two of her friends, aged 13, in highly sexualised
EMERGENCY services remained at the scene of a crash which closed the A66 near Barnard Castle. Durham Police were called out just after 5.40am on Monday to a report of a collision involving a lorry on the westbound carriageway at Bowes. A spokesperson
‘Christmas Oratorio? In January?’ Conductor Julian Wright put this popular query swiftly to bed. A piece so often caught up in Advent programming frenzies, JS Bach's revised Oratorio was written for the six Christmas Feast Days, beginning on Christmas
A MAN has appeared in court charged with attempted murder in Darlington. Durham Police launched an investigation into the incident, which happened at a property on Yarm Road in Darlington, on Saturday evening. Woman dies after 'major incident
CATTERICK Racecourse’s national hunt season continues on Thursday, January 10, with the North Yorkshire Grand National. There will be a seven race card on the day which gets underway at 12.25pm, while the gates will be open to the public from 10.25am
A PIONEERING journalist made headlines at her former school as she urged students to believe in themselves and turn their dreams into reality. Hannah Chapman, the first female editor of The Northern Echo, was guest of honour at Northallerton School
MIKE ASHLEY returns from holiday this week and is looking to make progress on two fronts, by nailing down Rafa Benitez to a one-year contract extension and striking a deal with one of the parties interested in buying Newcastle United. The uncertainty
A DEMONSTRATION is causing delays for commuters. Cleveland Police says traffic disruption is likely at the junction of Seaton Carew Road and Huntsman Drive on Monday morning. Motorists are being urged to find an alternative route.
RICHARD MONEY hasn’t been at Hartlepool United for long. It’s hasn’t taken him a great deal of time to work out what’s wrong. On the pitch he has an imbalanced squad, one which isn’t cut out as a collective to compete at the right end of the National
A MAN has been arrested after a "serious incident" at a Darlington town centre property left a woman dead and another man in hospital. LATEST: Man due in court charged with murder The woman, who has not yet been named, was taken to
A LOGISTICS firm has reported it can continue strong performance as it cites profitability improved in its last financial year. The Reed Boardall Group in Boroughbridge, which specialises in cold storage and delivery of cold products to supermarkets
TRIBUTES have poured in following the death of one of the region’s best-known butchers who became president of the industry’s national federation. Bryan Cockburn, 82, from Bedale, built up one of the most renowned independent butchers shops in
FOR 50 years Newcastle United supporters have waited to celebrate a major trophy success, and there is no danger of that coming to an end this season based on what was served up at St James’ Park on Saturday. In fact by the time the full-time whistle
EACH week we profile a member of The Northern Echo's popular Camera Club. This week it's the turn of Steve Brown. I’VE had a lifetime interest in capturing the moment and the likes of the DofE, ACF and Help for Heroes have been big parts
A GROUP of kind-hearted bikers are taking part in an amateur boxing night to stick up for victims of bullying. A charity boxing evening has been organised by the North-East Bikers Against Bullies to help vulnerable young people. It is being
A NEW cattle mart which is under construction has been targeted by thieves just weeks after work on it began. Andrew Armstrong, from Darlington Farmers Auction Mart, said he was horrified after learning the new mart, off the A68 at Humbleton Farm
A REFRESHED vision for the future of Darlington town centre has been praised as “positive”. Darlington Borough Council’s opposition leader Councillor Heather Scott, who has previously criticised the authority’s level of ambition for the central
A SCHEME which supports businesses across the Tees Valley has helped more than 1,000 firms over the last 12 months, giving away thousands of pounds of funding. Tees Valley Business Compass is celebrating its second year after supporting 774 businesses
AN EXHIBITION which explains how we came to understand dark matter in the universe will focus on Whitby’s role in science. The Whitby and the Cosmos – the search for Dark Matter exhibition will open at the Whitby Museum on Saturday, February 16.
JACK ROSS had no concerns over the attitude of Josh Maja after Sunderland let slip the lead at Charlton Athletic. The striker played his first game for the Black Cats since choosing not to sign an extension to his contract last week. More than
GRANT LEADBITTER hopes to remain with Middlesbrough beyond the end of the month, but the club captain admits he needs to be more playing football in the second half of the season. Leadbitter made his sixth cup appearance of the campaign as Boro
A MUM has told how she feared she was going to be killed during a relentless attack by her estranged husband. Jonathan O'Hara used a belt, a knife, a dog bowl and a mop bucket during the demeaning assault at the marital home. Teesside Crown
A FOURTH strike burglar is willing to meet the victim of his latest break-in, even though he has been made aware it will not help to reduce his sentence. Durham Crown Court was told a woman living in Sunnybrow, near Willington, whose home was burgled
A HEADTEACHER has resigned following the outcome of an investigation into Sats tests at a North Yorkshire school. Mike Watt, head of Colburn Primary School, has resigned alongside a second member of staff – understood to be year six teacher Emma
TWO town centre shops which have stood empty for many months look set to be converted into a pub. The former PoundWorld and Dorothy Perkins stores on Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, have been bought by national pub chain Amber Taverns. The
A WEEK-long bus strike will leave some elderly people "cut off from civilisation", it was last night claimed, as hundreds of Arriva drivers walked out yesterday in a dispute over pay and conditions. 650 drivers in County Durham, Tees Valley, east
HE had just watched his side score five goals in a game for the first time in more than four years, but as he addressed the media in the bowels of the Riverside Stadium on Saturday night, Tony Pulis was keen to avoid a sense of triumphalism. “I
THE driver of a fire engine is to stand trial later in the year following a collision involving an emergency appliance and a cyclist. Kevin William Hall was at the wheel of an engine called out on an emergency on May 1 last year. As he headed
A CAREER criminal could be spared yet another prison sentence despite his latest stealing spree. Prolific burglar Elroy McArthur is facing a lengthy spell behind bars for a series of sneak-in thefts from shops in Darlington. But a judge wants
A MAJOR deal that will result in the regeneration of almost 1,500 acres of land that was once used for steel making has been agreed, it can be revealed. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has reached a deal with Tata Steel Europe to secure over half
