LOOKING back to the week of September 25 to October 1, five years ago...

MORE than 150 workers would leave a North-East train builder at Christmas 2018, The Northern Echo revealed in September 2018.

Hitachi, which opened its Newton Aycliffe factory in 2015, decided against renewing the contracts of about a third of its 500 temporary workers, which were due to expire at the end of that year.

The announcement came just two months after Hitachi missed out on a contact to design and manufacture trains to serve London Underground’s Piccadilly line.

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Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson described the decision as “really bad news”, adding the fact the workers were leaving over the Christmas period made it “even worse”.

He also reiterated that the decision to award the London Underground contract to a company which is yet to build a factory made “no sense at all”.

Mr Wilson said: “This just goes to prove how important it is for them (Hitachi) to continue to win contracts – it is essential that they are successful in securing them in the future.”

The victim of a gas explosion which was so powerful it blasted him out of an upstairs window was still in a serious condition in hospital with “horrendous” injuries, seven months on, in September 2018.

Police said they were unable to bring a suspect to justice after an investigation revealed that gas pipes in the vacant flat underneath the victim’s had been deliberately tampered with, causing a massive blast which left the property so badly damaged it has now been demolished.

The explosion shook the neighbourhood around Wordsworth Road, Skerne Park, Darlington, in February 2018.

Neighbours said they did not know who had tampered with the pipes but were relieved there were no children nearby when the explosion happened.

The Darlington Borough Council property, which consisted of four flats, was demolished by September 2018 because it was to be deemed beyond repair.

Human remains were discovered at a home in a North Yorkshire market town, shocking a community in September 2018.

The remains were confirmed by police as that of an adult, and three people were arrested and bailed following the discovery on Tuesday, September 25 at 6pm.

Police were alerted to the remains by a member of the public, and an investigation has been launched.

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Three people – a 75-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman – were arrested in connection with the incident, and were later released on conditional bail.

Neighbours described the heavy police presence at the terraced cottage on Bondgate over the Tuesday night and into Wednesday, including the attendance of forensics teams.

The house was cordoned off as forensic teams worked on the inquiry, with a police guard still at the scene on Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

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Helmsley is known for its high-end delicatessens, tea rooms and gift shops, as well as being close to Duncombe Park stately home and grounds.

The community in Helmsley was “shocked” by the discovery, a local town councillor said.

The property is part of a terrace known as the Twelve Apostles, which is grade II-listed. It is a mid-19th century terrace of vernacular revival estate workers’ cottages which front one of the main routes into Helmsley.