A DISTINGUISHED former editor of The Northern Echo has visited his old workplace.

Sir Harold Evans, who was at the helm of the paper throughout the Sixties, called in at the Darlington headquarters of the paper as part of a promotional tour for his autobiography, My Paper Chase.

Sir Harold, who was voted the greatest British editor of all time, went on to edit The Sunday Times and The Times.

He was well known for his campaigning journalism and was responsible for a number of successful campaigns at The Northern Echo, including better cervical cancer screening for women and a reduction in air pollution on Teesside.

He praised the way in which The Northern Echo had maintained a campaigning spirit.

In particular, he said he was pleased with campaigns to reduce the waiting times for heart treatment and to make potentially life-saving cancer drugs available to all NHS patients.