A horse died and farm equipment including an old tractor was destroyed after a fire broke out in a barn at Cooke's Wood, Broompark, Durham, just after 4am yesterday.

At the height of the blaze, 70 tonnes of hay was well alight and it took firefighters four hours to extinguish it. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

PORN CHARGES: A man appeared in court yesterday on 16 charges of making indecent photographs of children. Paul Henry Green, 50, of Meadow Dene, East Ayton, Scarborough, was remanded on bail until March 14. He was the latest arrest in an invesigation by North Yorkshire Police into child pornography. Thirty-five others have been arrested.

NAVY TALK: Royal Navy officers give the latest presentation in their North-East tour, outlining the modern-day role of the service, at the De Vere Slaley Hall Hotel, between Consett and Hexham, tonight. An invited audience of local residents, politicians, media and business representatives will attend the talk, given by Commander Brian Warren OBE and Lieutenant Karen Jacques, starting at 6.30pm.

STICKY ISSUE: Councillors in the Tynedale area of Northumberland, fed up with seeing chewing gum on their streets, have spent £7,000 on a machine to clean up the confectionery. The Appollo-technik uses chemicals to disintegrate the gum, then wipes it off the pavement.

BAND CONCERT: Martin Turner, founder member of Wishbone Ash, brings his new band The Blue Bishops to Darlington Arts Centre on Friday, May 9. Tickets, costing £7, are available by calling (01325) 486555.

THEATRE FRIENDS: The annual meeting of the Friends of Darlington Civic Theatre and Arts Centre will be held at the Arts Centre next Wednesday, at 7.30pm. Anyone wanting to become a Friend is invited to join existing members.

FRAUD FORUM: A forum to discuss the millions of pounds lost worldwide to fraud takes place in the region next month. Senior US Treasury officials and security heads at major companies will be among the speakers at the forum, hosted by Northumbria Police. The forum will be held at St James' Park, Newcastle, on Tuesday, March 18.