AN illegal gun was discovered next to a caf proprietor found dead in his car with gunshot wounds, North Yorkshire East Coroner Michael Oakley told an inquest.

He recorded a verdict of suicide on Jeremy David Snaith, 43 of Manders Terrace, Skelton Green, near Scarborough. His body was found at Blakey Ridge, a beauty spot on the North York Moors, last May. Mr Oakley said evidence showed Mr Snaith used an illegal 9mm Uzi to shoot himself. The gun had previously been disabled, but then re-activated. The coroner said the reason Mr Snaith killed himself was a mystery, although he did appear to have had some financial problems.

LOTTERY FUNDS: Towns in County Durham are missing out on National Lottery funding, according to a study. The research, by j4b, has shown that Darlington is 189th in the list of 436 local authorities for the amount of funding it has received from the Lottery. The town has been awarded an average of £120.26 per person, compared to a national average of £191.33. Sedgefield is number 113 on the list, Teesdale is 172 and the Wear Valley is 173 on the list for amounts handed out to local authorities. The research company suggests the discrepancies could be because local authorities in the region cannot afford the time to put in speculative applications for money.

FEARS FOR WALKER: A walker who went missing ten days ago has still not been traced, say police. A spokesman said they were becoming increasingly concerned for the safety of 59-year-old Roger Butterwick, of Hunter Street, Whitby, a recently retired bus driver and former grocer. When last seen, Mr Butterwick was wearing walking boots and a green Berghaus jacket. His sister, Doreen Mercer said "We are very worried about Roger. He has never disappeared before. He is an experienced walker and always went walking with someone else, never on his own."

MISSING PIG: Police were called to Middleton St George, near Darlington, on Saturday morning to deal with a runaway sow. The animal, called Florence, was spotted near the village community centre at about 10am. PC Martyn Butlers, of Darlington police, used dog biscuits to corner the pig until her owner could be traced.

MINISTER SPEAKS: Alan Milburn, MP for Darlington and Secretary of State for Health, will address the New Local Government Network and the New Health Network at a conference on Wednesday. The topic for debate at the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel, London, is locality and diversity in the new National Health Service.

RATE CUT: The Engineering Employers Federation is calling on the Bank of England to cut interest rates to shore up business confidence and aid the recovery of manufacturing, which has been hit hard in the North-East and shed thousands of jobs.