CAMPAIGNERS last night demanded a public inquiry into a multi-million pound child abuse investigation run by Northumbria Police. The organisation, Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers (FACT), has raised serious doubts over the merit of the investigation
ANIMAL WELFARE AIDAN Ruff is right to demand the same standards of food safety and animal welfare throughout Europe, and a ban on sub-standard imports (HAS, Oct 6). Until this is achieved, we should insist on buying British farm produce. But we must also
DETECTIVES investigating the rape of a clubber last weekend have released details of clothing they believe her attacker was wearing. The man met his victim outside the Plastered Parrot nightclub, in Darlington, on Friday night and went on to the Mardi
BUSINESS advisers Ernst & Young are warning dotcom companies that they could be facing a large online VAT liability. The firm's new guide "The VATman cometh for dotcoms" highlights the key pitfalls of the indirect tax system, including some of the
Third-bottom Cleadon SC produced the shock result of the season defeating championship challengers North Shields in the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup, writes MALCOLM PRATT. It was the Robins' first reverse in 15 outings. The under-dogs had the incentive
THE total value of the UK buy-out market in 2000, has already eclipsed last year's figure of £16.9bn. The £17.4bn for the year so far represents a three per cent rise, and includes more than £100m worth of deals taking place in the North-East. The average
THEY are supposed to be the crowning glory of any church - testament to Christian faith in God. But one North-East diocese is now being forced to remove the stained glass windows from a church and store them in people's homes to save them from vandals
DARLINGTON manager Gary Bennett is hoping he's found the right strikeforce after Quakers scored twice for the first time in a home League game this season. Lee Nogan and Glenn Naylor scored the goals, albeit courtesy of deflections, to put Quakers into
A MAN falsely accused of rape may be forced to leave his home town because of threats made against him and his family. Kevin Turner, of the Firth Moor estate, Darlington, was cleared by a jury at Teesside Crown Court last week of three counts of rape.
OUTSIDE the unreal worlds of science fiction, horror films or fantasy role play, there are not many ways in which you can become transformed into your worst possible nightmare - changed into the very being which you most actively detest and despise. It
A POORLY pet whose life was saved by a £1,000 operation has been reunited with her devoted owners. Despite knowing that she had a hole in her heart, David and Marie Hunter could not help falling for Molly the Jack Russell when she fixed them with her
A FARMER has lost a long-running battle to open a caravan site on his land after a public inquiry. Entertainer and farmer Paul Stephenson had been pressing to open a site on his land at Coal Road, Marwood, near Barnard Castle, for several years but had
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night again ruled himself out of the England job, then slammed suggestions that Kevin Keegan's successor should be a foreigner. In a hard-hitting assessment of the situation Reid, who feels that Terry Venables is the
Wales, not rated as good enough to play in the £1m Alfred Dunhill Cup for the past three years, moved within touching distance of the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Germany at St Andrews yesterday. Having already beaten England 3-0, the Welsh trio
WOOLWORTHS-to-B&Q owner Kingfisher is expanding into central Europe, snapping up a majority stake in electrical retailer Datart for £780,000. Datart is a market leader in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with a total of 15 stores spread between the
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner insists he has no worries about throwing Norwegian striker Tim Sperrevik in for his League debut this afternoon. Pool go to Rochdale with Sperrevik replacing leading scorer Kevin Henderson, who was forced out of last
NEWCASTLE United are eyeing a 'Monster' deal for Everton misfit Richard Dunne. Magpies No 2 Mick Wadsworth checked on Dunne - nicknamed 'The Honey Monster' because of his bulky frame - in the Republic of Ireland's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Estonia
Michael Owen is hell-bent on providing an emphatic answer to his England axing. The Liverpool striker, the Premiership's top scorer this season, was omitted by caretaker England boss Howard Wilkinson for the midweek international in Finland. Owen did
FRUSTRATED England striker Kevin Phillips - not even on the substitutes bench in Finland in midweek - has pledged to shoot his way back into the international reckoning. Last season's Premiership top gun with 30 goals, Phillips knows that the only way
Graham Kelly has warned the seven-man panel who will choose the new England coach not to make their choice without consulting leading figures within the game. As the former chief executive of the Football Association, Kelly was involved in the decision-making
A suspected bomb blast rocked the British embassy in Yemen yesterday, igniting fears that Westerners were being drawn into the Middle East conflict as it threatened to spiral into all-out war. As intense diplomatic efforts to end violence between Israel
ALEN BOKSIC last night flashed a "count me in'' message to Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson ahead of Monday's derby clash with Newcastle. Boksic took a battering in Croatia's World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Zagreb on Wednesday night. The £2.5m
They are Britain's most written-about couple, so it is understandable that they should want to chip in a few words of their own. GEORGINA PATTINSON looks at our fascination with the glamorous pair THEY'VE already had his 'n' hers outfits and his 'n' hers
NATALIE Knighting's six-month prison sentence following a false rape claim has highlighted a growing problem facing police and those accused of abuse. Knighting, 20, conned authorities out of £7,500 after telling police she was raped by a tramp on her
Come Together (for John Lennon) We all should be united In our efforts to achieve A world in which the broken Find a reason to believe, For we must come together And endeavour to release The victims who are praying For an everlasting peace. Mankind must
A 62nd minute penalty by England striker Kevin Phillips - his fifth goal of the season - gave Sunderland a hard-fought victory in a game which started 45 minutes late through a power failure. Stockton referee Jeff Winter awarded the spot kick for a blatant
A teenager almost died on a notorious road - just days ahead of a meeting between safety campaigners, police and council highways chiefs to discuss the route. The 17-year-old, from the Coundon area of County Durham, was catapulted 70ft after smashing
A North Yorkshire spa town seems an unlikely place for one of the UK's best known video game companies to establish a satellite outpost but that's exactly what the Bitmap Brothers did two years ago IT'S rather easy to miss the Northernmost outpost of
VILLAGERS have spoken out against a gang of teenage hooligans who they say are making their lives a misery. The villagers from one street in Pelton Lane Ends, near Chester-le-Street, say the gang have: smashed house windows while people were still inside
POLICE are trying to piece together the last movements of a woman whose body was found on waste ground. The middle-aged woman was found with superficial abrasions to her face which could be consistent with a fall. A post-mortem examination proved inconclusive
AN innovative transport scheme designed to help the elderly and disabled become more mobile has been extended to cover Weardale. The Access Bus scheme, run by Durham County Council and the British Red Cross, picks up passengers who have difficulty using
THE freezing salty spray mixed with fine sand blasted into my face as I thundered along the beach. Suddenly my speeding world tilted alarmingly and the sand and water loomed up towards me. I teetered briefly on the edge of disaster with a strong force
MASSED voices come together to celebrate the hospice movement at Durham Cathedral tonight. Five North-East hospices will be represented at the concert, which will feature 600 singers from choirs across the region, culminating in a stirring rendition of
THE gap between the Darlington clubs is likely to widen to two divisions next season on the evidence of Saturday's results. Both are good enough to hold their own at a higher level, but only one team goes up from North Two (East) and that will be Halifax
A DOCTOR cleared of murdering one of his patients in a landmark trial has died. Friends of Dr Dave Moor, 53, say he never fully recovered from the stress of the epic court case. Dr Moor sparked a nationwide euthanasia debate when he was cleared of the
Arsene Wenger is ready to take legal action against the Football Association over a 12-match touchline ban - after telling them he will consider becoming England manager if the job is available again in two years. The Arsenal boss was hit by the FA's
THE Football Association are ready to ask Newcastle United boss Bobby Robson to lead England in their friendly with Italy in Turin next month. United chairman Freddy Shepherd has given tacit approval for 67-year-old Robson to return to his old job - but
PROTESTS over the closure of three schools could result in industrial action by teachers. A pioneering city academy will replace the east Middlesbrough comprehensives of Keldholme and Langbaurgh. While the employment rights and conditions of service of
ALEN BOKSIC and Alan Shearer tonight face a derby shoot-out which could prove to be the first in a fascinating four-year series. That is the fervent hope of the rival managers as Middlesbrough meet Newcastle United at the Riverside Stadium. Boro boss
CITY watchers are hoping the resurrection of Newcastle United under manager Bobby Robson will pay dividends on the balance sheet as well as on the pitch, when the company reports full-year results on Monday. Last time round the club's poor performance
The Northern League management committee have decided not to kick Bedlington out of the League Cup. Bedlington were due to play Dunston in a second-round tie on September 12 but informed the league that they would be unable to raise a team because of
THE North-East economy is again showing a marked difference in performance between manufacturing and service companies. Business Survey North-East, a quarterly review of companies in the region, has produced its report for the third quarter of 2000. The
Q I am on Income Support (IS) and have to visit the hospital for regular treatment. My daughter always drives me there, so I never claim a travelling allowance because I have no tickets to show. Is this right? A Being on IS means you can get your travel
THE last man on site at a former tobacco factory has already told his new bosses they'll have a hard act to follow. Security chief Jim Mole switched jobs at exactly noon yesterday, starting a new chapter in his life along with the immaculately-kept Rothmans
AMONGST especially faithful At Your Service readers the church of St John the Evangelist, Lynesack, may ring a distant bell. We'd visited in 1997 on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, observed that The Northern Echo's almost omniscient library was
Here are the results of matches this weekend. Click on the club names for more news and information. Sunderland 1 Chelsea 0 Rochdale 2 Hartlepool 1 Darlington 2 Torquay United 0 Find the full match reports and pictures from the games at this site on Sunday
