RETAILING chain William Morrison Supermarkets will hear the outcome of a High Court battle today for the right to build a superstore. The company says its plans for a site, which houses part of the Stockton and Billingham Technical College, at Billingham
THE history of the 20th Century was littered with great stand-offs - the Cuban missile crisis, the Berlin airlift and the Cod War, to name but a few. Now at the dawn of the 21st century, a new battle of wills is looming - over the colour of a brick. The
THE FUTURE was looking grim for another North-East textiles company last night - despite an offer by staff to work for free. Some workers at Praxis Tailoring in Ferryhill have already been made redundant. Others are awaiting news of their fate after administrators
IT WAS wrongly reported in The Northern Echo yesterday that officials Glyn Amos and Paddy Corcoran have been suspended for allegedly spying on women using sunbeds at the Redcar Leisure Centre. We are happy to point out that the two men did not take part
A LONG-RUNNING bridge repair scheme which has caused extensive delays for motorists is coming to an end. The £2m project, on the A1 at Catterick, has created severe disruption to traffic, with vehicles queuing for several miles in each direction. But
THE NORTH-EAST'S last remaining deep colliery was saved last night, along with the 300 jobs, thanks to a long awaited Government rescue package. Trade Secretary Stephen Byers said the two-year finance deal - worth up to £100m - was intended to provide
THE NORTH-EAST'S last remaining deep colliery was saved last night, along with the 300 jobs, thanks to a long awaited Government rescue package. Trade Secretary Stephen Byers said the two-year finance deal - worth up to £100m - was intended to provide
THE best friend of a top Northern jockey who died in a road accident in America has spoken of his grief. Teesside-born Paul Burke, 35, was killed on Friday when the horse transporter in which he was travelling was involved in a crash. Flat jockey Tony
MANTELPIECE manufacturer Suncrest has clinched £100,000-worth of overseas orders following a trade mission to America. The company, which is based in Peterlee, County Durham, took part in a successful trade raid on Baltimore. The group, which manufactures
A UNIQUE partnership between the public and private sector has helped safeguard 450 North-East jobs. The Business Solutions Network helps small and medium-sized businesses to expand, mount successful rescue operations or simply maximise their potential
NEW generation media, design and print firm Hillprint is moving to the Park 2000 complex at the heart of County Durham. The recent winner of two prestigious industry awards, Hillprint has decided to leave its present base in Bishop Auckland for a new
MANAGER of the Century Sir Alex Ferguson has paid a rare tribute to Sunderland striker Niall Quinn, who was the target for crowd abuse at Old Trafford during Manchester United's crushing Premiership victory. The home fans, remembering Quinn's days with
Heart transplant girl Sally Slater has spoken her first word, five weeks after contracting a deadly cardiac disease, her father revealed yesterday. Six-year-old Sally asked doctors for orange juice shortly after being taken off a ventilator at the Freeman
WITH the Riverside saturated again yesterday, Durham groundsman Dave Measor was praying for a fine night ahead of today's Benson & Hedges Cup tie against Lancashire. Further rain would almost certainly result in an abandonment, leaving both teams
YOUNG people are being encouraged to take pride in their home town and put their feelings into music, dance, art, sculpture or costume design. Jack Drum Arts is asking youngsters what they value and cherish about Middlesbrough. Following a series of workshops
FIVE sixth-formers have been sent home from a school field trip after they were caught smoking cannabis. Staff at Ryton Comprehensive School, near Gateshead, caught the teenagers taking drugs during a trip to Derby, which was part of their geography A-level
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a 17-year-old youth was attacked and robbed for just £6. The victim, who is not being named, was walking through a underpass in Newton Aycliffe on Sunday night when he was approached by two other youths. They demanded
CARAVANNERS are being targeted by a safety initiative designed to cut holiday accidents on Cleveland's roads. Police officers will be carrying out safety checks on caravans on Thursday. The officers will be joined by the Redcar and Cleveland Trading Standards
A PUBLIC meeting has been called over residents' concerns about the future of a County Durham ambulance station. Concern is being raised that the Fishburn ambulance station, serving the surrounding rural community, is to close as part of a restructuring
FARMERS are going ahead with plans to hold a produce market, despite opposition. The Cledale Farmers' Group had initially proposed holding its market alongside Northallerton's street market on Saturdays, but dropped the idea amid protests from traders
Paul Ingle, Scarborough's International Boxing Federation champion, will win the hearts of New York's boxing fans when he makes the first defence of his crown against Junior Jones at Madison Square Gardens on April 29. Ingle shares top billing with Lennox
CLASSIC trials come thick and fast at this time of year. Today is the turn of Newmarket to host the Greenham Stakes and the Nell Gwyn Stakes, races which often provide vital clues to the outcome of the 1000 and 2000 Guineas. In the Greenham, transferred
A NEW concept in training for young people looks set to help budding hairdressers get ahead in their careers. And future stylists in County Durham will benefit from links set up with famous national hairdressing chain, Toni & Guy. Launched by the
YOUNG people can take part in Easter holiday workshops in the Wear Valley. The five-day project, run by Wear Valley Arts, will include mask-making, drama, costumes, movement and sound, to create a small outdoor performance. Our River will offer the chance
A driver fleeing from police who struck a pensioner on a pelican crossing and carried him on the roof of his car for 50 yards was jailed for five years yesterday. David Mahoney, 25, had been driving for years without having taken a test when he mowed
YOUNGSTERS from two County Durham schools were honoured at an awards ceremony for budding businessmen and women. Pupils at St Anne's School, Wolsingham, set up a company called Innov8, which designed and manufactured a range of cushions, while a similar
A student escaped a jail sentence after stabbing his best friend with a kitchen knife. Daniel Duggan, 27, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday to unlawfully wounding Leonard Dickinson, in January. The pair were involved in a street scuffle
Two of the region's police forces revealed drink-drive figures yesterday after a special operation staged by officers all over Europe. Traffic police stopped drivers in North Yorkshire and Cleveland as part of European drink-drive day, from 6am on April
A WOMAN who can remember the day the Titanic sank has marked her 100th birthday with four days of celebration. Edith Wilde said the greatest liner of all time caused an enormous stir with its ill-fated maiden voyage when she was only 12 years old. Eighty
OPPOSITION leader William Hague performed the honours when the UK's largest independent garden centre operator opened its latest development. The Richmond MP formally opened the new Strikes garden centre, in Darlington Road in Northallerton. After 25
TWO thousand years of Christianity have been marked by the planting of a tree. The chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, Colonel John Jacob, wielded the spade yesterday at a ceremony in the grounds of County Hall, Northallerton. Col Jacob, the son
THE country's biggest managed workspace provider - landlord to businesses across the North-East - has sold its finance company arm in a £10m deal. Mentmore Abbey, which merged with Imex owner Birkby in September, has sold Manor Credit to London Scottish
GARLANDS Call Centres is introducing a new software development that will enable companies dealing in e-commerce to increase their Internet sales by up to 30 per cent. For business users who rely on call handling services, it means their call centres
THREE people who failed to declare a total of 85,000 cigarettes they brought into the North-East from Tenerife were fined by magistrates yesterday. Craig King and Danielle Thompson, both 19, had been on holiday together when they returned to Teesside
GANGS of salesmen have provoked a string of complaints from customers across the region. Police in County Durham and North Yorkshire have received complaints about people using high-pressure sales techniques. Half a dozen gangs, believed to be from the
TYNESIDE'S Cammell Laird shipyard may be in line for a second order after winning a £10m ferry contract. A Norwegian company is in discussions over plans for a second ferry to be built at the Hebburn yard, officials said last night. The order will secure
THE FUTURE was looking grim for another North-East textiles company last night - despite an offer by staff to work for free. Some workers at Praxis Tailoring in Ferryhill have already been made redundant. Others are awaiting news of their fate after administrators
AN ELDERLY couple remained deeply shocked last night after a petrol bomb was hurled into their home. At about 11pm on Sunday, a milk bottle containing petrol was ignited and flung through the kitchen window of their house in Frank Avenue, in the Deneside
A former soldier who claims years of pounding tarmac in combat boots left him permanently disabled will today hear the outcome of his Appeal Court bid for £100,000 compensation. Lawyers for Christopher Hossack, 33, claim a judge's decision last year to
DEFIANT Darlington manager David Hodgson last night rejected reports of dressing room unrest - and insisted his players are focused on promotion. Quakers' promotion bid has hit a sticky patch with one win in eight games. And there have been claims that
DEFIANT Darlington manager David Hodgson last night rejected reports of dressing room unrest - and insisted his players are focused on promotion. Quakers' promotion bid has hit a sticky patch with one win in eight games. And there have been claims that
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Bryan Robson last night admitted he has never been busier in his search for new blood. Robson and his backroom staff have identified transfer targets at home and abroad as Boro gear up to renew their challenge for honours next season
DARLINGTON Mowden Park lock Jason Malcolm will be available for Saturday's Durham Challenge Cup final against Darlington at Yiewsley Drive, despite being sent off on Saturday. There is no county disciplinary hearing this week, and Mowden, who have their
MAGISTRATES have fined a businessman and a firm for selling PVC padded furniture as leather three piece suites. Former director Ajaib Singh and Cleveland Upholstery, trading as the Bankrupt Warehouse at Middlesbrough, were each fined £3,000 and both ordered
A gambling addict landed himself in court yesterday after blowing thousands of pounds of his employer's money on horse racing. Thomas Robertson, 35, admitted taking £2,966 out of a sum entrusted to him by his boss to pay staff wages while he was out of
A UNIQUE partnership between the public and private sector has helped safeguard 450 North-East jobs. The Business Solutions Network helps small and medium-sized businesses to expand, mount successful rescue operations or simply maximise their potential
A LANDLORD has called for the residents of Redcar to petition against a proposed mobile phone mast near their homes. Alan Killelay is concerned about proposals by One-2-One Personal Communications to build a 15m mast and base station at Grewgrass Farm
NEW generation media, design and print firm Hillprint is moving to the Park 2000 complex at the heart of County Durham. The recent winner of two prestigious industry awards, Hillprint has decided to leave its present base in Bishop Auckland for a new
THE spirit of Tony Blair will be in the region today when the PM gives his constituents a glimpse into the very latest in MPs' surgeries. The Prime Minister will be sending his own e-mail to Myrobella House, Trimdon Colliery, to launch the office's new
Heart transplant girl Sally Slater has spoken her first word, five weeks after contracting a deadly cardiac disease, her father revealed yesterday. Six-year-old Sally asked doctors for orange juice shortly after being taken off a ventilator at the Freeman
PATIENTS faced with long waits for heart bypass surgery in the North-East could be switched to hospitals in other parts of the country, The Northern Echo can reveal. The "Heart Tsar", Dr Roger Boyle, revealed his plan to slash waiting times on a visit
WITH the Riverside saturated again yesterday, Durham groundsman Dave Measor was praying for a fine night ahead of today's Benson & Hedges Cup tie against Lancashire. Further rain would almost certainly result in an abandonment, leaving both teams
THE National Glass Centre is getting into the spirit of Easter with a series of attractions. The Sunderland centre is holding extra events through the holiday fortnight in a bid to draw more visitors. It is holding Easter egg decorating sessions each
EXHIBITIONS are to be staged to mark the launch of a £600,000 cycle network along East Durham's coastline. The seven new routes have been created by the Turning The Tide Project, which aims to enhance coastal areas. The cycleway connections will include
YOUNG natives of Darlington had the chance to meet a group of Native Americans yesterday. The visitors were in town to work with a group of more than 20 children, aged from four to seven years old, in a holiday workshop called Native American 2000 at
A COMMUNITY is planning to celebrate the work of its residents with a town citizen competition. Householders in Ferryhill are being urged to nominate people in the town who have made a major contribution to the area. The Citizen of Ferryhill forms part
SHARE dealing is no longer the preserve of the rich. Encouraged by the remarkable growth of dot.com companies, millions of smaller investors have put their cash into the stock market. Unfortunately the bubble had to burst some time and, when it duly did
AN initiative has been launched to give children in care a helping hand into work. Various departments of Redcar and Cleveland Council have joined the national Teenagers To Work scheme, organised by the Government. The scheme aims to organise day work
SUCCESSFUL twinning links between a North-East district and an area of Germany have reached a landmark. A party from Werdohl, in the Saar region, arrives in Consett, County Durham, tomorrow, for a six-day stay with members of the Derwentside Friendship
FURIOUS villagers have condemned thieves who stole a millennium bench days after it was delivered. The Middleton St George Millennium Committee joined with the parish council to buy the bench, which was put in a play area last Monday. But police have
A UNION targeting one of the region's fastest growing call centres for new recruits is carrying out a survey of staff to find out how many are suffering hearing damage as a result of their job. The action, by the Iron & Steel Trades Confederation
A SCHOOL'S ambitious fundraising campaign is to be given a boost by a high-tech auction. An Internet auction has been launched to raise funds for Richmond School's millennium music tour later this year. Eager bidders have already snapped up items including
THE mother of a murder victim yesterday demanded that the man who took her daughter's life stands trial for the crime. Ann Ming, of Billingham, Teesside, has had her fight for justice refuelled by Billy Dunlop's admission last week that he killed 22-year-old
THE mother of a murder victim yesterday demanded that the man who took her daughter's life stands trial for the crime. Ann Ming, of Billingham, Teesside, has had her fight for justice refuelled by Billy Dunlop's admission last week that he killed 22-year-old
A DAREDEVIL County Durham student took to the skies in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for charity. Steven Smith, 17, a media student at Darlington's College of Technology, had never flown before he completed an 11,000ft tandem skydive to raise funds
MOTOR dealer Reg Vardy has appointed STEPHEN SHEARON, left,to the newly created position of Human Resources Director. Stephen, 38, has joined from Blackwell's Information Services - a global supplier of electronic and printed information - where he held
A MARTIAL arts instructor is launching classes for people in the Durham and Chester-le-Street area who want to learn self-defence. John Agar, a professional instructor for more than 27 years, will be introducing beginners, aged 13 and over, to the ancient
EFFORTS to establish an umbrella organisation for voluntary groups in Durham City have taken a major step forward. A constitution has been agreed for a Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) for Durham, one of only two districts in the county not to have
A NEW scheme has been launched to match disabled children and adults in Teesside with pen-friends across the country. Write Away encourages disabled people and their families to get in touch with other people in similar situations to make new friends.
A COMMUNITY'S fundraising efforts will help the old and young in hospital. The annual Mayor's Charity Appeal in Newton Aycliffe set a target of raising £3,000 in a year to buy a flotation mattress to help to prevent patients getting bedsores. When the
A COUNTY Durham man is preparing to set sail on a career in the Royal Navy. Tristan Hudson, from Middleton St George, near Darlington, has just completed his specialist training as an operator mechanic in electronic warfare at HMS Dryad, the School of
MOUNTAIN biker Lee Walker is seeking sponsors to give his racing team the chance to compete against some of the world's best riders. Mr Walker, who has been profoundly deaf since suffering from meningitis 15 years ago, needs to raise more than £15,000
AN INQUEST opened yesterday into the death of a Territorial Army corporal who died when his weapon malfunctioned during a shooting competition. Andrew Thompson, 30, died on Saturday following what has been described as a "freak accident" at the Wathgill
EASTER celebrations of the 15th Century are being brought back to life in a restored medieval townhouse. The Redcar re-enactment group Rosa Mundi will be playing a dozen Medieval characters in a typical household of the period, at the Barley Hall, in
A DAREDEVIL County Durham student took an 11,000ft fall in an attempt to raise thousands of pounds for charity. Steven Smith, 17, a media student at Darlington's College of Technology, had never flown in an aircraft before he completed the tandem skydive
TWO police officers who pulled a woman from a blazing car were praised for their courage yesterday. PCs Peter Tate and Dave Sampson thought they were responding to a call to a house fire when they raced to an emergency call in Heaviside Place, in Gilesgate
TWO police officers who pulled a woman from a blazing car were praised for their courage yesterday. PCs Peter Tate and Dave Sampson thought they were responding to a call to a house fire when they raced to an emergency call in Heaviside Place, in Gilesgate
FOUR men arrested by police investigating a vicious assault which left a 31-year-old man fighting for his life have been released pending further inquiries. Police say they are anxious to trace a witness who helped the injured man to his feet, following
REGENERATION leaders in Hartlepool have been praised for their efforts to improve the lives of local people. Officials from regional development agency One NorthEast, recently carried out their annual appraisal of the Owton Rossmere Single Regeneration
A CRACKDOWN on unruly teenagers which has led to 17 prosecutions in a month will continue, police have warned. For the past month, a six-strong team of officers has targeted areas across Seaham, which have been plagued by rowdies. Officers have already
RESIDENTS of a seaside town turned out in force at the weekend to have their say on how the future of the resort should be shaped. More than 60 people attended the consultation at Seaton Carew on Saturday morning, which could herald better times for the
A LOCAL authority has withdrawn financial support from a law centre to set up its own community legal service. The cabinet of Middlesbrough Borough Council has decided to call an end to grant aid at the Middlesbrough Law Centre, which has been operating
A FORCES radio station's flagship show has been taken over by a former Radio One DJ. Mark Page is hosting the breakfast show on Forces Radio BFBS at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. He will combine the early-morning role with his position as manager
WORK has started on a £2m conversion of a former British Gas site on the Team Valley estate in Gateshead. UK Land Estates has started construction on two new factories and an office block for the Express Group at Kings Park, Kingsway. UK Land has agreed
CHANGES to the way councils are run will open the door for a return to the days of corruption in local government, it was claimed yesterday. The accusation came as independent councillors launched a broadside against the switch by Durham County Council
MOUNTAINEER Alan Hinkes is weeks away from the latest ascent in his quest to become the first Briton to conquer the world's highest peaks. Northallerton-born climber Alan, left, is in Nepal, preparing for the trek to the base of 8,586-metre Kangchenjunga
