THOUSANDS of council houses in Consett and Stanley are to be inspected for wind damage after almost 100 were found to have tilted. Derwentside District Council is currently surveying its 9,000 council homes to establish if any more have been damaged.
A CHARITY night is being planned in memory of a youngster who died from a brain haemorrhage. Clarke Lister, from Peterlee, County Durham, was only ten when he died after watching the Euro96 football tournament. His parents, Carole and Brian, launched
A YOUTH club is gearing up for a music festival that will be put on entirely by young people. Members of Bridgehill and Blackhill Teens are making preparations for their Music Live event in September - a celebration of youth achievement in the Consett
MOTORBIKE enthusiasts are invited to take part in the 29th Beamish Trophy trial next month. The event is a popular feature in the motorbiking calendar, attracting more than 100 entrants. This year's trial will be held on Sunday, September 17, starting
A TOUGH ride through the Himalayan foothills at least has a spectacular end in sight for Keith Davison, the Taj Mahal. The 37-year-old is joining a 300km ride in northern India, even though he has not ridden a bike for 15 years. Keith, a Royal Mail distribution
IT'S not school that stresses our children - it's their so-called leisure time. A report last week by the teaching unions and the Children's Society said that children are increasingly suffering from panic attacks, sleeplessness and depression. They blame
FRENCH trialist Lenit Zezu was the star of Darlington's fightback in their 4-2 friendly at South Shields last night. Zezu scored twice within a minute and made another in the second half to save the reserves' blushes after they were trailing 2-0 at half-time
ANTI-PAEDOPHILE campaigners stepped up their street protests across the country last night - despite police calls for calm. While growing evidence emerged of innocent families being driven out by riots, the suicide of a second paedophile suspect was blamed
THEY were crying into their beer in the pubs of Richmond yesterday - but the tears came from uncontrollable laughter. The mirth was caused by the tipplers trying hard to picture a hard-drinking William Hague polishing off pint after pint. As the town's
FORMER sex aid seller Caroline has rounded on her Big Brother housemates after being nominated for eviction from the Channel 4 surveillance show for a third week running. The 37-year-old Brummie scored a hat-trick of nominations as her fellow contestants
RESIDENTS are being invited to have their say on the future of their village bus shelters. Hartlepool Borough Council is sending questionnaires to every home in Hart Village to help it decide whether two shelters in Front Street should be demolished or
BAKERS Oven has teamed up with a high-tech company to develop a computer system that will give customers information about shopping in their local High Street. Bakers Oven, owned by Greggs, has worked with Touchbase UK to create a touch screen system.
A MOTHER has won a five-year fight to prove her baby died as a result of medical negligence. Matthew Renwick died two days before his first Christmas in 1995 after his mother Joanne took him to hospital. Matthew was vomiting continuously and doctors diagnosed
DANCING girls from Darlington stunned their older competitors by walking off with first place in a national competition. Amanda Clixby, ten, and Amy Maxwell, 12, won the pairs competition at the White Rose Association, in Scunthorpe. The friends first
CALLS have been made to clean up a church-owned landmark which has become a late-night drink and drugs den for teenagers dabbling in the occult. The Count's House - in the shadow of Durham Cathedral on the banks of the River Wear - is daubed in graffiti
LOCOMOTION No 1 YOUR drawing of the replica Locomotion No 1 lacks a vital detail: huge clouds of dense, acrid, sulphuric-laden smoke which poured from its chimney stack. As the writer responsible for the play No 1 Giant Leap for Mankind, I have linked
PRIVATE investigators are going back to college on Wearside to brush up on their detective skills. Ken Mason, a former detective sergeant with Northumbria police, is running two four-day seminars based on surveillance techniques. The courses, in September
A COUNCIL is proposing a £2.4m "people's plan" to revive the fortunes of a once prosperous market town. Bishop Auckland and the nearby communities of Coundon, Coundon Grange, St Helen Auckland, Woodhouse Close and Henknowle are in line for a share of
A SOLICITOR who juggled clients' funds during a ten-year period causing a shortage of £78,000, was struck off yesterday. James Paul Graney, 47, of Haininghead, Fatfield, Washington, Tyne and Wear, had suffered a marriage breakdown, the Solicitors' Disciplinary
THE nightmare continues for Durham's England A player Michael Gough, who is out of what could prove to be the relegation decider against Kent today. After missing the first half of a season in which he hoped to make a big impression, the 20-year-old Hartlepool
A TOWN which lost its permanent indoor market after 125 years will be staging its first outdoor farmers' market on Thursday. Appropriately, it will be held in Harrogate's Market Place, just a few yards from the site of the former indoor market in the
A POND at the centre of a public nature reserve could be closed because alien predators are being dumped in its waters. The unlikely predators, now voraciously munching their way through the insect life of the Teesside pond, are a pair of terrapins. However
I WAS talking to a pal recently about predators - snakes, sharks, tigers - and it got us thinking about fear. Are they frightened of anything - perhaps other snakes, sharks or tigers? And what about whales. They don't seem frightened of anything, not
THE new landlord of a Weardale pub is harbouring a secret. Not many people know that John McGinnety, of The Black Bull in Wolsingham, has cooked for the Royal Family and top celebrities at some of London's leading restaurants. John, who took over the
A WOMAN called for jury service was fined £100 yesterday after she failed to turn up. Nicola McBurney had been due to carry out jury service at Teesside Crown Court in June but did not attend. Yesterday, Judge Peter Fox QC called for her to appear in
A COMPANY which supplied carpets to thousands of North-East homes shut its last store this week. Creditors of B and G Carpets will be summoned, with a view to putting the business into liquidation. B and G Carpets operated for many years in the south
HEAVEN and earth are going to be open to view in a late-night forest excursion. Night owls will be able to look at the stars and life on earth in the 8,600-acre Dalby Forest, near Pickering, on Saturday. At the Nightwatch event, members of Scarborough
GPs could be asked to restrict the number of patients referred to hospital under a plan to cut waiting lists. The move is part of a series of measures put together by bosses at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital, in the face of a dramatic rise in the number
A POLICE inspector is retiring from the force after completing 30 years' service. Inspector Dave Walker, 53, joined the then Teesside Police in July 1970, and served in Billingham before being posted to CID at Stockton in 1974. He was promoted to sergeant
THOUSANDS of retired miners are to get an increase of almost nine per cent in their pensions. The move, by the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, was welcomed last night by a North-East campaigner who has been pressing for bigger pay-outs. David Murray, of
A CENTRE which provides respite care for people with learning disabilities in Darlington is being hailed as an example of how such services can be improved. Campaigners waged a long-running battle to try to keep the Elmwood House nursing home in Darlington
PEOPLE in rural areas of County Durham are being given the chance to help improve their public transport. Rural Transport Partnerships are to be set up in the east and west areas of the county to help people without cars become more mobile. The Countryside
SHOCKINGLY, smoking is still Britain's biggest cause of premature death. Most of us could name a tragic roomful of people who have fallen victim to the weed - their own lives curtailed, at a loss to their families and friends. So it is a pity that Sir
POLICE in Derwentside are appealing for help in tracing unusual items of property that have been stolen. A heavy rubber sandwich sign, worth about £150, was taken from outside a shop in Medomsley Road, Consett, on the afternoon of Thursday, July 27. Police
BARCLAYS Bank stunned the City yesterday with the announcement that it is in talks with Woolwich to launch a £5.5bn takeover bid for the former building society. Barclays said the combination would create a major presence in the mortgage market and would
SIX women embarked on what could be a new career yesterday, in the beauty therapy business. The women, aged from 25 to 60, started a week training course covering the practical aspects of the trade, from massage and aromatherapy to manicures and pedicures
A MATURE student who combined work with study has won a prize for his determination and commitment. Kevin Platts, 27, of Durham, was given £200 for endeavour, by sponsors Solutions Recruitment, at Sunderland University's graduation ceremony. Kevin began
A LEADING supporter of suspended detective Ray Mallon has called on the Government to look into allegations of a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at Cleveland Police. Mr Mallon, who remains suspended from duty, made his outburst on a Radio
A COMPUTER system designed to review the performance of Cleveland Police could be adopted across the country. Home Office officials are set to award the Performance Plus computer software Beacon Status, making Cleveland one of only seven forces nation-wide
RESIDENTS are to be given a chance to have a say in the future improvements of a town cemetery. A three-week public consultation has been arranged to decide the priority of work planned for the Linthorpe cemetery in Middlesbrough. Work includes environmental
A DOG has survived an 80ft fall after landing on the roof of a soft-top car. RSPCA inspectors fear the female crossbred collie may have been flung from the top of a multi-storey car park at the Castlegate Shopping Centre, Stockton. It survived with just
THE death of 15-year-old Christopher Glen will send a shiver down the spines of parents everywhere. Hardly a summer goes by without similar tragedies hitting the headlines. Children are attracted to water, they take risks, and young lives are lost - 341
MIDDLESBROUGH new boy Alen Boksic is in a race to be fit for the start of the season. Boro boss Bryan Robson yesterday unveiled his £2.5m striker - then promptly pulled him out of the club's two-match trip to Spain. Robson, whose four-year pursuit of
AN investigation is in full swing today after two trainee maintenance men died as they attempted to warn traffic of roadworks. The two men were working at the back of a truck parked on the verge on the A1 in North Yorkshire when they were hit by an articulated
Yorkshire Phoenix had Roses rivals Lancashire Lightning blushing deep crimson under the Headingley floodlights last night as they crushed them by nine wickets before there was even time for it to get dark. Craig White (4-14) and man-of-the-match Matthew
CRYFIELD could have the bookies sobbing their socks off if he can lift the Tilston Handicap at Haydock today. Nigel Tinkler's gelding is bound to attract significant support in the betting ring having won two of his previous three outings. Tinkler will
NORTH-EAST firms have been challenged with embracing e-business before they lose-out to national or international competitors. At the official opening of the Washington premises of computer network and e-business specialist Knowledge IT, the chief executive
YOUNGSTERS can enjoy a day of fun in Redcar High Street next Wednesday. The event will bring free entertainment, including a performing arts group and dance school, face-painting, Punch and Judy, children's rides, spot prizes, games and give-aways. The
NOLBERTO SOLANO has pledged himself to Newcastle United and finally killed talk of a £6m move to European champions Real Madrid. The Peruvian winger, faced with a heavy World Cup qualifying schedule, is desperate to figure as often as he can for United
RESIDENTS fear that a housing development will have a devastating impact on their village. People living in Middleton St George, near Darlington, have complained for years about how extra housing is affecting the character of the village. Properties have
GETTING involved in other people's problems has won a Teesside company two Queen's Awards. Cleveland Cascade, Middlesbrough, has developed a chute to move dry, bulk material vertically in a cheap and environmentally-friendly way. The chute can be used
A DELEGATION from India is in the North-East today on a mission to find out more about coastal management. The delegation of 25 Indian Government executives and university officials will be meeting technical officers from Redcar and Cleveland Borough
NEWCASTLE Falcons have included several newcomers in their squad for the Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham on Saturday. Among them is Epi Taione, the blockbusting Tongan winger who has been with Tynedale for the last two seasons. Also included are Jim Jenner
A PARTNERSHIP between two North-East firms has been selected by the Government to drive the UK's first online training initiative aimed at improving productivity in automotive companies. The Government's flagship for lifelong learning, University for
THE Conservative Party has accused the Government of trying to destroy the commercial viability of town centres. It says increases in the size of out-of-town centres, such as the MetroCentre, in Gateshead, will have a negative impact on high street stores
HARTLEPOOL United were today set to boost their squad by signing an experienced striker. Although manager Chris Turner refused to disclose the player, it is believed to be former Newcastle United player Tony Lormor. The 29-year-old frontman is expected
MUSIC therapist Sara Morrow is hoping to bang the drum for adults with physical and learning disabilities. Sara, who is from Darlington, is planning to use percussion instruments to try and develop communication skills among adults, with many of the group
THIS weekend will see hundreds of people take to the streets in the Darlington 10k Road Run. More than 700 entries have been received already and traditionally many people enter on the day, which could see numbers swell to more than 900 runners. It is
WORLD triple jump record holder Jonathan Edwards, who disappointed North-East fans by refusing to compete on home territory in the European Cup last month, hopes to make amends with a victory in the Norwich Union Classic at Gateshead International Stadium
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid revealed last night that he was still on the lookout to add to his five new summer signings. And the Wearside boss - who is running the rule over French striker Cedric Bardon in the club's three-match tour of Holland - stressed
GREEN activists hoping to carry out a Good Life-style experiment in living off the land have run into opposition from farmers and neighbours. Proposals to create a "sustainable living" project on 50 acres of farmland at Burnhope, County Durham, have met
THE Northern Echo is gearing up for a great day of racing fun at one of the region's best-loved racecourses. The paper is sponsoring this Sunday's meeting at Redcar, which will be the finale to a weekend of racing, with entertainment for all the family
POLICE have warned they will crack down on children who dice with death from a railway bridge. Youngsters have been climbing on to the bridge at South Church, near Bishop Auckland, and hurling stones at motorists passing underneath along Bonemill Bank
TWO former steelworkers are facing the prospect of life on the dole after their business premises were sold from under their feet to make way for a major shopping expansion. Charlie Stephenson and George Jenkins, who set up their firms on the site of
A GROUP of Durham schools has won £100,000 from the New Opportunities Fund to boost youngsters' computer skills and arts activities. The money is going to Durham Gilesgate Sports College, which has formed a partnership with Gilesgate Primary School, St
UNSUNG heroes are getting a public salute in a series of awards. Thousands of people who voluntarily care for members of their family are being invited to nominate those who have given them much-needed support. The scheme has been organised by the Harrogate-based
A FAULTY power cable left thousands of people in Teesdale without electricity yesterday. Residents in upper Teesdale, County Durham, were left without power for more than five hours while workers battled to fix the fault. Hundreds of families, however
THE super-dooper saver tickets - £19 return Darlington to Edinburgh, barely enough to pay for the train driver's ten o'clocks - had gone long in advance. Standard return would be £48. Then the booking clerk took pity. Perhaps it was Sixer's well practised
