NORTH-East firefighter Jonny Regan was pipped at the post in the Big Brother finale last night. He made it down to the last two - but was beaten to the £70,000 prize by Kate, the first woman to win the fly-on-the-wall contest. Jonny, 29, from Trimdon,
THE long-running row over the use of private cash to build the new Durham City hospital re-ignited yesterday - on the day Tony Blair carried out the official opening ceremony. The public service union, Unison, claims that its criticism of private funding
HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn released 500 balloons from Darlington's sun-baked Market Square yesterday to launch the Happy Hearts Fair. The MP was in Darlington to start the local health authority's drive to raise heart health awareness, supported by
A £30,000 report outlining solutions to job losses in Weardale is likely to be abandoned in favour of one put together in a few hours by councillors and council officers. The 47-page document, A Rural Renaissance in the Dales, was commissioned six months
AN action group set up to defend residents of a nursing home scheduled for closure say it could take a month to set up a mediation panel to deal with complaints. Stoneleigh Residents Action Group has held several meetings with Durham County Council's
Angus Ward - A Weardale businessman who put together a consortium interested in buying the cement works: "The report is a complete waste of time. We have to have real jobs to keep people in this area. "I think it is an absolute mockery and a total waste
PLANS to restore a nationally important and historic landscape have taken an important step forward with a major funding boost. Durham County Council has received £335,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards its efforts to restore Hardwick Park
A WASTE mountain to rival the fridge mountain could accumulate under new European rules, MPs are expected to warn. It is thought that a cross-party committee will warn that industrial and household waste could heap up as a series of deadlines on European
If you like mountains, lakes or castles, wildlife or wildflowers, the National Trust might still have a holiday for you in 2002. For 35 years, the National Trust has been offering great value holidays in the most beautiful parts of England, Wales and
A BABY boy is set to be the first person to take part in a naming ceremony in a North-East town. Max Little will be officially named at Central House in Darlington on Saturday, August 3. The nine-month-old boy will be the first person to have a naming
A PLAN for an abattoir and meat processing factory between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough should be refused, say North Yorkshire County Council planners. The development is proposed at Rougham Farm, near the villages of Marton-cum-Grafton and Arkendale
AT a ceremony held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, 20 people who found jobs under the Government's New Deal employment initiative were given achievement awards. The winners included Stephen Pope, 26, from Washington, who is a full-time coach for
A MAN has been arrested in connection with a long-running investigation into obscene post sent to two women. For the past four years, a Durham woman in her late fortiess has been receiving sexually explicit letters through the post, Christmas and Valentine's
PASSERS-BY stared in disbelief as a riderless racehorse wearing its colours went on an unscheduled dash for freedom along a canal towpath. Earlier, the two-year-old colt Rue de Paris, had misbehaved in front of punters at nearby Ripon Racecourse. It unceremoniously
A Couple who skipped bail and sent police a saucy holiday postcard from Spain are behind bars. Childhood sweethearts Victoria Ford, 25, and Glen Mitchell, 26, travelled to Benidorm rather than keep their court date. When they arrived, they sent a card
AN air ambulance service has had its trial period extended for another month. The helicopter has proved so successful that the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) charity has found funds to keep it in the air. In the three weeks it has been based at Teesside
IT is welcome news that "no disciplinary proceedings need to be taken against the Chief Constable" of Cleveland, Barry Shaw, regarding the circulation of sexual rumours about a female police clerk and Ray Mallon. It would have been disgraceful had a chief
MORE than 450 army cadets from Teesside will travel to Shrewsbury next weekend for their annual camp. The youngsters, from the Cleveland Army Cadet Force (ACF), will get the chance to take part in a range of activities including horse-riding, canoeing
POLICE are hunting two robbers who stabbed a young man as he walked home after a night out in Stockton. The 18-year-old and two friends were at the junction of Yarm Lane and Skinner Street when they were approached by two youths demanding money. When
YOUNG swimmers from across Stockton are taking part in a swimming festival today. The Active Sports Swimming Festival at the town's Splash pool is expected to attract 24 youngsters aged between eight and ten who have been singled out by teachers and swimming
EXTRA police officers are to be deployed on North Yorkshire streets. The changes will increase the uniformed presence in the Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Ripon and Pateley Bridge areas. Police said that a major reason for the change in deployment
CAR dealer Ryland Group yesterday announced a rise in profits as it continued to make progress in the luxury car market. The Birmingham company's interim results showed total pre-tax profits for the six months to the end of June leapt from £1.1m to £6.2m
ALLIANCE & Leicester yesterday indicated it may have to cut jobs in order to keep down costs as it reported a 12 per cent increase in profits for the past half-year. However, the company said those working in branches would not be affected. A spokesman
MIDDLE EAST: IN 1947, the United Nations agreed that Palestine should be divided into Jewish and Arab states and that British rule on behalf of the United Nations should end. The Arabs would not accept this decision and Israel was attacked. The Arab states
Scientists are working on an advanced form of artificial intelligence which they claim could produce thinking computer game charaters. John Von Radowitz reports. It sounds like a brilliant new film plot for Steven Spielberg. Techno wizards dream up a
Lindsay Jennings samples the luxuries of Gisborough Hall Hotel on the edge of the North York Moors where the pampering isn't just for the ladies. THE relaxed smile on his face said it all when he returned to the room. "She...err...she put stuff on my
POLICE say that a new method of recording crime in Richmondshire is responsible for an apparent rise in incidents. A 46 per cent increase in recorded crime in the area was due to new Home Office counting rules, Sergeant Mick Rookes told a Richmondshire
Christine Fieldhouse and her friend put the Oasis holiday village at Penrith to the test with a double dose of two-year-old terrors. 'HOW is the oasis of calm?" read the ironic text message on my mobile phone as I settled into our lodge with my friend
Economy picking up: THE economy jumped ahead in the second quarter of this year, picking up pace after six months of sluggish growth, official figures showed yesterday. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the economy registered growth
BIG Brother contestant Jonny was this morning looking forward to life after the Big Brother house, after he finished runner-up to house- mate Kate. The County Durham firefighter has drawn support from top celebrities during the nine-week show, including
Olwyn Hocking feels that the North-East is the best place to live and bring up a family. So she's pleased that her new BBC post allows her to stay in the region. She'll still be based here after quitting as the BBC North East and Cumbria's head of regional
PRIME MINISTER Tony Blair yesterday launched a pioneering science and industry initiative aimed at turning cutting-edge research into commercial developments and creating jobs. The Science and Industry Council will lead to ideas and inventions created
Olwyn Hocking feels that the North-East is the best place to live and bring up a family. So she's pleased that her new BBC post allows her to stay in the region. She'll still be based here after quitting as the BBC North East and Cumbria's head of regional
IT'S that time of the year again. The morning mist has rolled away. The battle lines have been drawn. A cunning plan of attack has been devised. The warriors have been equipped and well briefed. There is nothing left but to get in there and go for glory
A MOTHER and her children fled from their Darlington home yesterday as flames tore through their terraced house and threatened to collapse the roof. The blaze engulfed the family's home at the corner of Victoria Terrace and Victoria Road, just after 5pm
PAUL Smith is being kept on a tight rein by Hartlepool United manager Chris Turner. The Pool boss is wary of overworking the left-winger after he was injured in the 12-0 win over Theole during Pool's tour of Holland on July 10. Smith suffered a knee injury
Darlington boss Tommy Taylor says the club's visit to the Isle of Man has done little to help shape his team selection - because he already knew his best XI prior to this week's successful sojourn which ends with today's final against Wrexham. As just
MAYBE a quick call to Elizabeth Taylor might have dissuaded Juninho from rekindling his love affair with Middlesbrough. Slightly closer to home, Howard Kendall could have warned the Brazilian of the pitfalls that lie in store on Teesside. Just as Taylor's
A NORTH-EAST Chief Constable will face no disciplinary charges following a controversial inquiry into claims he spread sex slur rumours about a woman station clerk. Barry Shaw, Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, was yesterday cleared of circulating
THE Government's pledge to end the scandal of Britain's dangerous railway bridge barriers is set to bring more long-awaited improvements to the region in the near future. In a major success for The Northern Echo's campaign to reduce the potential for
GAYLE Adamson was the pride of the North-East last night after securing the region's first Commonwealth Games medal. Adamson, from Whickham, won silver in the synchronised swimming solo event at Manchester's Aquatics Centre. And she could double her medal
By the close of the present decade Upper Weardale will be one of the nation's touchstone of rural renaissance. At the beginning of the present decade the dale experienced the ravages associated with the foot-and-mouth epidemic against a backdrop of a
WORK has begun on the first new park in Darlington for a hundred years. RPS, an environmental consultancy group from Durham, has been commissioned by developer Bussey and Armstrong to design the 13.5 hectares Faverdale biodiversity park. It is part of
DEVELOPERS have unveiled plans to build more than 400 homes on land which was formerly part of a council estate. At a presentation at Firthmoor Community Centre, in Darlington, representatives from Barratt Homes and Haslam Homes outlined plans to develop
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after thieves made off with a quantity of cash from a newsagents. A shop assistant, from SMS Newsagents, in Collingwood Street, Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, was distracted by one man while his accomplice entered the
A HUGE injection of Lottery cash has secured the long-term future of one of the richest and most important archive collections in Europe. The Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, based at the University of York, is moving to a new facility after
POLICE CHIEFS moved to allay fears last night as the number of potentially dangerous sex offenders living in the region became clearer. Northumbria Police revealed yesterday there were 553 people on the sex offenders' register. This follows the disclosure
Investors will be scouring results from some of Britain's biggest companies next week to see the impact of the economic slowdown on earnings. Barclays is expected to report a five per cent slip in pre-tax profits to £1.88bn on the back of rising costs
A BIRD of prey which went missing during a falconry display is still on the loose. However, falconer Rob Allott has been encouraged by hundreds of sightings by readers of The Northern Echo. Jack, a Lanner falcon, disappeared at Lanchester Show earlier
DURHAM managed to prolong proceedings until tea-time yesterday, which at least pleased the ice cream man on the Riverside's best day of the summer. But there was never any suggestion that things would last any longer as they subsided gently to their sixth
SCIENCE minister Lord Sainsbury yesterday invited companies to put forward their bids for a new £20m research programme to develop new technologies. Speaking in the North-East, he said the Government-backed Link programme will fund partnerships between
INVESTORS were kept on their toes yesterday as battered blue-chip shares fluctuated at the end of another dramatic week in the City. But there was a brighter end to the week with the FTSE 100 Index closing above the 4000 mark. By mid-afternoon stocks
A service has been launched which could put an end to family disputes surrounding paternity. Sunderland-based company Complement Genomics is offering clients the chance to keep their DNA on file with their wills, heading off disagreements surrounding
A MAJOR summer music festival looks likely to fold due to a £20,000 funding shortfall. Organisers are considering pulling the plug on the All-ensford Festival, which is due to take place near Consett at the end of next month. A report from officers at
A CHRONICLE of the life and times of a once thriving Durham pit village has gone on sale. Dipton Remembered recounts the history of the community through its pubs and shops, churches, sports teams and youth groups. It is the result of a collaboration
A COMMUNITY which has campaigned against plans for a housing development on its doorstep is preparing for victory. Planners are expected to refuse Barratt York's proposal to build nearly 100 houses and flats on the site of an old county council depot
YOUNGSTERS have praised the training schemes in which they are taking part. The endorsement came in a survey of trainees on Modern Apprenticeships run by Durham Business Club. Their comments follow the club's positive assessment under the Investors in
A PROGRAMME of summer activities has been organised by Durham City Council to keep youngsters entertained in the school holidays. Youngsters can experience the ultimate in BMX/inline skating and skateboarding at the APE skateboard park, in Thornaby, Teesside
A MUSICAL group is celebrating after being awarded a £4,000 grant by the National Lottery. The Levisham and Lockton Handbell Ringers, known as LL's Bells, received the windfall from the Lottery's Awards for All scheme. In the past, the group has been
JARED Deacon will tonight attempt to reach the final of the men's 400m - determined not to repeat the "stupid" mistake that almost left his Commonwealth Games dream in tatters. Deacon, from South Shields, finished third in his second round heat yesterday
Walking back to fitness: Volunteer walkers are ready to take Gateshead residents out on urban health walks in August and September, in a bid to get people to start to take part in regular exercise. Health Walks Gateshead consists of two-mile circular
TWO new "communications" bods - they who must work with the media - were licensed last Sunday by the Bishop of Durham. The reading was the bit from St Luke about sending forth lambs amongst wolves. Doubtless it was coincidental that a survey in that morning's
It was once known as the Palladium of the North, attracting top stars in the 1960s and 1970s such as Del Shannon and The Searchers. Sadly, what became New Shildon Club, has now become a derelict eyesore. Helen Miller looks back at its heyday as the demolition
AHOY there, me hearties! There will be pirate fun aplenty at Saltburn's second Swashbuckle event, tomorrow. The free fun day, organised by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, runs from 10am to 5pm. It will feature a best-dressed pirate parade, a buccaneer
YOUNG drivers who turned a car park into a dangerous race track are facing prosecution after being captured on CCTV. Police cracked down after large numbers of youths took over the sea-front site in Redcar, racing cars and motorcycles, drinking, taking
DRUG users, poachers and racing motorcyclists are destroying a popular woodland area, police warned yesterday. Officers are stepping up patrols in Guisborough Woods after an "alarming rise" in the use of air rifles and reports of motorbike riders using
DAVID Dolan shrugged off a hairstyle nightmare last night to keep alive his Commonwealth Games dream. Dolan, a big Sunderland FC fan, dyed his brown hair red and white before beginning his super-heavyweight campaign. But he took to the ring at the Wythenshawe
THE bravery and professionalism shown by a group of police officers was honoured at a ceremony yesterday. Fifteen officers were awarded special commendations by North Yorkshire Chief Constable David Kenworthy, at force headquarters at Newby Wiske, near
Millions watched Steve Irwin's TV series The Crocodile Hunter. Now his movie is set to become a huge hit. But, he tells Steve Pratt, he just wants to make money for conservatrion. FEARLESS Aussie wildlife warrior Steve Irwin has wrestled crocodiles, tangled
