Caretaker boss Mick Tait has warned his players not to underestimate Southend ahead of this afternoon's Third Division clash at Roots Hall. Tait is confident one more victory will ensure League status for another season but insists today's opponents will
SECONDARY schools across County Durham could become multi-purpose learning centres under Government plans. Durham County Council is to start drawing up proposals for what it calls a "once-in-a-lifetime'' opportunity to change the face of education. The
A CAMPAIGN to increase police cover on the region's rail network has been launched by Arriva Trains Northern and the British Transport Police (BTP). They have joined forces to encourage employees from the train company to volunteer to become special constables
MICK McCARTHY hopes the prospect of equalling two unwanted records this afternoon will help Sunderland end an abysmal run of form against high-flying Chelsea. Should the Black Cats lose today it will be the club's ninth straight loss - a feat achieved
THE war against Iraq is quite rightly dominating Tony Blair's agenda. It is the biggest test of his leadership, and his premiership hangs on a positive outcome of the conflict. But today's revelation that County Durham is facing yet more job losses is
There ain't nobody got spies like us... and it's probably a good thing, as Steve Pratt discovers AS the VIP, surrounded by four bodyguards, approached the door, a crazed man brandishing a gun rushed suddenly from the building. Taken by surprise, security
A NORTH-EAST man was jailed for four years yesterday for the neglect of his wife before her death in hospital. Kenneth Hood, 57, waited a fortnight before calling a doctor to his wheelchair-bound wife Irene, 55, who had suffered a broken leg and ribs.
FORMER Premiership title winner Mike Newell believes guiding Hartlepool United to the Third Division crown will rank alongside his greatest achievement. The Pool boss was part of the Blackburn Rovers side which lifted the most coveted prize in English
I DID what everyone else did at the end of last autumn. I went out and bought the last of the tulip bulbs when they were going cheap in the sales. Then I completely forgot about them until Christmas. Between Christmas and New Year, I had a sudden yearning
PENSIONERS REFUNDING VAT to old age pensioners is fraught with misuse, but is the fuel allowance only providing heat for those over retirement age? Is the free television licence provided for only those on the old age pension with no one under retirement
Ashok Kumar, a North-East MP who was born in Asia, explains how, after much soul-searching, he has come to the conclusion that the war against Iraq is right. I WRITE this article as a British Member of Parliament, and a Member of Parliament born in India
A MUSIC co-operative that stages two major festivals is to get a grant of more than £48,000. Northern Recording Limited, at Delves Lane, Consett, County Durham, is best known as the organiser of the Stanley Blues Festival, which celebrated its tenth anniversary
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren could unleash Brazilian Doriva on the Premiership in today's clash with relegation-threatened West Brom - and hand him a contract this summer. The 30-year-old schemer, signed on loan from Spanish side Celta Vigo just
The island of Jersey may have an identity crisis but it's the perfect destination for a spring break, as Malcolm and Sylvia Warne discover THE growth of low-cost multi-destination air travel from regional airports has opened up a cornucopia of weekend
NORTH-EAST business is likely to benefit from a new online database. The database, called Enable, contains information on nearly 70,000 companies in the region. It has been developed by the www.n-e-life.com website and regional development agency One
MICROWAVE maker LG Electronics is predicting a bright future for staff at its North-East plant with productivity levels at a record high. Bosses at the Washington plant, which employs 250 full-time workers, say it recently moved back into profitability
Budget airline Jet2 is now flying twice a day from Leeds/Bradford Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol. Sam Strangeways hopped on a flight and spent a few hours in the Dutch Capital THE image of thousands upon thousands of bicycles parked one on top of the other
ADMIRING Sir Bobby Robson will be warning his players to keep a close eye on the 'new Alan Shearer' when Newcastle United visit Everton tomorrow. The Magpies need to claim three points from the trip to Goodison Park if they are to maintain their hopes
A UNIVERSITY college now has something in common with a hospital in Africa, a German school and hotel bar, and a West country theatre. For the Graduate Society at Durham was yesterday re-named after the university's chancellor, Sir Peter Ustinov. A sign
A ROW has broken out between two North-East councils over plans for a sign which would be visible from aircraft flying overhead. Durham County Council wants to create a piece of floodlit artwork to form a gateway to the county. The artwork would take
PRECISELY two years ago Ferdy Murphy hatched a plan to win the Aintree Grand National with Ballinclay King. Now is the day of reckoning. Thirty daunting fences plus four-and-a-half-miles of butt-breaking effort stand between Ballinclay King and glory,
HEALTH bosses are to open a second health centre for refugees in the region. They believe the new GP surgery for refugees will help lift the burden on main stream doctors' surgeries. The centre, known as the Arrival Practice, will be open-ed in Stockton
Actress Mina Anwar is happy to talk about her role in the controversial Vagina Monologues but not to open up about herself. Viv Hardwick reports SOME people in Newcastle have complained about the use of The Vagina Monologues as the title for a show. The
As the war in the Gulf moves inexorably towards its conclusion, Glen Reynolds asks how the international community will re-build a post-Saddam Iraq The discussions in Brussels between the US, the United Nations and European governments including the UK
The grieving widow of a Royal Marine captain has given birth to a daughter only 10 days after her husband died on active service in the Gulf. Steve Parsley reports. LIKE Goose Green, Tumbledown and Bluff Cove, the significance of names such as Umm Qasr
'THAT'S a bit insensitive, featuring Jamie Theakston as a character using a lap dancing club," said my wife. The former children's show host's brush with the tabloid press over a sex scandal seemed to have encouraged the scriptwriters to play on his new
A MAJOR CD counterfeiting operation has been uncovered following a raid by trading standards officers and an anti-piracy unit. Officers from North Yorkshire County Council also seized a quantity of pornographic material during the raid on a house on the
MAY the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. It is an ancient Arabic insult, and in these troubled times it has been a joy to listen to the Iraqi Minister of Information, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, spitting modern insults at the Allies. We see
Soap may be the best thing to get a man out of your marriage, as we reveal ten TV ways of getting rid of your guy Soap marriages are made in heaven but end in TV hell. Couples promise to love, honour and obey - until the scriptwriters put them asunder
I DID what everyone else did at the end of last autumn. I went out and bought the last of the tulip bulbs when they were going cheap in the sales. Then I completely forgot about them until Christmas. Between Christmas and New Year, I had a sudden yearning
FRUSTRATED Marcus Stewart last night revealed he was on the verge of quitting Sunderland under Howard Wilkinson's reign. The former Ipswich Town man only made one Premiership start under Wilkinson, despite the bottom club's woeful form in front of goal
DARLINGTON town centre is getting a spring-clean as the borough council takes delivery of a gum and graffiti removing machine. The £15,000 Enviroclean machine went into action earlier this week. Pedestrianised areas in the town centre are being cleared
A SHOP worker who was subjected to a terrifying ordeal at the hands of an armed robber has taken her employer to court for constructive dismissal. Sharon Watson was assistant manager of the Spar shop, in Haughton, Darlington, when she was held at knifepoint
NEWCASTLE Falcons' fate has been left firmly in their own hands after Premier Rugby announced that the Premiership will not be expanded. There was talk of scrapping relegation this season and promoting both Worcester and Rotherham to create a 14-club
A NAVY seaman who is due to serve in the Gulf is facing jail after indecent pictures of youngsters were found on his computer as part of an international crackdown on child pornography. Merchant Navy Officer Christopher Carey, 24, who was due to sail
A gambling nun is praying for her fourth Grand National success in a row today. Sister Rita Dawson's winning habit makes her one of the luckiest Grand National punters in the UK. Now Sister Rita, chief executive of St Margaret's Hospice in Clydebank,
A BROTHER and sister, convicted of animal cruelty charges for the second time in two years, were given six-month suspended jail sentences when they appeared before magistrates yesterday. William Leonard Tinkler, 58, and Dorothy Margaret Tinkler, 57, admitted
THE North-East was hit by another economic blow last night when it was revealed that 94 jobs are to be shed by a car parts manufacturer. Bosses at TKA Tallent Chassis, formerly Tallent Engineering, in Newton Aycliffe, confirmed that the jobs were to go
Major retailers draw the attention next week before all eyes turn towards Chancellor Gordon Brown's Budget on Wednesday. First up are high street big guns Tesco and Marks & Spencer, updating the market on trading details which could fuel fears that
Tradgedy is a word that sits uneasily with sport. Few footballers have actually faced it but Colin Cooper did last year. On the field Chief Football Writer Clive Hetherington finds the courageous Middlesbrough defender keen to extend his long association
THOUSANDS of small enterprises across the region have had a weight lifted from their shoulders thanks to a major campaign by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The Inland Revenue has started to pay tax credits to mothers with children or on low
BUSINESSES in the region face a tough year, as higher employment costs start to kick in this month, warn tax experts. Higher National Insurance (NI) contributions for employers and employees will lead to a squeeze on profits, according to the Institute
Soap may be the best thing to get a man out of your marriage, as we reveal ten TV ways of getting rid of your guy Soap marriages are made in heaven but end in TV hell. Couples promise to love, honour and obey - until the scriptwriters put them asunder
A girl with leukaemia looks set to go on her dream holiday after kind-hearted Northern Echo readers came to her rescue. Yesterday, the paper reported how Bryan and Carol Jones feared their chance to take their daughter Vicki to EuroDisney had been dashed
PUPILS at a Darlington school are to be offered the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine after more cases of mumps were identified in the town. Health teams are due to go into Carmel Technology College on Tuesday to offer the combined vaccine to older
Grand National-winning trainer Denys Smith joins the Echo's big race team. He talks to Helen Miller AFTER 1,700 winners over nearly half a century in racing, Denys Smith is enjoying well-earned retirement at his home in County Durham. Although the vast
WARS will always invoke extreme emotions, from intense sadness to unbridled joy. This week, those emotions have been encapsulated in two of the most moving human stories so far in the war in Iraq. The dramatic rescue of American prisoner of war Jessica
