A DISQUALIFIED driver who was responsible for the deaths of two women in a car crash has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Teesside Crown Court was told how Stephen Dack, 43, who is deaf and also without speech, lost control of his van on the A67,
MICK McCARTHY was last night hailed by midfielder Jason McAteer for guiding Sunderland out of the darkness and within sight of a quick return to the Premiership. When McCarthy took over last March the Black Cats were already destined for Nationwide League
WHAT would be the first three TV programmes you'd watch if someone gave you your first set? A long-retired schoolteacher told me this week his choices were Songs Of Praise (BBC1), What The Victorians Did For Us (BBC2), because it featured Cragside, Northumberland
A MAN from the region who spent nearly a decade in an Indian prison on illegal arms charges may soon be released. Indian deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani said that negotiations were under way to free Peter Bleach. Mr Bleach, 52, formerly of Fylingthorpe
A CHEMICALS company is considering cutting its 1,800-strong workforce. Huntsman's Wilton site is under pressure to identify savings because global economic pressures are forcing the industry to tighten its belt. The US-owned firm, which must cut £120m
Sponsorship of TV programmes is big business, with companies forking out millions to have their brand associated with popular shows. But how much would you have to pay to sponsor your favourite? THE services of Loose Women will cost you £430k for half-hourly
A DUO of Davids have won The Northern Echo Superbrain quiz for the third year in four. But they may not win next year - because the pair look likely to be setting the questions. The title of Superbrain 2003 goes to teacher Dave Tucker, of Aycliffe Village
STEVE McCLAREN insists there is no room for sentiment as Middlesbrough set out to nudge his boyhood heroes Leeds United nearer the Premiership precipice at Elland Road this afternoon. McClaren yesterday spoke fondly of his formative days as a Leeds fan
OLIVIER BERNARD has revealed the depth of feeling in the Newcastle dressing-room over Sir Bobby Robson's controversial decision to sell crowd favourite Nolberto Solano. The hugely-popular Peruvian has joined Aston Villa in a £1.5m deal after nearly five-and-a-half
TIM Healy's school day memories came flooding back yesterday when the celebrity paid a visit to his former haunt. The Auf Wiedersehen Pet actor had been invited to Pelton Community Primary, near Chester-le-Street, to help mark a special occasion. Rising
STEVE McCLAREN insists there is no room for sentiment as Middlesbrough set out to nudge his boyhood heroes Leeds United nearer the Premiership precipice at Elland Road this afternoon. McClaren yesterday spoke fondly of his formative days as a Leeds fan
BROADWAY fans have one last chance to see a performance packed with songs from the musical shows today. Zipp! The Musical, starring Gyles Brandreth and his Pocket Musical Theatre Company, is at Darlington Civic Theatre at 4pm and 7.30pm. The show features
Darlington 0 Plymouth Argyle 1 May 25 1996. "WAYS of Wembley are so cruel on Quakers," said The Northern Echo's match report after the 1996 play-off final. If Wembley ways were cruel in 1996, then they were barbarous, brutal and sadistic in 2000 with
MP ALAN Milburn proved he had a big heart yesterday by backing a charity's Valentine's Day campaign. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is asking people to declare their feelings by sticking love notes in the window of its charity shops and making £1
A SNOWBALL fight ended in tragedy when a teenager was in collision with a bus in front of his friends. Stephen Moore, 15, was hit as he threw snowballs with his friends and girlfriend Sarah Beaton, as they left a youth club in Byker, Newcastle, at about
A FAMILY has paid tribute to a determined young man who lost his life to an illness he had fought for almost 20 years. Adam Scott, 23, of Moray Close, Darlington, will be remembered as a loving and caring man who never let his epilepsy stop him living
TWO police officers were injured by a man in a fracas outside a Spennymoor nightclub, a court was told yesterday. John Christopher Taylor, 24, of Wood View, Spennymoor, appeared before magistrates at Newton Aycliffe. He admitted being drunk and disorderly
A MAN burst into a friend's flat during the night and carried out a knife attack on someone he blamed for a break-in at his mother's home, a court heard. Melvin Park slashed the man's forehead and cheek after waking the occupants of the flat in Pensbury
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to restore a locomotive to full, working condition, 36 years after it was retired. Britannia class Pacific No 70013 Oliver Cromwell hauled the last steam train for British Rail on August 11, 1968. It is currently a favourite
DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott visited the North-East yesterday. The trip was part of Labour's Big Conversation project, designed to ensure the party is in touch with the electorate. Mr Prescott took part in two events on Tyneside, based around the
NORTH Yorkshire's chief constable was yesterday challenged to justify an 11 per cent increase in the amount the force receives from the public purse. Della Cannings attended a public meeting at the Colburn Health and Recreation Centre, one of a series
Film-making in the North East may still be in its infancy, but North-East Arts Writer of the Year Steve Pratt meets the man charged with ensuring that Billy Elliot was no flash in the pan. The framed poster behind Tom Harvey is for the British film Billy
NORTH Yorkshire stands to lose many thousands of pounds in grant aid from Brussels. Timothy Kirkhope, European MP for the Yorkshire and Humber constituency, said the whole region was likely to lose £520m of European funding under European Commission proposals
NEW legislation banning replica firearms from public places has been welcomed by a senior police officer. North Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable David Collins said the new laws could be a life saver. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act came into force
THE work of some of Britain's most talented glass artists will be on display next week. The diverse range of artwork created by eight people shortlisted for the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize, will be on view at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, from
YOUNGSTERS are to hold their own Groundforce day to clear the overgrown gardens of a resource centre. The young people are all members of Millennium Volunteers, an organisation which aims to encourage people aged 16 to 24 to make a difference in their
A STUDY aimed at closing the North-South divide by moving thousands of civil service jobs out of London has concluded most of the North East is suitable only for call centre and clerical jobs. The analysis, by property consultants King Sturge, has picked
More than 4,800 people have signed a petition protesting against plans to cut train services in the region. It will be handed to transport minister Kim Howells by Ashok Kumar MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Redcar MP Vera Baird and Stockton
SHOPPERS and traders must endure a further wait to discover when a supermarket will open in a run-down shopping precinct. People in Eston, near Middlesbrough, have been waiting three years for supermarket chain Aldi to redevelop much of Eston Square,
POLICE say they are concerned for the welfare of a 65-year-old man who has been missing from home since Monday. Peter Garrick, from North Street, York, has medical problems and was last seen wearing a navy donkey jacket and dark trousers with a blue or
HOSPICE managers faced a careful journey back to base after collecting a donation from well-wishers at a Little Chef restaurant. The branch of the national chain at Skeeby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, has ordered new crockery and, rather than throw
DELEGATES from China have turned to Durham for help in reforming their schools. The group visited the University of Durham's Curriculum Evaluation Management (CEM) Centre for help in setting up a blueprint for education overhaul. It also visited a number
HEALTH services in communities across the north of County Durham are to receive £250,000 in funding. Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust (PCT) won the cash from the Department of Health after being awarded a "three-star" rating by the Commission
BREAKFAST radio presenters are well known for having their sidekicks. But one of the region's newest radio voices has taken the idea a step further. Susanne Fraser started her breakfast show for the troops on Garrison Radio with baby Isla firmly by her
A HEROIN addict committed a burglary at the home of a grieving widower, a court heard. Edward Miller struck at the man's house in Highland Terrace, Ferryhill, a month after his wife had died. Miller, 24, of no fixed address, stole jewellery belonging
AN OPERATIC society has launched an urgent appeal for help to find storage space for its scenery. Containers are used by Spennymoor Operatic Society to create and store scenery for its popular productions, but the land they are kept on, which the society
THEATRE students were urged to express their feelings towards their home town in an art workshop yesterday. The youngsters from Stockton Sixth Form were taking part in an experiment organised by artist Adrian Moule to focus on what they thought about
A COMPANY was fined £10,000 yesterday for the death of a workman while he was loading a lorry with steel. Steel construction company Finley Structures Limited, on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, was also ordered to pay £3,500 costs at Teesside Crown Court
A WOMAN who allegedly told airport security staff she had a bomb in her luggage has appeared in court. Lesley Brennan, 48, of Wheatley Gardens, West Boldon, Tyneside, made a five-minute appearance before magistrates in Newcastle after she was charged
A popular museum has been shortlisted as one of the friendliest places in the country to take the family. Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum, in Upper Weardale, is one of five centres competing for the Guardian newspaper's Family Friendly
A SNOWBALL fight ended in tragedy when a teenager was in collision with a bus in front of his friends. Stephen Moore, 15, was hit as he threw snowballs with his friends and girlfriend Sarah Beaton, as they left a youth club in Byker, Newcastle, at about
IT IS widely thought that jazz music's best period is firmly rooted in the past. But some young North-East musicians are embracing jazz as the sound of the future. Durham jazz group High Street Anywhere are creating a sound which they say joins the dots
MIKE Newell makes his first return to Victoria Park today since he was axed as Hartlepool United manager last year. After steering Pool out of division three, Newell was replaced by chairman Ken Hodcroft on May 30. Newell never had a comfortable relationship
THE father of a 16-year-old girl who died after plunging 200ft from cliffs, said last night: "This must not be allowed to happen again." Terry Ellwood was speaking after an inquest into the death of his daughter Terri Ann, from Peterlee, east Durham.
SEVERAL North-East schools have announced plans for dance studios, fitness centres and youth theatre following successful bids for specialist school status. Schools including Longfield in Darlington, Belmont Comprehensive in Durham, Blakeston in Stockton
"He has taken a significant pay cut and it is never something I thought I would say about a player in this day and age." Never has there been a truer word spoken by Aston Villa manager David O'Leary after capturing Nolberto Solano. It is exactly that
DARLINGTON Mowden Park have signed Tongan international centre Suka Hufanga and he is in the squad for today's home match against National Three North leaders Halifax. He has had two months with Division One club Pertemps Bees, formerly Birmingham/Solihull
THE journalist at the heart of the Hutton Inquiry resigned from the BBC last night but insisted the corporation had been the victim of a "grave injustice". Andrew Gilligan was the third person to quit the corporation over the affair, following the departures
THE father of a 16-year-old girl who died after plunging 200ft from cliffs, said last night: "This must not be allowed to happen again." Terry Ellwood was speaking after an inquest into the death of his daughter Terri Ann, from Peterlee, east Durham.
JULIO ARCA has set his sights on a double delight for club and country this year. The South American wants to help Sunderland clinch promotion to the Premiership by May before hopefully going for gold in August with Argentina at the Olympics. Arca did
THREE North-East companies have been recognised as being among the fastest-growing in their sectors. Expansion at Enigma Interactive earned the Newcastle company the title of highest ranking regional firm in the Deloitte 2003 European Technology Fast
THE public's appetite for debt showed signs of waning last month with unsecured lending rising at its slowest rate for three years. The Bank of England said borrowing through loans, overdrafts and credit cards increased by £834m last month, well down
FORMER DJ Chris Evans received more than £800,000 from his production company last year, despite the failure of shows such as Boys And Girls. The multi-millionaire's financial package from UMTV included £360,000 in dividends and £447,750 which he charged
ITV groups Granada and Carlton Communications have been given the final approval for their proposed £4.5bn merger. The two groups said the High Court had sanctioned the shareholder schemes of arrangement that will allow the creation of a single company
Spennymoor are optimistic that their home game against Ashton United will go ahead today. Volunteers have worked hard on the pitch over the last two days, and the club hope it will pass a morning inspection. Moors boss Tony Lee said: "We really want the
A LIFELONG fan of Laurel and Hardy is sharing some of his memorabilia collection with fellow fans at a month-long exhibition. Richard Franklin has worshipped the comic duo since he was a child and, over the years, has built up an impressive collection
DARLINGTON looks likely to miss out on a Government drive to boost the regions by moving thousands of civil service jobs out of London. The town had put forward a case for a new Government department - but a long-awaited report has dashed hopes of a major
POLICE across the region say they will be able to focus on fighting the war against hard drugs thanks to cannabis laws which came into force this week. Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland constabularies are geared up to deal with the Government's relaxation
BRIDGET NICHOLLS is looking forward to a big run from her stable star, Lord Noelie, in this afternoon's Skybet Chase at Doncaster. Formerly known as the Great Yorkshire Chase, Lord Noelie has been aimed at the three-mile contest ever since providing Bridget
FOUR teenagers were hurt, one of them seriously, when the car they were travelling in crashed on a bend while being pursued by a police vehicle. Two of the youngsters were injured when they were catapulted out of the back seat of the gold-coloured Ford
I HAVE had a bit of an exciting adventure this week. Some time ago I received an invitation to attend the press preview at the Royal Horticultural Headquarters of some of the top garden designs for this year's Chelsea Flower Show. My immediate reaction
NOLBERTO SOLANO had the chance to say farewell to his old Newcastle teammates last night - after checking into the same hotel as Sir Bobby Robson's squad. Aston Villa this week swooped to land Solano for £1.5m, and the winger goes straight into the side
FOOTBALL legend Paul Gascoigne admitted he was lucky to be alive yesterday after a car crash. As police continued their investigation into the accident, the former Newcastle United and England idol told how he avoided serious injury when his BMW X5 smashed
A CHILD burns victim whose plight won a region's heart, has died before she could be brought to Britain, to undergo life-saving surgery. People across the North-East raised £8,000 to bring seven-year-old Romanian Mariana Nechitescu to Teesside, where
DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson admits the club's crippling financial situation may force the sale of striker Barry Conlon. With reported debts of £20m, Hodgson has reluctantly conceded that the club will listen to offers for Quakers' leading scorer.
THE End of an Era, 2000. An artist's impression depicting the last Wembley FA Cup final between Chelsea and Aston Villa hangs on the short hallway leading up to the boardroom at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. Sitting relaxed in his leather armchair
AN anti-fireworks campaigner has said that proposed legal restrictions do not go far enough. Shopkeeper Pearl Hall, from South Bank, on Teesside, is calling for a complete ban on shop sales of fireworks. The battling 82-year-old, who recently spelt out
OLIVIER BERNARD has revealed the depth of feeling in the Newcastle dressing-room over Sir Bobby Robson's controversial decision to sell crowd favourite Nolberto Solano. The hugely-popular Peruvian has joined Aston Villa in a £1.5m deal after nearly five-and-a-half
A CHEMICALS company is considering cutting its 1,800-strong workforce. Huntsman's Wilton site is under pressure to identify savings because global economic pressures are forcing the industry to tighten its belt. The US-owned firm, which must cut £120m
THE Northern Echo's sponsor-a-minute appeal for Darlington's crunch match with Rochdale stood at a total of £21,550 last night. The appeal has proven a major success in the on-going efforts to secure the Quakers' immediate future. Every minute of today's
A GROUP that offers support and help for homeless people in the Darlington borough is appealing for more volunteers. The Darlington Housing Action Group is seeking to improve the front-line services it offers. Local charities, including Night Stop, the
A HEADTEACHER is bidding goodbye to staff and pupils at a Darlington school after a teaching career spanning more than a quarter of a century. Doreen Procter is retiring after working for 27 years at Raventhorpe Preparatory School, in Carmel Road North
UNEMPLOYED people are being given the opportunity to follow their dreams. Hugh McGouran, the new boss of Pertemps Employment Alliance, in Albert Road Middlesbrough, has pledged to help anybody who wants to achieve their ambition. He said: "We have got
WORK is due to begin tomorrow on a scheme to improve County Durham's busiest roundabout. The main phase of the work is a £500,000 project to redesign the Millburngate roundabout, in Durham City. The roundabout is used by more than 40,000 vehicles a day
THE North-East Women's Forum is holding a conference today to ensure it has a voice in shaping the future of the region. The event, at Sunderland Winter Gardens, will be opened by Councillor Julianna Heron, Mayor of Sunderland. Women attending will be
A WOMAN kept monthly pension payments sent to her widowed mother for eight years after her death. Linda Cookson, 54, of Cambridge Avenue, Donwell, Washington, Wearside, failed to notify the Railway Pensions Board, in Darlington, of her mother's death
AN RAF officer has been recognised by the Pakistani embassy in London for his work with youngsters from ethnic minorities. Sergeant Mohammed 'Mo' Kahn, 39, from RAF Linton on Ouse, near York, was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours List. Following
A COMMUNITY centre has completed a £56,000 refurbishment in time for a show. Chester-le-Street Community Centre was awarded a grant by the National Lottery fund to install a lift that will allow disabled people to gain access to the centre and for general
A MAGICAL, garden hideaway where children can listen to stories, is to be created with an environmental grant. Newbottle Primary School, near Houghton-le-Spring, is to create a storyteller's arbour out of living willow trees, with a carved storyteller's
Film-making in the North East may still be in its infancy, but North-East Arts Writer of the Year Steve Pratt meets the man charged with ensuring that Billy Elliot was no flash in the pan. The framed poster behind Tom Harvey is for the British film Billy
HEALTH bosses are celebrating after securing £10.4m to fund a series of developments. Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust has been given the go-ahead for six programmes. The regional Strategic Health Authority backed six out of seven bids from
PLANS are afoot to create a living memorial for victims of a devastating wartime bombing raid. The proposals follow research carried out by local historian Jack Hair into bombing of Beamish, near Stanley, County, Durham, in the early hours of May 1, 1942
A MULTI-MILLION pound development designed to help regenerate part of Teesside has been given the go-ahead. The Middlesbrough Police district headquarters and 50-cell custody suite will be built in St Hilda's. It will be the centrepiece of a scheme that
A COUNTY Durham MP has given his support to a £6m scheme to upgrade a community hall. Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster visited Witham Hall, in Barnard Castle, yesterday to inspect the ambitious plans for the building's refurbishment. The project includes
CHILDREN, staff and governors at Trimdon Grange School had a VIP guest to open their newly refurbished early years unit. Prime Minister Tony Blair performed the opening of the unit during a whirlwind tour of his Sedgefield constituency. The unit is one
SCHOOLS Standards Minister David Miliband opened one of the county's first Classrooms of the Future, yesterday. The South Shields MP viewed the advanced technology that has been employed by New Seaham Primary School, with its new learning zone. The rooms
CHILDREN at a mother and toddler group have received a belated Christmas present - £1,000-worth of toys. Officials from the Government's SureStart programme, which aims to give preschool children the best possible start in life, donated the money after
COUPLES are being encouraged to pop the question in a pub this Valentine's Day. Robert Middlemiss, landlord of the Church Mouse, in Great North Road, Chester Moor, has set up a proposal table for the first person who informs him of their intention to
SETTING Superbrain, The Northern Echo's annual trivia quiz, is one of life's little joys. You dredge your brain for the most obscure titbit, turn it into a question and then sit back as the quizees scour the Internet and drive every librarian in the region
PUPILS' experiences in the great outdoors are being portrayed on a mural. The finishing touches are being put to the painting which takes up two walls at Burnside Primary School, in Houghton-le-Spring. About 40 ten and 11-year-olds, all members of year
A COMPANY was fined £10,000 yesterday for the death of a workman while he was loading a lorry with steel. Steel construction company Finley Structures Limited, on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, was also ordered to pay £3,500 costs at Teesside Crown Court
Access to Sunderland Civic Centre has been restricted, after the frost and cold weather loosened the tiles on the steps and ramps to the main entrance. The city council is asking people to use either the narrow access on the steps, or the Park Lane entrance
CONMEN could be netting thousands of pounds in a new credit card scam across the North-East. One Teesside woman had a £500 purchase put on her card within minutes of being talked into revealing credit card details over the telephone to a bogus fraud investigator
THE journalist at the heart of the Hutton Inquiry resigned from the BBC last night but insisted the corporation had been the victim of a "grave injustice". Andrew Gilligan was the third person to quit the corporation over the affair, following the departures
MORE than 200 delegates from around the country converged on the North-East to learn the secrets of a town's success in tackling crime and disorder. Middlesbrough mayor and former detective Ray Mallon hosted a conference to show how his Raising Hope initiative
DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson admits the club's crippling financial situation may force the sale of striker Barry Conlon. With reported debts of £20m, Hodgson has reluctantly conceded that the club will listen to offers for Quakers' leading scorer.
A 15-YEAR-OLD boy faces being locked up after assaulting a man and stealing his car and cash from his home. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Darlington Youth Court yesterday. Magistrates heard how the youngster had
THE threat to Darlington Football Club is very real. The Quakers remain in grave danger of going out of business after 120 years. Earlier this month, The Northern Echo revealed that administrators were minded to close the club by February unless enough
THE End of an Era, 2000. An artist's impression depicting the last Wembley FA Cup final between Chelsea and Aston Villa hangs on the short hallway leading up to the boardroom at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. Sitting relaxed in his leather armchair
Q My wife has just reached 60 but gets no State Pension as she only paid married woman's National Insurance. She has a pension from her employer. Can I claim anything on my long-term Incapacity Benefit for her? A You could claim £43.15 a week for her,
SIR BOBBY ROBSON insists Darren Ambrose is ready to emerge as a star at Newcastle following the departure of Nolberto Solano. Ambrose, signed from Ipswich for £1.5m last March and rated a better player there than Kieron Dyer at the same age, is set for
FOOTBALL legend Paul Gascoigne admitted he was lucky to be alive yesterday after a car crash. As police continued their investigation into the accident, the former Newcastle United and England idol told how he avoided serious injury when his BMW X5 smashed
CHESTER-LE-STREET AC's hopes of European debut glory have been hit by illness, injury and unavailability. Four members of the all-conquering squad which finished last year with the English National Cross Country, National four stage road relay, Northern
THE work of some of Britain's most talented glass artists will be on display next week. The diverse range of artwork created by eight people shortlisted for the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize, will be on view at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, from
AN office supplies firm is throwing a tenth anniversary party to remember for its staff by paying for a Valentine's Day weekend to Dublin. Integrated Office Systems (IOS) directors Rob Martin and Richard Henderson are rewarding their employees who they
UTTOXETER'S £70,000 Singer & Friedlander National Trial is likely to be run in a quagmire, but that won't worry Brancepeth-based mudlark, Tyneandthyneagain (2.15). Conditions are already described as heavy at the course, which must pass a 7.30am inspection
