A SON who burgled his mother's home while she enjoyed a weekend break was jailed for three years yesterday. Anthony Devlin, 35, broke a rear window to gain entry to his mother's property then accidentally started a fire that caused substantial damage
The Duke of Edinburgh visited a wetlands and wildfowl centre today. He strode across a muddy field to chat and laugh with youngsters at the centre on the outskirts of Sunderland. The Washington Wetland Centre opened in 1975 and is home to a number of
There was fog on the Tyne today as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Newcastle for a day of official engagements which include opening one of the country's top music event venues. The Royal Train pulled into Newcastle station at exactly 10am
Horizon: Madagascar - A Treetop Odyssey (BBC2) UFOs: The Secret Evidence (C4) THE scene resembled something from a fantasy film as a gaily-coloured hot air balloon landed the giant pretzel suspended beneath it on to the canopy of the Madagascar rainforest
VENUES across the region are celebrating the Big Draw initiative - a national scheme to get people of all ages actively involved in art. Durham Cathedral has organised an event called Fantastic Faces. Children, accompanied by an adult, will be set the
DURHAM have strengthened their bowling resources for division one next season by signing West Indian paceman Ottis Gibson from Leicestershire. Although he will be 37 in March, he has a good fitness record and is also a hard-hitting batsman with a first-class
THE first gluten and wheat-free ale to be brewed in Britain has been named the Best Beer Invention at a brewing industry award ceremony. Hambleton Ale's GFA (Gluten Free Ale), which is brewed in Melmerby, North Yorkshire, won the award at the Tesco Beer
A FAMILY that is making a name for itself in rugby circles has had a competition named after it. Twelve teams from around the area will compete in the Tait 10s, a new tournament being run by Barnard Castle School, in County Durham. The competition has
A WOMAN was in a critical condition in hospital last night after a head-on collision between two cars. She was driving a green Vauxhall Tigra, which was in collision with a red Vauxhall Corsa on the A684 at Morton Flats near Northallerton, North Yorkshire
THE contest to become the next Conservative leader is becoming more curious by the day. It is currently led by David Davis, a man few people appear to like, who has little support in the media and, given his conference performance, would be blown away
THE UK's first ecopark could be built in the North-East, bringing together recycling companies from all over the country. Two companies are looking at a number of sites in the Tees Valley. The park could double the size of the region's £1bn-turnover environmental
JONNY Wilkinson will make his first start of the season for Newcastle Falcons at Leicester tonight (7.45) as they attempt to avoid a repeat of last season's drubbings by the Tigers. The Falcons lost 44-15 at home and 83-10 at Welford Road, but Director
TALKS are under way to try to ensure the trail-blazing WOW mobile gym stays in the North-East, it was revealed last night. The Wellness On Wheels (WOW) gym has begun a three-year tour of Wear Valley as part of a pioneering initiative to bring exercise
MEMORIES of the nail-biting Test series, which saw England beat Australia to regain the Ashes, have been rekindled in a newly published book. Ashes Victory is part diary and part factual reports of the recent glorious win and was written and compiled
WITH the countdown to next summer's World Cup finals having already begun, Michael Owen has insisted he would not swap the current England squad for any other group of players readying themselves to compete in Germany next summer. The Newcastle striker
TWO events for volunteers are being organised in Teesdale and Weardale. Volunteer organisation 2D is holding its annual meeting next Thursday, at the Manor House Hotel, in West Auckland. A free buffet is provided from 5.30pm and the meeting starts at
POLICE have reassured residents of Teesdale that despite a rise in crime the dale is still one of the safest places to live in County Durham. In the past year, crime in Teesdale has risen by 26.2 per cent. However, Teesdale Police Community Consultative
A SCHOOL netball team is celebrating after winning a tournament for the third year in a row. Woodham Community Technology College's netball team triumphed in the South West Durham Netball Association Tournament. The event was hosted at Tudhoe Grange Comprehensive
A JOINT operation aimed at tracking down fine defaulters in County Durham was launched this week. Involving more than 40 police officers and civilian warrant officers from magistrates courts, Operation Payback 3 will be targeting those people who have
THE woman who pioneered women's refuges became the patron of the Derwentside Domestic Violence Forum yesterday. Erin Pizzey, who opened the first shelter in 1971, was at the forum's second conference at Derwent Manor Hotel, in Allensford, near Consett
A FORMER care home could be demolished to make way for housing. Prestigious Living Ltd has applied to Darlington Borough Council for permission to demolish Westfields House off Cockerton Green. The company wants to build 38 apartments and five town houses
YOUNGSTERS embraced the healthy living message yesterday with the help of footballers and dancers. Coaches from Middlesbrough FC joined professionals from the Tees Valley Dance organisation at Heathfield Primary School, Darlington. The two groups have
A RIDING centre on Teesside has been selected to host a national exam. The Unicorn Centre at Hemlington, near Middlesbrough, has been chosen as a test centre for Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA). Eight trainee instructors from across the UK will
CHILDREN stepped out with television stars yesterday, ahead of a high-energy production coming to Darlington Civic Theatre. Pupils at Haughton Community School were joined by familiar faces from two BBC programmes. The youngsters picked up some tips from
THE exotic beauty of the orchid is being celebrated at an exhibition in Bishop Auckland. Orchid grower Bobby Gowland, from Toronto, Canada, has created display of some of his finest specimens at the Discovery Centre, in the town, to show people that the
A GYMNASTICS club that has trained thousands of youngsters could close if it does not find a coach. Parents and members of the committee at Bishop Auckland Gymnastics Club are appealing for a new coach to come forward and save the 27-year-old club from
A LEADING entrepreneur visited a school yesterday to pledge £50,000 to help it achieve specialist business and enterprise status. Sir Tom Cowie met staff and pupils of Greencroft Comprehensive School for a tour of the site at Annfield Plain, Stanley,
A CITY'S mayoress is recovering in hospital after a ten-hour operation on her back. The complicated operation on Ripon Mayoress April Martin was carried out at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, where her condition is comfortable. Her husband, Councillor
PINK SEA DIP TO RASIE FUNDS: Cancer Research UK, in Redcar, is hosting a Party in Pink to raise money for the All Women Together campaign. Staff at the shop, in High Street, will serve tea, biscuits, cakes and hold a tombola on Saturday, October 29. At
A friendly, informal and confidential meeting about mental health issues is being held at the MIND offices, off East Parade, Stanley, on Thursday, October 27, from noon to 1pm. Refreshments are available and anyone interested in finding out more can call
A six-week healthy eating class will be starting at Greencroft Comprehensive School, near Stanley, on Tuesday, November 1, from 4pm to 6pm. Anyone aged over 50 who would like to join a group of students and prepare and eat a healthy meal under the supervision
FRIENDLY staff clearly made an impression on a mystery customer at a city's tourist information office. The way staff responded at Durham Tourist Information Centre, in the Gala Theatre complex, Millennium Place has put them in line for an award. They
COUNCIL staff who oversaw the construction of a straw bale building have become advisors on similar schemes around the country. The building control team at Richmondshire District Council will advise councils working on environmentally friendly developments
THE future of Ripon Cathedral will be debated, it was announced yesterday. More than 1,000 groups and individuals have been invited to a meeting on Saturday, October 22. Members of the Cathedral chapter and council will unveil a wide-ranging plan for
A headteacher has told how staff at a North-East school were assaulted, threatened and even had their homes attacked by pupils before he took over. Eamonn Farrar, acting headteacher of Eastbourne Comprehensive, Darlington, said the school was in chaos
MIDDLESBROUGH defender Emanuel Pogatetz has defended his decision to retaliate while on international duty with Austria. Pogatetz, now a doubt for tomorrow's Premiership fixture against Portsmouth, reacted angrily to an outrageous challenge from Northern
PREMIER Foods has agreed to sell its tea business, including its flagship Typhoo brand, to Indian conglomerate Apeejay Surrendra Group for £80m. The British food maker, which owns Quorn maker Marlow Foods, in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, said it would
A soldier from a regiment which had 14 personnel who tested positive for drugs last month is being investigated in connection with substance abuse, the Ministry of Defence confirmed last night. The Royal Military Police is questioning a member of the
CAR maker Nissan has boosted new car sales in Europe by nearly a third. New car registrations in September rose by 31 per cent compared with last September. Nissan's Sunderland factory is the most productive in the continent and builds cars mainly for
A gladiator in a G-sting may be one of their more intriguing finds, but Rolfe Mitchinson and Bob Middlemass are just as exited at discovering the remains of a Roman bridge. Nick Morrison meets the country's only river archaeologists. THEY have been washed
With the approach of Bonfire Night, Shoptalk visits a professional in pyrotechnics. REMEMBER, remember the fifth of November. It's 400 years since 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators failed in their gunpowder plot to blow up Parliament.
HOW ironic that a third Durham player, Liam Plunkett, has been added to the Test squad to tour Pakistan only a few days after the one who five years ago looked a Test certainty left under a cloud to join Glamorgan. The move away from Riverside pitches
A memorial service for the late Mo Mowlam has been announced and will take place later this year. The former North-East MP's family has been consulted about the plans, drawn up by a civic 'brains trust', led by Redcar Mayor Peter Spencer. Redcar and Cleveland
A NATIONWIDE hunt for 1,000 skilled workers started in the North-East yesterday, with queues of prospective candidates mounting a claim to a lucrative job. Recruitment specialists are scouring the country for staff wanting to work on the construction
A FARMING family says the rejection of plans to install two wind turbines will cost them money. Easington District Council, east Durham, turned down the application from A7 Energy because the turbines would have been near the dropping zone at the nearby
A NORTH-EAST scientist's outstanding contribution to anti-cancer drug development has won an award. Professor Hilary Calvert, who is funded by Cancer Research UK, is to receive the 2005 Pfizer Award for Innovative Science at the Science Museum, in London
A paramedic with more than 25 years experience was attacked by a patient in a wheelchair. Bob Luke was bitten and left bleeding following the assault in a hospital casualty department. The patient who bit him was sentenced to six months in prison. Mr
It's all change in the Health Service after controversial reforms were recently unveiled. Health Editor Barry Nelson considers some of the issues involved. WHEN it became clear that plans to streamline the NHS included the abolition of Darlington Primary
TOWN FEARS: WHAT is happening in our town of Crook? While out walking with my dogs, I was on the Deerness Valley walk next to Peases West Sports Centre. To my disgust, the two seats on the walk have been destroyed by fire by the teenagers who gather there
GUY Fawkes was a murderous malcontent who did his very best to wipe out Parliament in explosive fashion - but does that make him great? Sir Bernard Ingham thinks so - and, as the bluff former Press secretary to Margaret Thatcher, he is no stranger to
MPs who fear that the region's health could be damaged by controversial reforms have been given a glimmer of hope. It follows comments by Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt to North-East MPs which suggest that more primary care trusts (PCT) than expected
MICKY Barron's Hartlepool United comeback remains well on track. The Pool skipper has not kicked a ball in competitive action since going off in the second-half of the play-off final defeat at the Millennium Stadium in May. After breaking down in the
FRANK Lampard has revealed that his England team-mates are already benefiting from Wayne Rooney's blossoming reputation as one of the most dangerous attackers in the world. After sitting out Saturday's win over Austria through suspension, Rooney produced
Mothercare has reversed recent high street trends by announcing a slight recovery in sales. The group said it was reaping the benefits of a two-year overhaul, which has seen it improve its ranges and make its distribution network more efficient through
MICKY Barron's Hartlepool United comeback remains well on track. The Pool skipper has not kicked a ball in competitive action since going off in the second-half of the play-off final defeat at the Millennium Stadium in May. After breaking down in the
POWER is the engine driving Alberta's economy. Energy-related royalties account for a third of the revenue collected by the 100-year-old province, which amounted to a whopping $9.74bn between 2004 and 2005. Fuel finances public health and education programmes
MYST V: END OF AGES, Format: PC. Publisher: Ubisoft. Price: £34.99 Family friendly? 7+: HARDCORE gamers may have scoffed at the lack of true interactivity but more than 14 million people have taken up the Myst challenge to date. In fact, the original
WITH the countdown to next summer's World Cup finals having already begun, Michael Owen has insisted he would not swap the current England squad for any other group of players readying themselves to compete in Germany next summer. The Newcastle striker
ANYONE who predicted the end of the hunts as a result of the ban on hunting with dogs must be sorely disappointed. According to a survey of hunts by The Northern Echo, the numbers of people signing up has increased on a large scale. And hunting groups
The Co-operative Group todayunced plans to sell off and close all its department stores as part of plans to get out of the loss making sector. It said it would close ten department stores and sell off 26 - including two in Bishop Auckland and Chester-le-Street
INVESTIGATORS have made a breakthrough in a battle to rid a town of bag slashers. Middlesbrough Council says time is running out for the town's "alley moochers" - night-time scavengers who tear open bin bags to retrieve items for sale. Officers say the
Darlington Concert Band is preparing its 26th annual Christmas charity event. The group will be performing festive carols and songs on Friday, December 26, at Darlington Arts Centre. The show, in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Trust, is due to start at 7.15pm
A JOINT operation aimed at tracking down fine defaulters in County Durham was launched this week. Involving more than 40 police officers and civilian warrant officers from magistrates courts, Operation Payback 3 will be targeting those people who have
PLANS for a former petrol station to be converted into shops and flats are to be considered by councillors next week. The site in West Auckland Road has been derelict for some time, but under the proposals, a two-storey building would be built on the
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save a landmark hotel from demolition yesterday pledged to take their battle to the High Court. They want a judicial review after Darlington Borough Council approved a controversial scheme to demolish the White Horse Pub and Hotel
A PROTEST group fighting against Hurworth School being moved out of the village has confirmed plans for its latest public meeting. Darlington Borough Council is pursuing Government funding to create a £25m privately-sponsored city academy, bringing together
A SON who burgled his mother's home while she enjoyed a weekend break was jailed for three years yesterday. Anthony Devlin, 35, broke a rear window to gain entry to his mother's property then accidentally started a fire that caused substantial damage
POLICE are looking for a thug who may have deafened a 22-year-old man for life. He attacked his victim with a bottle, hitting him across the head and fracturing his skull, causing damage to his right ear. The victim received medical treatment at Middlesbrough's
A paramedic with more than 25 years experience was attacked by a patient in a wheelchair. Bob Luke was bitten and left bleeding following the assault in a hospital casualty department. The patient who bit him was sentenced to six months in prison. Mr
YOUNGSTERS embraced the healthy living message yesterday with the help of footballers and dancers. Coaches from Middlesbrough FC joined professionals from Tees Valley Dance organisation at Heathfield Primary School, Darlington. The two groups have joined
A headteacher has told how staff at a North-East school were assaulted, threatened and even had their homes attacked by pupils before he took over. Eamonn Farrar, acting headteacher of Eastbourne Comprehensive, Darlington, said the school was in chaos
PLANS for a windfarm could be approved by a North-East council, despite MoD objections. A planning application for five turbines in the small village of Royal Oak, near Shildon, County Durham, have been submitted to Darlington Borough Council. The authority
Childminder Brenda Sowden is celebrating as Stockton's first nanny to be graded as outstanding by Ofsted. The SureStart employee was awarded the highest mark available since changes were made to the inspection criteria in April. Ms Sowden, who qualified
A Postmistress who delivers a first-class service to her customers has been given the stamp of approval by bosses. Jan Farnaby, 44, from Dormanstown, near Redcar, has been presented with a Best Post Office Awards regional runners-up customer service plaque
HENSHAWS College, Harrogate, will hold an arts and crafts fair from 10.340am to 4pm on Saturday, November 12. Local groups and businesses are invited to take part by calling Caroline Roberts on (01423) 814500.
A TEAM of street cleaners has been praised for going above and beyond the call of duty. District council chiefs say Richmondshire would be "knee deep in muck" were it not for the dedication of the 14 members of the street cleaning unit. The team has also
SPECIALIST bins have been installed in chewing gum trouble spots to encourage people to dispose of it responsibly. Harrogate Borough Council has provided the bins in Boroughbridge, Harrogate and Ripon. Officials are also testing a surface covering that
A FREE event to promote bird-feeding as the colder weather draws in is being held next week. The RSPB has teamed up with Durham County Council and the DLI Museum to celebrate Feed the Birds Day on Saturday, October 22. It will be held in the grounds of
THREE pets had a lucky escape when fire broke out in an east Durham home on Wednesday night. Firefighters broke into the house, in Embleton Street, Dawdon, after the alarm had been raised by neighbours. Firemen from Seaham and Peterlee thought the homeowner
A BOY of 12 was seriously hurt when a motorcyclist on a Harley-Davidson was involved in an accident with a group of children. A 14-year-old boy suffered cuts and bruises in the incident, just before 8pm on the A188 Benton Lane, in Benton, Newcastle, yesterday
FREE events take place over the weekend as part of the Durham Literature Festival. Sheree Mack, the festival poet-in-residence, is staging drop-in sessions at unit six, Fowlers Yard Artists' Studios, in Back Silver Street, Durham. She will welcome any
A MAN was being questioned by police last night on suspicion of burglary following an appeal for witnesses in The Northern Echo. Police last night said they had been inundated with calls from the public following the article in yesterday's paper. A 20
WORK could be carried out to make it easier for people with mobility problems and parents with prams to reach a beauty spot. Four dropped crossings are expected to be created on roads in the Newark Road area of the Fens estate, Hartlepool, so people can
A NORTH-EAST scientist's outstanding contribution to anti-cancer drug development has won an award. Professor Hilary Calvert, who is funded by Cancer Research UK, is to receive the 2005 Pfizer Award for Innovative Science at the Science Museum, in London
FESTIVE shoppers will be the first to benefit from a city's park and ride scheme with free use of facilities promised over its first weekend. The two-day offer, billed as a festive freebie, is designed to give the £10m project a boost to coincide with
A COUNCIL is extending a programme that teaches children environmental citizenship through a series of free workshops. The programme, run by Chester-le-Street District Council, aims to build on the success of a school recycling project last year involving
RESIDENTS are being asked for their views on more than 400 possible development sites. Roadshows are being held in towns and villages across Hambleton to discuss locations for houses, businesses, play areas and health centres. Sites for up to 320 homes
BANDS, musicians and DJs across the region performed last night as part of an international event to commemorate the life of DJ John Peel. More than 300 events took place across the UK, New Zealand, Italy and Canada, many of which featured the kind of
A FAMILY that is making a name for itself in rugby circles has had a competition named after it. Twelve teams from around the area will compete in the Tait 10s, a new tournament being run by Barnard Castle School, in County Durham. The competition has
THE parent company of estate agent Your Move has acquired rival Reeds Rains for an undisclosed sum. Lending Solutions, based in York, announced the purchase of the North's largest independent estate agent Reeds Rains yesterday. Reeds Rains, based in Lancashire
MYST V: END OF AGES Format: PC. Publisher: Ubisoft. Price: £34.99 Family friendly? 7+ HARDCORE gamers may have scoffed at the lack of true interactivity but more than 14 million people have taken up the Myst challenge to date. In fact, the original puzzler
BAILIFFS are to be sent to the homes of motorists who fail to pay their parking fines. Fine dodgers have run up arrears of more than £160,000 across east Cleveland. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has issued 24,000 tickets since taking over responsibility
Anyone thinking that the nation has fallen out with football should think again. I'm not talking about the success of the England team - though congratulations are due to Sven and the team for reaching the World Cup finals. I'm talking about the interest
IT may have won him an Oscar, but it seems Russell Crowe's performance in the film Gladiator was not as authentic as some fans might have liked. Far from donning armour and protective clothing, evidence discovered by two amateur archaeologists supports
VILLAGERS have criticised British Telecom for taking five days to repair telephone lines after a lightning strike. People in Copeland Row, in Evenwood, Teesdale, County Durham, have been told they will have to wait until Monday before they will be reconnected
Swan Hunter has laid 100 workers off as work starts to run out in its shipyard on the Tyne, it confirmed last night. The second of two ships built on the Tyne by Swans will be officially named today. The Swan Hunter shipyard, in Wallsend, North Tyneside
REMEMBER, remember the fifth of November. It's 400 years since 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators failed in their gunpowder plot to blow up Parliament. The poor chap's been burned in effigy ever since. Even though Christmas now seems to
Clyde Wijnhard suffered his latest snub yesterday when Macclesfield Town dropped their interest in the sacked Darlington striker. Wijnhard was expected to join the Silkmen on a three-month loan after his Quakers contract was terminated following a serious
A MOTORcyclist hit an oncoming car head-on after overtaking another biker at speed on a blind bend, an inquest was told yesterday. The force of the crash threw Robin Mark Hill, aged 31, of New Road, Crook, County Durham, 40 metres from the point where
With the ground on the soft side for yesterday's meeting at Newmarket and the prospect of more rain to come, it looks worth siding with the mud lovers at Newmarket today. Top of the list is David Chapman's Quito, who is a much better horse with give underfoot
ANTHONY LE TALLEC has been told to forget about having an easy life at Sunderland and warned to warm to the idea of defending from the front. The young forward, on a season- long loan from Liverpool, was quoted as being frustrated with life on Wearside
A teenager accused of beating to death a disabled man in the street has made his first appearance at crown court. The 17-year-old suspect in the Stephen Humphries murder case appeared via video-link from Castington Young Offenders' Institution, in Northumberland
A primary school nurse who shared almost 200 pornographic pictures of young boys with other Internet perverts has been kicked out of the profession after a hearing in London. Stephen Paul Green, 25, who worked with the Hartlepool Care Trust, swapped images
HOW ironic that a third Durham player, Liam Plunkett, has been added to the Test squad to tour Pakistan only a few days after the one who five years ago looked a Test certainty left under a cloud to join Glamorgan. The move away from Riverside pitches
With the ground on the soft side for yesterday's meeting at Newmarket and the prospect of more rain to come, it looks worth siding with the mud lovers at Newmarket today. Top of the list is David Chapman's Quito, who is a much better horse with give underfoot
DAVID DAVIS last night insisted he was the man to win back the North for the Tories because voters would believe he was the "same sort of person" as them. In an interview with The Northern Echo, the leadership hopeful said North-East voters had turned
THE first gluten and wheat-free ale to be brewed in Britain has been named the Best Beer Invention at a brewing industry award ceremony. Hambleton Ale's GFA (Gluten Free Ale), which is brewed in Melmerby, North Yorkshire, won the award at the Tesco Beer
