Archive

  • Doors open to healthier life

    A NEW plan to encourage people of all ages to become involved in sport and exercise has been drawn up. Darlington's leisure and arts service plan looks at making facilities more widely available to all sections of the community. The borough council blueprint

  • Elderly get new heating system

    SOLID fuel boilers and expensive storage heaters will soon be a thing of the past for elderly residents in one village. Eight old peoples' bungalows in Copt Hewick, near Ripon, are being provided with heat pumps that derive their source of energy from

  • Unseeded Russian ends Henman's Wimbledon dreams

    Tim Henman found himself on the wrong side of a five set match as he crashed out in the second round of Wimbledon today. This time it was the turn of unseeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov to put an end to Henman's Wimbledon dreams for another year. Henman,

  • Hussey's England warning

    WITH Australia still licking their wounds following last weekend's double debacle, Mike Hussey has admitted he does not have the hitting power to match England's middle-order match-winners. But, after returning to the North-East for today's day-night

  • Fly-tipping blights area

    COMPANY bosses are calling for an end to fly-tipping which has started to blight a business park. Cases of fly-tipping across Sedgefield borough have nearly doubled in the past year and businesses on Aycliffe Industrial Estate say they are fed up. Ian

  • How England's master blaster Pietersen found his spiritual home

    IT takes quite a cricketer to out-Flintoff Andrew Flintoff but, in Kevin Pietersen, England have found the one player with even more swagger than his fellow middle-order match-winner. From the bleach blonde mottled hair to the feverish badge kissing that

  • Hart to Heart

    Actress Denise Van Outen talks to Steve Pratt of her nervousness about switching from Roxie Hart, in Chicago, to Where The Heart Is on TV. She appears as new nurse Kim Blakeney later in the series which starts on Sunday. DENISE Van Outen was very much

  • ITV picks out its top 50 programmes

    ITV's 50 TOP SHOWS (in alphabetical order) 1. Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2002 - Present day) 2. An Audience With... (1980 - Present Day) - from Victoria Wood via Kenneth Williams to Kylie Minogue 3. The Avengers (1961 - 1969) 4. The Benny

  • Golden days ... on the telly

    The Story Of ITV allows Melvyn Bragg to write and present his thoughts on 50 years of the UKs most popular commercial channel. Viv Hardwick reports. THE idea for Melvyn Bragg's latest series came to the broadcaster and Labour peer during a session at

  • New boy Miller hopes for grand opening

    Tommy Miller will spend his first morning as a Sunderland player glued to a television screen, desperately hoping the Premiership fixture list gives him a dream debut at the Stadium of Light. Miller finally completed his protracted move from Ipswich yesterday

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: The other victim's story

    THE lives of two teenage friends - Stuart Adams and Lee Mullis - were claimed by the Good Friday accident on a railway line running through Darlington. But, as is the case in all railway tragedies, there was another victim. The driver of the train on

  • Collingwood shrugs off Aussie fear factor

    Paul Collingwood believes England have conquered the fear factor that has plagued their battles with Australia in recent years and the self-belief in the home camp is at its highest since his debut four years ago. Collingwood, fresh from his record-breaking

  • Rescued dog settles in with new owners

    A dog that was rescued from a house where more than 200 animals were being kept in horrendous conditions is enjoying a second lease of life with new owners. Cheng, a four-year-old shitsu, has recovered fully after RSPCA inspectors discovered him in an

  • 'There was nothing I Could do'

    At Easter, two North-East teenagers were killed when they were hit by a train. Andy Scott, the driver of that train, tells Olivia Richwald about what happened that night - and how he wants to help stop children trespassing on railway lines. ON his first

  • Grin and bare it

    ACTRESS Denise Welch tore a strip off a pair of local firefighters yesterday in aid of charity. The former Coronation Street star lent a helping hand as fire service instructors Eddie Cooper and Jon Gray put themselves through a leg and chest wax to raise

  • Spooky Lily knocks Aussies for six

    AUSTRALIAN cricketers have been caught out by ghostly goings-on at a hotel. The team is staying at Lumley Castle, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, ahead of their match against England today. It is thought Lily of Lumley, the ghost said to haunt the

  • On TV

    Nelson's Trafalgar (BBC1) WHEN he was 19, Horatio Nelson decided what he wanted to be. But his ambition wasn't to be an astronaut, a film star or a footballer, or whatever the 18th century equivalents were. He wrote in his diary: "Well then, I will be

  • Man drowns while trying to save partner's son

    A Duke of Edinburgh Award examiner for the North-East died after he was swept out to sea while paddling with his partner's six-year-old son. Tony Christon, who was the managing director of an outdoor activity centre based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, drowned

  • Leader pledges to lobby Government

    A SENIOR council leader has pledged to lobby for a better deal for the North-East after he was appointed to lead the group that represents the region's councils. Councillor Mick Henry, the Gateshead Borough Council leader, has been made chairman of the

  • Living in fear of the news

    When I get up in the morning, the first thing I often do is switch on the radio to catch up with the news. It's part of my morning routine, something to listen to with half an ear while I get the breakfast. But these days, as my hand touches that switch

  • Children welcome red kite Phoenix

    CHILDREN have welcomed a new red kite to their school after one of the birds was poisoned last year. Pupils of Winlaton West Lane Community Primary School, near Gateshead, were devastated about the illegal poisoning of their adopted kite, Flash. So Northern

  • Derwentside comes close to triumph

    YOUNG footballers from north Durham came second out of more than 4,000 teams in a national competition. Derwentside District took part in the under-11s Sainsbury's ESFA Cup on Saturday. The young stars fought a great battle in the district team finals

  • Record crowds at Riverside for one-day international

    A sell-out crowd witnessed a bright start by Australia in the one-day international at the Riverside, Durham, as they clocked up 32 for no wicket after just five overs. England's bowlers managed to calm the Australian attack of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew

  • Gardens open to support hospice

    TWO gardens will be open to the public this weekend to raise money for St Cuthbert's Hospice. On Saturday, Mr and Mrs Joe Wright will show off the cottage garden of their home at 11 Oakham Drive, in Carrville, Durham City. From 2pm to 5pm, people will

  • Heroin suspects targeted in raids

    Suspects in a heroin supply network have been arrested in a series of early morning raids. As five people were being questioned by detectives last night, it was revealed more arrests are to follow. Detective Inspector Derek Carter, of Cleveland Police

  • Head and Shoulders above

    A hairdresser from the region has completed an assignment that could lead to her rubbing shoulders with the stars. Claire Morley, of Guisborough, took part in the Central St Martin's College of Art and Design Graduate Fashion Show in London. Stella McCartney

  • Awards recognise environmental action

    SCHOOLS, community groups and businesses will be rewarded for their environmental work next month. Harrogate Borough Council is holding its annual Best Action for the Environment Road Show awards (Bafters) at the town's Swallow St George Hotel on July

  • News in Brief

    Coroner seeks man's relatives: THE Coroner's Office is appealing for relatives of 64-year-old Peter Powlowski to contact them. Mr Powlowski was found dead at his home in Wheatacre Close, Marske, on June 20. There were no suspicious circumstances, but

  • Fragments of history unearthed on Headland

    FRAGMENTS of ancient history have come to light in an archaeological dig on Teesside. A medieval cow bone, pottery and an early 20th Century painted metal advertising sign for Pratt's Perfection Spirit were among the items unearthed during the week-long

  • £7m investment gets things cooking again at N-E factory

    HUNDREDS of North-East manufacturing jobs have been secured, after an electronics company invested £7m in the region. Electrolux has upgraded its manufacturing facility in Spennymoor, County Dur-ham, so it can produce the company's new flagship range

  • Future of 78 depot workers hangs in balance

    A QUESTION mark is hanging over the future of 78 workers at a County Durham depot. Retail group Dixons yesterday confirmed it was cutting jobs at 17 UK distribution centres, including one at Newton Aycliffe. The group intends to lay off 400 workers out

  • National contest for Teesside students

    PUPILS are on their way to the national final of a maths and design competition. Youngsters from Layfield Primary School, Yarm, will compete in the Maths in Motion national final at Jaguar's Castle Bromwich car factory, in Birmingham, on Wednesday. They

  • Rail tragedy must be a lesson to everyone

    A TRAIN driver involved in an accident that claimed the lives of two schoolboys broke his silence last night to speak of his determination to prevent it ever happening again. Andy Scott was driving the Manchester Airport to Newcastle train when it hit

  • More jobs as call centre expands

    AN EXPANDING call centre firm is creating 80 jobs in North Yorkshire. Leeds-based 1st Locate will open a Scarborough base in August. It will initially recruit 40 staff, but plans to double this by the start of next year. The company, which employs 50

  • Allotment checks after arson attack

    RANDOM safety checks on a town's allotments were launched yesterday to avoid a repeat of a near disaster. Four firefighters were thrown through the air as gas cylinders exploded following an arson attack on allotments at Thornhill Gardens, Hartlepool,

  • Soft touch is good news for patients

    A NEW soft area has been built in a hospital ward to provide a safer environment for patients with dementia. The area, on ward 14 at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, cost £4,000 and was funded by a number of local people and organisations. It

  • Compromise offered in waste row

    STAND-OFF between a council and villagers over a new waste collection scheme has resulted in a four-week build up of rubbish. Residents in the Copeland Road and Edith Terrace areas of West Auckland have been told by Wear Valley District Council to leave

  • Happy heifer after

    A MAD cow was back home last night after sparking a full scale alert during a dash for freedom in a North-East market town. A police helicopter was called in to assist in the search for the barmy beast after it went on a rampage in a busy town centre.

  • Castle stages Proms

    AN international musical line up has been assembled for an outdoor concert in one of the region's grandest back gardens next month. The Bishop of Durham's estate at Auckland Castle, near Bishop Auckland, is the setting for a Proms in the Park event on

  • Airman's bench of friendship

    AN AIRMAN who died in a parachuting accident is to be remembered with a special friendship bench at his former primary school a year after his death. Andrew Wilson died after jumping out of an aeroplane at Peterlee last June. Now a bench designed to help

  • Durham's success key to Collingwood's England heroics

    PAUL Collingwood will return to Riverside this afternoon insisting that England owe his Durham team-mates a huge debt of thanks. The Shotley Bridge-born all-rounder will represent his country on home soil for the third time as England look to continue

  • Quarry group's war of words with protestors

    A BITTER war of words over quarrying near a prehistoric complex of international importance has moved up a gear. Two petitions have demanded an end to such quarrying following the submission of a planning application to extend the works. But opponents

  • Girlfriend tried to put off witness

    A WOMAN admitted attempting to intimidate a witness in a case in which her boyfriend was acquitted. Jane Reeks was seen banging on the door of a house in Trafford Close, Darlington, late at night last November. Durham Crown Court heard she demanded to

  • £7m cash boost secures jobs

    HUNDREDS of factory workers celebrated yesterday after a £7m investment secured their jobs. Electrolux unveiled an upgrade of its plant in Spennymoor, County Durham, where it will produce a new range of cookers destined for the UK market. The cash, which

  • Animator sets up in business

    AN animator is taking her two-dimensional characters across the UK, after launching her own business through a university start-up scheme. Ellie Land, 24, graduated with a degree in media production at Northumbria University and is working as a freelance

  • Rail tragedy must be a lesson to everyone

    A TRAIN driver involved in an accident that claimed the lives of two schoolboys broke his silence last night to speak of his determination to prevent it ever happening again. Andy Scott was driving the Manchester Airport to Newcastle train when it hit

  • Bulk haulage firm buys coke plant

    BRITAIN'S biggest bulk haulage firm yesterday added £25m to its turnover, after buying a coke plant. Hargreaves, based at Esh Winning, near Durham, bought the Monckton Coke & Chemical Company from UK Coal. The plant, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire,

  • Grave error of trusting grow-ups

    SOMETIMES we need to be reminded of what it's like to view the world through the eyes of a small child. Of course, we've all been there, but it seems such a long time ago. As a child, you may recall, you had no sense of irony. Young children don't understand

  • When TV began to think small

    TV Editor Viv Hardwick looks back on ITV innocence. TRUE confession time. As a child of the late 50s and early 60s, I was officially banned from watching early ITV children's programmes because my parents thought it was wrong to encourage TV financed

  • Hoggard punished in Roses battle

    England's Matthew Hoggard, suffered the most expensive analysis in Twenty-20 Cup cricket as Yorkshire went down by five wickets to Lancashire at Headingley. Hoggard was flogged for 65 runs from his four overs, which was two runs worse than James Kirtley's

  • Councils urge end to rural 'raw deal'

    Councils in the North are putting pressure on the Government to give its rural residents a better deal. Several district and borough councils, including Scarborough, Ryedale, Craven, Richmondshire, Alnwick, Teesdale, Tynedale and Eden, together with North

  • Crew are on course to demolish record - weather permitting

    IT has been 23 days since the crewmen of the Nattie B began their courageous voyage across the North Atlantic. But, despite severe sleep deprivation and a brutal 18-hour storm in which high winds battered the vessel and waves continuously smashed over

  • Suicidal man's call missed by crisis line

    A DEPRESSED man who told mental health workers he had components to make a home-made gun killed himself after getting no reply from a crisis helpline. Teesside Coroner's Court heard how William Sleightholme, 52, was receiving help from a crisis team for

  • Similar skippers call the tune

    THEY share the same position in the order, possess a similarly flourishing batting style and lead their sides with an identically unquenchable will to win. In Michael Vaughan and Ricky Ponting, England and Australia can boast captains with plenty in common

  • Yoga sessions

    Yoga classes, open to all ages and abilities, are being held at Darlington Arts Centre on Mondays from 7.30pm, Wednesdays from 1.30pm and 7.30pm and Thursdays from 7pm. The full course costs £25, with concessions at £17. Bring your own mat.

  • Music festival brings schoolchildren together

    SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Darlington are tuning up to take part in a week-long music festival. Longfield School has organised the event next week - which will also involve primary school pupils from Harrowgate Hill, Rise Carr, North Road and Aycliffe

  • £1.2m centre for elderly

    WORK has started this week on a £1.2m rehabilitation centre for older people in Darlington. AMEC Construction, with ACM Health Solutions, is carrying out the work on land in front of a current unit in Hundens Lane. Darlington Primary Care Trust says it

  • 'Even rural villages need to protect their green spaces'

    VILLAGERS last night vowed to continue the fight to preserve some of the last few local green spaces, despite a council's plans to sell vacant plots. Many people in Witton Gilbert, near Durham, are angry at city council proposals to sell six plots in

  • Court order over breach

    A DARLINGTON man was brought before the courts after breaching a community rehabilitation order. Mark Lockerbie, 32, of Hundens Lane, was given the 24-month order in January for possessing cannabis. However, he breached the order twice after he failed

  • Face-to-face with a thief

    POLICE have appealed for information after a householder confronted a man in his garden shed this week. They believe the incident, which happened at lunchtime on Monday in Durham Road, Wolsingham, could be connected with a sneak-in theft in nearby Lydgate

  • Happy heifer after

    A MAD cow was back home last night after sparking a full scale alert during a dash for freedom in a North-East market town. A police helicopter was called in to assist in the search for the barmy beast after it went on a rampage in a busy town centre.

  • The Roman road to fundraising

    EIGHT adventurers completed a three-peak challenge in under 36 hours to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster. The workers, from Newton Aycliffe shower company Roman Limited, raised more than £1,500 by climbing mountains in England, Scotland

  • Gangsters' paradise

    IT was lights, cameras, action as gangsters and their molls moved into a popular family park. But there was no need to panic, as the hoodlums were schoolchildren dressed up for a production of the musical Bugsy. The King's Academy pupils visited Middlesbrough's

  • Uniting the generations by opening a park for all ages

    A COMMUNITY which has fought to create a communal park has unveiled its latest project. Thousands of pounds and hours of hard work have been poured into making Middlewood Green in St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, a meeting place for different

  • John North: A perfect pitstop

    On a trip to Wales, the column plumbed the depths of the attraction that shunted Shildon's into second place. US Shildon lads - that is to say, we fine fellows from Shildon - are long accustomed to coming second. Getting beat, as they say in the Dean

  • Face of the Army heading south

    AN Army sergeant from north Durham who has recruited nearly 70 youngsters has said farewell to her hometown to take another step in her military career. Staff Sergeant Angela Kelly, from Sacriston, near Chester-le-Street, has been a recruiter at the Durham

  • School Closure Debate: Latters

    SCHOOL CLOSURE: I AM angered by the vehemence and hostility shown towards Eastbourne School by the Hurworth objectors. They show a complete lack of respect and regard towards the educational community and to the wider Darlington area with their blinkered

  • Good impression

    YOUNG artists have been busy using animation, videos and photography to create their own exhibition. The work, which is on show at the Impressions Gallery in York, celebrates the last two years of a project called Fluid. It invited 11 to 18-year-olds

  • Tribute paid to retailing legend

    AN exhibition celebrating a chain store that held a special place in the hearts of families throughout the area opens in Bishop Auckland this week. Selling everything but food, Doggarts branches throughout the old County Durham area were where families

  • Hussey returns to his adopted home,

    IT'S been a long time since the Australian cricket team have been in a run of form that could be described as a malaise, but Ricky Ponting's side go into today's game at Riverside desperate to halt their current slide. Two defeats to England and an embarrassing

  • Village fights to save school

    A public meeting where community leaders will draw up battle plans to keep Hurworth Maths and Computing College in the village takes place tonight (Thursday). Residents are expected to turn out in force to voice their disapproval at plans to relocate

  • Cash on a Plate for southern raiders

    NEWCASTLE'S Northumberland Plate meeting kicks off with an excellent card, including the ten-furlong Hoppings Stakes, a listed race for Fillies and Mares Since our region is currently bereft of any top-class female stayers, the £30,000 event seems certain

  • Football club to relive one of greatest days

    AN amateur football club will head south to relive one of their greatest moments as they play a special exhibition match next month. Bishop Auckland FC will travel to Hendon FC's Claremont Street ground on Saturday, July 16 - 50 years after the two teams

  • Grave error of trustung grown-ups

    SOMETIMES we need to be reminded of what it's like to view the world through the eyes of a small child. Of course, we've all been there, but it seems such a long time ago. As a child, you may recall, you had no sense of irony. Young children don't understand

  • More jobs as call centre expands

    AN EXPANDING call centre firm is creating 80 jobs in North Yorkshire. Leeds-based 1st Locate will open a Scarborough base in August. It will initially recruit 40 staff, but plans to double this by the start of next year. The company, which employs 50

  • Cash on a Plate for southern raiders

    NEWCASTLE'S Northumberland Plate meeting kicks off with an excellent card, including the ten-furlong Hoppings Stakes, a listed race for Fillies and Mares Since our region is currently bereft of any top-class female stayers, the £30,000 event seems certain

  • 'Truant's mum should not have been tagged'

    A COURT'S decision to electronically tag a mother who failed to send her son to school has been criticised by a local MP. Shona Hamilton was ordered to wear the tag on her left ankle by magistrates on Teesside after her 15-year-old son repeatedly missed

  • Family sees Lord Foster enter House

    THE North gained a voice in the House of Lords yesterday when former MP Derek Foster took his seat as a Labour life peer. The moment made history because it marked the first time Labour had drawn level with the Conservatives in its number of representatives

  • Search for pervert motorist

    POLICE have stepped up a search for a pervert motorist who has tried to lure children into his vehicle. After warning youngsters to be on their guard against a driver who invited a 14-year-old girl to get in his car in Hartlepool, police have received

  • Freddie is the key for England's summer success, says Hussain

    AFTER a barnstorming start to Kevin Pietersen's England career, the flamboyant Springbok has attracted a large share of the hype that usually surrounds the all-action figure of Andrew Flintoff. All eyes will be focused on the pair, with coach Duncan Fletcher

  • Museum hopes to win title

    A NORTH-EAST museum was under the scrutiny of international judges at the weekend as it attempted to scoop a European title. Locomotion: the National Railway Museum in Shildon, was visited by two judges from the European Museum of the Year selection committee

  • Package deals for Quakers' fans

    DARLINGTON yesterday launched a package of season ticket offers for the forthcoming league campaign. It includes free club shirts, parent and child season tickets, the option to spread payments across the season and new dining facilities for fans. The

  • Eight decades of memories collected for store display

    A RETAIL phenomenon spanning eight decades was remembered fondly yesterday when former staff of the family-run Doggarts store chain were reunited at an exhibition opening. Volunteers at the Bishop Auckland Discovery Centre, in County Durham, have collected

  • Good impression

    YOUNG artists have been busy using animation, videos and photography to create their own exhibition. The work, which is on show at the Impressions Gallery in York, celebrates the last two years of a project called Fluid. It invited 11 to 18-year-olds

  • Romans 'just a bunch of hoods'

    HISTORIANS have delivered a second and potentially devastating blow to the Italians' reputation for sartorial elegance. Fresh from last month's news that the Roman occupiers of County Durham committed the ultimate fashion faux pas, wearing socks with

  • Top Ten To Rent

    UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL: 1 (1) The Aviator 2 (-) Shall We Dance 3 (6) Creep 4 (2) Closer 5 (-) Hotel Rwanda 6 (-) Harold And Kumar Get The Munchies 7 (5) Assault on Precinct 13 8 (8) Ladder 49 9 (3) Ocean's 12 10 (4) Meet The Fockers Published: 23/06/2005

  • Top of the chops

    Movie Shaolin Soccer put actor/director Stephen Chow on the map. Now he's back with another tongue-in-cheek look at Oriental culture with a plot paying tribute to Bruce Lee and Charlie Chaplin. Steve Pratt reports. ASIA'S biggest comedy director and star

  • Residents invited to walkabout

    COMMUNITY leaders are taking to the streets of Shildon next week to look at ways of cleaning up the town. Residents are invited to go along and talk to the group as they walk around the Redworth Road area next Wednesday morning. Police and councillors

  • Warning over hazardous waste items

    New regulations on hazardous waste come into force next month. Because of their chemical content, some everyday household and businesses items such as computer monitors, televisions and fluorescent tubes have joined the list of toxic, corrosive and irritant

  • Why being sent to Coventry will do pupils the world of good

    A Derwentside school is taking part in a residential healthy eating and exercise week. Year 11 pupils from St Bede's RC Comprehensive School, in Lanchester, will visit Coventry University. They will learn about food, healthy eating and careers in the

  • Deadline nears for licences

    FEWER than 20 per cent of licensed businesses in Durham City have applied for a new license ahead of the approaching deadline. Under new rules, entertainment venues and outlets selling hot food after 11pm need a new license, along with traditional pubs

  • Specials to be sworn in

    FOURTEEN special constables will be sworn in on Monday. The ceremony, at the Cedar Court Hotel, Harrogate, will be conducted by the western area commander, Chief Superintendent Bernie Mitchell. Eight of the specials will serve in the western area and

  • Feast of colour promised at youth festival

    A NOISY kaleidoscope of colour will open this year's music and arts youth festival in North Yorkshire. Young people from all over the county have been helping organisers prepare for the huge event at John Fisher Catholic High School, Harrogate, next Thursday

  • Eight decades of memories collected for store display

    A RETAIL phenomenon spanning eight decades was remembered fondly yesterday when former staff of the family-run Doggarts store chain were reunited at an exhibition opening. Volunteers at the Bishop Auckland Discovery Centre, in County Durham, have collected

  • Thousands will be hit by airport strike

    TENS of thousands of holidaymakers are facing delays as Newcastle International Airport prepares for its first ever strike. Airport bosses were yesterday locked in crisis meetings, after talks with unions and Acas broke down. Unison and the TGWU will

  • Beware of the cowboys in wake of floods

    FEARS are rising that unscrupulous cowboy traders could take advantage of the heartache caused by the floods that devastated parts of North Yorkshire. Many householders are still trying to come to terms with the devastation brought to their lives and

  • Court told of man's involvement in shooting

    THE friend of two men accused of murder has told of his involvement in the alleged killing. William Tobin, of Kilwick Street, Hartlepool, told a jury at Newcastle Crown Court how he became an unwilling getaway driver after the botched shooting of a gangster

  • Durham can't take the heat in Derby defeat

    EITHER Durham are feeling the heat or they have decided to concentrate on promotion in the main event. Again they wilted in glorious weather, taking up where they left off at Arundel on Sunday in losing their opening Twenty20 Cup match at Derby by six

  • 23/06/05

    DR ROBIN WADE: YOU have the legitimate duty of reporting what is of public interest but, equally, you have the responsibility to do so in a balanced and responsible manner. I am not sure your front page headline "Disgraced doctor escapes jail" (Echo,

  • Riverside faces a Test fight, says Gower

    WHEN the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Bangladesh would provide England with the opposition for Riverside's second Test, there were a few disappointed faces around the Durham boardroom. Having successfully hosted its inaugural Test with Zimbabwe

  • Superbug cases rise at N-East hospitals

    INFECTIONS of the killer MRSA superbug have leapt sharply at some North-East hospitals - despite a nationwide fall of 6.1 per cent. There were 47 cases at the County Durham and Darlington trust's seven hospitals in the year to March, compared with 38

  • An admirable admiral

    Nelson's Trafalgar (BBC1): WHEN he was 19, Horatio Nelson decided what he wanted to be. But his ambition wasn't to be an astronaut, a film star or a footballer, or whatever the 18th century equivalents were. He wrote in his diary: "Well then, I will be

  • Open verdict as ex-soldier's death linked to Army jab

    A FORMER serviceman died more than 50 years after receiving a Ministry of Defence jab, an inquest heard. Retired driver William Douglas, 69, who served in the Army as a young man, is believed to have contracted hepatitis C through syringe-sharing at the

  • £1.5bn a year thrown away

    BUSINESSES in the North-East are wasting £1.5bn a year by unnecessarily throwing paper away. Research by printing and digital imaging firm Canon showed that if all the waste paper binned in the North-East was joined together it would stretch from Middlesbrough

  • Villagers step up school protest

    VILLAGERS fighting to keep their secondary school last night staged another public display of opposition against plans to relocate it. A day after about 200 people held a march to protest about the planned takeover of Eastbourne Comprehensive by Hurworth

  • Family press for answers after teenager's inquest

    THE family of a teenage boy who died of hypothermia after he left a party are considering legal action. John Winter, 15, of Barnard Castle, County Durham, was found dead in a field after he set off to walk home after a party in March. Traces of cannabis

  • Industrial action at academy could escalate

    ONE of the Government's flagship academies yesterday became the first in England to be hit by industrial action. Up to 60 teachers at Unity City Academy, in Middlesbrough, were refusing to take on extra work to cover for colleagues' sickness and redundancy

  • Sporty stars show off their spoils

    Youngsters have returned to Darlington from a sports tournament with a clutch of honours. Pupils from Hummersknott School and Language College and Beaumont Hill School enjoyed success at the regional youth games event in Hartlepool at the weekend. The

  • England's top ten wins

    Today's game might be the first time England and Australia have locked horns at Riverside, but it is the 81st time the two sides have come head to head in a limited overs game. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson revisits England's top ten wins. 1. Champions

  • One car park saved after sell-off protest

    COUNCIL members last night agreed to rule out the sale of one of the car parks at the centre of the Richmond sell-off row. The future of the Station Road car park was secured when Richmondshire District Council's resources committee voted to remove it

  • Roadshow for recycling

    A RECYCLING roadshow comes to town next week. The Big Recycle, organised by Darlington Borough Council, will be in the Market Square on Monday, from 10am, providing information on recycling, home composting, real nappies and Fairtrade products. Energy

  • Planning officer hits back over legal move

    THE head of a council's planning department has defended his decision to leave his post and join a law firm that works for developers seeking planning permission. As reported in The Northern Echo yesterday, Stephen Barker, head of Stockton Borough Council's

  • Family press for answers after teenager's inquest

    THE family of a teenage boy who died of hypothermia after he left a party are considering legal action. John Winter, 15, of Barnard Castle, County Durham, was found dead in a field after he set off to walk home after a party in March. Traces of cannabis

  • Stadium bounces to a Brazilian beat

    AMID soaring temperatures, a corner of Teesside reverberated to a South American rhythm yesterday. The Riverside stadium, in Middlesbrough, rang to Samba rhythms as 380 children from 11 Middlesbrough and east Cleveland primary schools played music on

  • Ban on talking to Press may be eased by council

    PLANS to restrict members of a rural town council from talking to the Press may be relaxed. However, members of Barnard Castle Town Council could still be forbidden from commenting on authority decisions. The council's modernisation committee has drafted

  • University role for minister

    A new chaplain has been installed at a North-East university. The Reverend Stephen Fagbemi, born in Nigeria, was installed as chaplain of Sunderland University at a ceremony led by the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Tom Wright. Dr Fagbemi, who has