The Northern Echo : News, Sport, Business, Leisure from the North East and North Yorkshire

The North East | Archive | 2005 | August

Stories for 12 August 2005

Consett,Stanley,Chester Le Street News

Police warning - lock your doors

HOUSEHOLDERS are being warned after a spate of incidents in which burglars sneaked in to homes, stole car keys and then made off with the vehicles. more...

Society raises £165,000 to fight cancer

STAFF at a Consett building society have helped to raise £165,000 for cancer research. more...

Man killed in tanker crash

A MOTORIST was killed when he pulled out in front of a tanker, an inquest heard. more...

Darlington,Newton Aycliffe,Sedgefield News

Show off your champion dog

A COMPANION dog show takes place at the Grange Community Centre, in Hurworth, on Sunday. more...

Thrills and spills of park's fair

CROW'S Fair has returned to South Park in Darlington after a two-year absence. more...

Colourful creations

CHILDREN were transformed into a menagerie of beasts at a mask-making workshop in Darlington yesterday. more...

Homes plan for derelict town sites

TWO rundown sites in the centre of Darlington may be transformed by affordable homes. more...

Licence refused for drink-driver

A SHOPKEEPER has been refused a liquor licence because he failed to declare a drink-driving conviction. more...

Renewed appeal for witnesses to assaults

POLICE have renewed appeals for witnesses after two women were indecently assaulted in within two hours of each other in a similar area of Darlington. more...

On course to learn more about fitness

A COURSE is being organised in Teesdale to train fitness instructors. more...

Tribute to PC killed in car crash

A MEMORIAL to a much-loved police officer who was killed in a car crash has been unveiled. more...

Durham,East Durham News

High hopes for children's centre in deprived area

AN organisation providing a helping hand to families in one of the country's most deprived areas looks looks like getting a permanent home of its own. more...

Bogus workman in £6,000 theft from home

A BOGUS workman kept a pensioner talking while his accomplice stole items worth more than £6,000 from the woman's South Hetton home. more...

Reunion for workers

FORMER workers at an engineering factory are to hold a reunion next month. more...

Gathering wartime memories for show

AN arts project to show the important role played by radio during the Second World War goes on tour next week. more...

The cutting edge of Japanese culture

A DISPLAY of Samurai skills will take place at a North-East museum. more...

Bright plans for Christmas shops

A TRADERS' organisation hopes that Durham's Christmas decorations will be especially impressive this December. more...

Depressed man lay in roadway

A WIFE watched in horror as her husband lay down in the road and was killed by a car. more...

East Cleveland News

Police crack down on rogue off-road motorbike riders

POLICE motorcycle patrols are being stepped up to tackle residents' complaints about youngsters on off-road motorbikes. more...

Scheme for 30 modern bungalows

THIRTY bungalows are to be built in Marske as part of a multi-million pound regeneration project. more...

Classical coup for 17th Century chapel

TRUSTEES of a small 17th Century chapel have landed a classical coup. more...

Pair walking around Yorkshire for charity

A COUPLE of dedicated walkers will be greeted by the mayor of Redcar and Cleveland as they enter the final stages of a fundraising trek. more...

Northallerton,Richmond,Hawes News

Views are sought on tip's future

PEOPLE using a council tip are being asked for their views on the service it offers. more...

'Don't hold your breath for extra cash'

THE Government is to tell Ryedale District Council how much it is likely to receive over the next three years from Whitehall. more...

Disruption warning as work starts to ease flooding risks

NEARLY £400,000 will be spent to prevent flooding in a remote North Yorkshire community. more...

Move to get gas lamp lit again

A LONE Victorian street gas lamp, which escaped a widespread cull half a century ago, could soon be illuminated again - by gas. more...

Feedback urged on 15-year stragegy

RESIDENTS in Ryedale have a month left to comment on plans to provide housing, jobs and transport facilities in the area. more...

Nurses get ahead by a big degree

NURSING in the area has improved by degrees as two health care staff gain expertise. more...

Concern over pub's plan for 3am opening

POLICE and residents have expressed concern about an application by a town centre pub to open until 3am. more...

End to planning wrangle in sight

A LONG-RUNNING planning wrangle over a famous view could be ended next week. more...

Police and firefighters put the fun in safety

YOUNGSTERS have been getting to know more about how the emergency services operate. more...

Teesside News

Bus services under eight-month review

A TOWN'S bus services are to come under scrutiny, in response to public concerns. more...

£110,000 play area opened by children

A PLAY area in a Thornaby park was opened yesterday afternoon by local children. more...

Achievements by children to be rewarded

SIXTY children under the care of social services are being rewarded for their achievements. more...

False benefit claim amounted to £23,353

A WOMAN has been given a three-year conditional discharge for falsely claiming benefits. more...

The North East Business

Agencies 'are not having a impact'

COMPANY directors have said that regional development agencies have little impact on business at grass roots level - despite their £2.2bn annual budget. more...

Comeback puts Royal back in the sun

ROYAL & Sun Alliance said profits from its UK business were flowing faster than a year ago as its trading comeback gathered pace. more...

Big Brother has its eye on North-East company

PROPS such as plastic dog bowls and fake dog biscuits for this year's Big Brother TV show were provided by a North-East company. more...

Wagons roll as depot opens its gates

AN Argos depot that will create 700 jobs in Darlington started its first deliveries this week. more...

Waitrose purchase creates new northern outpost

UPMARKET food group Waitrose is to open its first store in the North-East. more...

Looking North

AN initiative aimed at highlighting the potential of the meetings and conference sector in County Durham will be launched next month. more...

Timber move

A TIMBER merchant's move to a £3m new premises has helped create 30 jobs and safeguarded a further 50. more...

The North East Features

ShopTalk: The real Willy Wonkas

Willy Wonka eat your heart out. Two brothers have opened up a chocaholic's dream in North Yorkshire. more...

THE Chocolate Factory in Hutton-le-Hole might not have an army of Oompah Loompahs, but they do have tubs of constantly swirling melting chocolate, the shelves are piled high with chocolate in all shapes, and varieties - and just the delicious smell alone is enough to make a chocoholic swoon in delight. more...

'Our marriage is worth fighting for'

A lesbian couple today launch a landmark legal battle to have same sex marriage recognised in the UK. Nick Morrison meets the women at the forefront of the battle for equality. more...

Comment from The Northern Echo: Of dubious benefit

NO-ONE likes benefit cheats. They are parasites who feed off the endeavours of the vast majority of hard-working taxpayers. more...

Don't bring back a deadly souvenir

Exotic holidays sometimes come with a hidden price tag. Health Editor Barry Nelson meets a traveller who came back with more than he bargained for. more...

12/08/05

RICHARD NEALE: IT IS is hard to believe that five years have elapsed since Richard Neale was struck off the British Medical Register; even harder to believe that it is seven years since we formed the Action and Support Group for Medical Victims of Richard Neale back in September 1998. more...

Burton's Bytes

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY more...

The North East Leisure

The indigestible chocolate game

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, Publisher: Global Star, Platform: Playstation 2, Price: £29.99: Family friendly? Yes, but older kids will find it tedious going. more...

The North East News

Gearing up for police Bikewise Show

BIKERS will be revving up to join a 10,000-strong crowd expected to descend on the North-East this weekend. more...

BA passengers advised to stay at home

Passengers bound for British Airways flights from Newcastle International Airport today are being advised to stay at home. more...

Under starter's orders

MORE than 1,000 people from across the North-East are expected to get on their marks this weekend for an annual charity race. more...

Drug addict posed as undercover officer to rob

A DRUG addict impersonated an undercover police officer and fleeced hundreds of pounds from members of the public. more...

1,000 years of binge drinking

'I f something ain't broke, don't fix it", is a sound rule. The trouble is that some people extend this rule - they believe that even if something is broke you don't have to fix it. more...

Chemicals stash probed

AN army bomb disposal team was drafted in after police found chemicals stashed in the bedroom of a town house. more...

£179m to revamp homes but anger grows over demolition

HOUSING in the North-East received a £179m boost yesterday with funds set aside for more affordable homes and to repair existing stock. more...

Alcohol disorder zones concern

POLICE and local authority leaders in the North-East have clashed over Government plans to curb drunken violence by fining problem pubs. more...

Inquiry into river pollution after thousands of fish die

INVESTIGATIONS were continuing last night to find the source of an odourless pollutant that has killed thousands of fish in a North-East river. more...

Man's last wish was to kill a 'copper'

A TERMINALLY-ILL man given weeks to live by doctors discharged himself from hospital to fulfil his dying wish - to kill a policeman. more...

Big Bro's Anthony facing the boot

BIG Brother star Anthony Hutton could win the £50,000 prize tonight but he still faces eviction - from his football team. more...

Legal bid to have marriage recognised

A LESBIAN couple are launching a legal challenge to the UK's refusal to recognise same-sex marriage. more...

Alcohol disorder zones concern

POLICE and local authority leaders in the North-East have clashed over Government plans to curb drunken violence by fining problem pubs. more...

Parade to mark VJ Day tribute

ONE of the biggest parades commemorating the 60th anniversary of the surrender of Japanese forces, and the ending of the Second World War will take place in the North-East on Sunday. more...

Gifted students on learning curve with visit to university

SOME of the country's brightest young people will be travelling to the North-East on Sunday to take part in a summer school. more...

Boyfriend admits damage to property

MARK Cogden's girlfriend damaged his cherished motorbike after he decided to go to the pub with his friends rather than take her out for Sunday lunch, a court was told. more...

Theatre company's creditors 'unlikely to get money back'

THE creditors of a theatre management firm that collapsed owing nearly £700,000 shortly after the prestigious £14m venue opened are unlikely to get their money back. more...

N-E travellers stranded in strike chaos

AIR passengers from the North-East were among thousands across the country stranded last night because of an industrial row at Heathrow Airport. more...

Burglar suspect thought arrest was joke, court told

A SUSPECTED burglar accused of threatening an off-duty police officer with a knife said he had been "stitched up". more...

Tributes to deaf studies academic

TRIBUTES have been paid to a former North-East academic who has died at the age of 61 after a long illness. more...

Station's ideal for opera training

PENSIONER Gordon Ellerker is bringing the sound of music to the aisles of his supermarket - and gaining a growing fan club. more...

Crash death man was lying on motorway

A MAN died after he was struck by a car while lying on the A1 motorway, an inquest heared yesterday. more...

Alarm as violent crime spirals

POLICE watchdogs last night branded a spiral in violent crime unacceptable and said the rise "must send alarm bells ringing at every level". more...

New row over "designer babies"

A new row over "designer babies" has broken out after scientists called to be allowed to screen embryos for genes that might lead to cancer in later life. more...

Mother dubbed Britain's top scrounger plans 16th child

A mum of 15 children - who claims £49,000-a-year in benefits - says she will go on having children even though her next pregnancy could kill her. more...

Football clubs step up security

SECURITY is being stepped up at North-East football grounds in the wake of the London terror attacks. more...

Men jailed for drug-dealing

TWO men have been jailed for six and four years respectively for their part in a cocaine and heroin conspiracy. more...

Disappearance of woman a concern

POLICE are looking for a woman who has been missing since last weekend. more...

Runaway mum's home stripped of belongings

HOPES that runaway mother Elaine Walker would return home to her teenage daughter were dashed yesterday when her belongings were emptied into a skip. more...

Man's last wish - to gun down a 'copper'

A TERMINALLY-ILL man given weeks to live by doctors discharged himself from hospital to fulfil his dying wish - to kill a policeman. more...

High hopes of attracting big crowds to kite festival

KITE designs from all over the world will be on show at a County Durham landmark this weekend. more...

Memorial to police officer unveiled

A memorial to a much-loved police officer has been unveiled. more...

Doctors to issue fewer sick notes to reduce benefits bill

FAMILY doctors will be told to hand out fewer sick notes to cut the number of people in the North-East on incapacity benefits, under new government plans. more...

The North East Sport

Scott satisfied with Daly's emergence at Pool

MARTIN Scott believes Hartlepool United are now starting to see what Jon Daly is all about. more...

Fanning the flames of joy

JOE FANNING'S booking for Sharaby (3.40) should ensure the three-year-old gets maximum assistance from the saddle in Newcastle's Connor Sadler Handicap. more...

Sheer drama

THEY'RE a fair dinkum bunch, these Aussies. At Edgbaston they got Glenn McGrath to stand on a cricket ball then Picky Ponting kindly invited us to bat, thereby igniting a raging inferno which promises to blaze gloriously until the Ashes are decided. more...

Fanning the flames of joy

JOE FANNING'S booking for Sharaby (3.40) should ensure the three-year-old gets maximum assistance from the saddle in Newcastle's Connor Sadler Handicap. more...

Jonny confident of an injury-free Falcons campaign

JONNY Wilkinson has pledged to put any fears of injury to the back of his mind as he prepares to step up his preparations for the start of the domestic season, writes Scott Wilson. more...

Skipper Clarke is full of praise for Hutchinson

DARLINGTON skipper Matt Clarke believes Joey Hutchinson is showing every sign of returning to his irrepressible best and putting last season's injury nightmare behind him. more...

Vaughan again captain puts England on top

Michael Vaughan exploited a succession of Australian lapses in the field to make his first significant contribution to the Ashes series and guide England into a strong position at Old Trafford. more...

Hussey's Durham summer to be cut short

DURHAM are hoping to bring back New Zealander Nathan Astle at the end of this month after receiving the shock news that they are to lose skipper Mike Hussey. more...

Hussey's Durham summer to be cut short

DURHAM are hoping to bring back New Zealander Nathan Astle at the end of this month after receiving the shock news that they are to lose skipper Mike Hussey. more...

I still want Rudolph, McClaren

STEVE McCLAREN insists Rudolph Douala remains Middlesbrough's top transfer regardless of the speedy winger's cup-tied status for a UEFA Cup push if he did sign. more...

Kyle in dramatic search for fitness

SUNDERLAND have turned to calves' blood and ground-up cockerel heads in a last-ditch attempt to get striker Kevin Kyle fit for the opening weeks of the Premiership season. more...

I'm your man, N'Zogbia tells frustrated Souness

GRAEME SOUNESS has been urged not to panic in his search for a new striker - with Charles N'Zogbia claiming he has the goals to give Newcastle United the perfect start. more...

Tyneside News

Science is made fun by circus giant

VISITORS to a North-East tourist attraction will be able to enjoy a bizarre mixture of circus and science next week. more...