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. THE charming children's books written by Roald Dahl would seem to be the perfect inspiration
UPMARKET food group Waitrose is to open its first store in the North-East. The southern supermarket chain has bought the Safeway store in Durham as part of a five-store deal with Morrisons, subject to approval by the Office of Fair Trading. The city-centre
A TERMINALLY-ILL man given weeks to live by doctors discharged himself from hospital to fulfil his dying wish - to kill a policeman. Cancer sufferer John William Bellamy told friends: "I am going to take out a copper before I die." Armed with a handgun
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. Souness has hit a brick wall in his attempts to bring in a new front-man before the
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. Kyle, who has not kicked a ball in Sunderland's first team for more than 11 months
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. THE charming children's books written by Roald Dahl would seem to be the perfect inspiration
SECURITY is being stepped up at North-East football grounds in the wake of the London terror attacks. With the kick-off for the new Premiership season just hours away, fans are being warned about the stringent steps. All 20 Premiership clubs are taking
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. North-East rivals Newcastle United have now emerged as rivals for Douala's signature and that
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. Margaret Wilson, 41, has been dubbed Britain's top scrounger because she and her partner refuse to work.
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. Researchers want to be able to test IVF embryos for genes that can cause cancer before they are
POLICE watchdogs last night branded a spiral in violent crime unacceptable and said the rise "must send alarm bells ringing at every level". New figures show an increase of nearly 60 per cent in violence was the major reason for overall crime in the Cleveland
A MAN died after he was struck by a car while lying on the A1 motorway, an inquest heared yesterday. Barry Spence, 33, of Gilesgate, Durham, had been drinking cider while travelling home with his girlfriend, Catherine Scott. The inquest, at Chester-le-Street
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. After beginning his Durham career with 253 in the innings win at Grace Road in April, Hussey
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. The England captain has struggled to assert himself with
AIR passengers from the North-East were among thousands across the country stranded last night because of an industrial row at Heathrow Airport. An unofficial strike by British Airways baggage handlers led to the airline cancelling all its short and long-haul
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. The Entertainment Team (Durham) was set up to manage the Gala Theatre for Durham City
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. Vanya Morrell then sent the 24-year-old a text telling him what she had done. Cogden
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. In two games this season, Clarke has already seen enough of his defensive partner
A MEMORIAL to a much-loved police officer who was killed in a car crash has been unveiled. Friends, family and colleagues of PC Jonny Green gathered at Barnard Castle Police Station yesterday for the unveiling of a garden seat in his memory. PC Green,
A MEMORIAL to a much-loved police officer who was killed in a car crash has been unveiled. Friends, family and colleagues of PC Jonny Green gathered at Barnard Castle Police Station yesterday for the unveiling of a garden seat in his memory. PC Green,
A COURSE is being organised in Teesdale to train fitness instructors. The Teesdale Village Halls Consortium and Teesdale Leisure Services are planning to run an accredited exercise to music (aerobics) course this autumn. It is hoped this will increase
A COMMUNITY group has vowed not to be beaten by mindless vandals who targeted their latest contribution to the community. Two £800 notice boards in Fishburn's Stone Cross Community Garden, and at Fishburn Wetlands, were vandalised within hours of the
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. Councillor Peter Spencer will wave husband and wife Roger and Chris Sewell along the Redcar coast as they raise funds
YOUNGSTERS have been getting to know more about how the emergency services operate. About 50 children, aged between four and 12, enjoyed a fun day at Stokesley Leisure Centre organised jointly by the police, fire service and Hambleton District Council
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. At least six cases have been reported to police over the past two weeks across North Durham. The opportunist
A WOMAN has been given a three-year conditional discharge for falsely claiming benefits. Lee-Ann French, 30, of Carlow Street, Middlesbrough, started claiming income support in 1997, but failed to tell the Department for Work and Pensions when she started
KITE designs from all over the world will be on show at a County Durham landmark this weekend. Some of the world's largest kites, including a 100-metre Chinese dragon kite, are on view at the third High Force Kite Festival in Upper Teesdale. The festival
A LONG-RUNNING planning wrangle over a famous view could be ended next week. Previous bids to develop the Da Mario Restaurant site in Waterside, Knaresborough, have ended in refusals, and two for new homes were rejected on appeal. The site forms part
TRUSTEES of a small 17th Century chapel have landed a classical coup. The Allegri String Quartet, one of Britain's leading chamber music ensembles, will perform at the Sir William Turner almshouses' chapel at Kirkleatham, near Redcar, east Cleveland.
A DISPLAY of Samurai skills will take place at a North-East museum. Colin Young, a highly-trained specialist in the Shodai Ryu Zanshi style of swordsmanship, will demonstrate his skills at the Oriental Museum on Elvet Hill, Durham City, tomorrow. The
SOME of the country's brightest young people will be travelling to the North-East on Sunday to take part in a summer school. All of the students aged between 11 and 16 will be at Durham University for two weeks as part of the National Academy for Gifted
POLICE and residents have expressed concern about an application by a town centre pub to open until 3am. The Fleece Hotel, in Victoria Road, Richmond, wants to open until 3am on Friday and Saturday, 2am on Thursday, 12.30am on Sunday and until midnight
AN arts project to show the important role played by radio during the Second World War goes on tour next week. Durham City Arts has received an £18,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to stage the project. Over the coming weeks, members of the project
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. The Newcastle Falcons fly-half has endured a torrid two years in which
SIXTY children under the care of social services are being rewarded for their achievements. The youngsters, whose ages range from five upwards, have been nominated by social workers, foster carers, teachers and each other. Their achievements include working
POLICE and local authority leaders in the North-East have clashed over Government plans to curb drunken violence by fining problem pubs. Senior police officers backed alcohol disorder zones (ADZs), within which pubs and clubs linked to late-night mayhem
NURSING in the area has improved by degrees as two health care staff gain expertise. Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT) nurses Carol Lancaster and Julie Smith have both obtained BSc honours degrees in developing capable practice nursing in the home.
RESIDENTS in Ryedale have a month left to comment on plans to provide housing, jobs and transport facilities in the area. They have until September 8 to make their feelings known on a 15-year core strategy for the district. The project looks at development
A LONE Victorian street gas lamp, which escaped a widespread cull half a century ago, could soon be illuminated again - by gas. The rusting structure stands, appropriately, in Victoria Grove, Ripon, and recently came close to being removed. Now city councillors
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. The attacks happened at about 10.30pm last Saturday, and 12.35am on Sunday. The first attack happened
A SHOPKEEPER has been refused a liquor licence because he failed to declare a drink-driving conviction. Satinder Singh, of Salisbury Place, Middleton St George, had applied to Darlington Borough Council for a personal liquor licence for his family business
A COMPANION dog show takes place at the Grange Community Centre, in Hurworth, on Sunday. Organised by the Skernedale Dog Training Club, the proceeds are in aid of the Cinnamon Trust, which looks after the pets of elderly or terminally ill people, who
A LESBIAN couple are launching a legal challenge to the UK's refusal to recognise same-sex marriage. Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson will lodge their case at the High Court, in London, today, in a move that could open the way for the removal of barriers
A TOWN'S bus services are to come under scrutiny, in response to public concerns. Members of Hartlepool Borough Council's neighbourhood services scrutiny forum will spend the next eight months seeing if the services provide value for money. Forum chairman
THE Government is to tell Ryedale District Council how much it is likely to receive over the next three years from Whitehall. But councillors heard that there was unlikely to be any significant rise in grants. Chief financial officer Trevor Teasdale said
POLICE motorcycle patrols are being stepped up to tackle residents' complaints about youngsters on off-road motorbikes. Cleveland Police have been given £9,000 of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding to pay for additional patrols. Chief Inspector Ian Coates,
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. Ed Dunlop's filly has won two of her last six outings over a distance of seven furlongs - victories
A TERMINALLY-ILL man given weeks to live by doctors discharged himself from hospital to fulfil his dying wish - to kill a policeman. Cancer sufferer John Bellamy told friends: "I am going to take out a copper before I die." Armed with a handgun, Mr Bellamy
POLICE and local authority leaders in the North-East have clashed over Government plans to curb drunken violence by fining problem pubs. Senior police officers backed alcohol disorder zones (ADZs), within which pubs and clubs linked to late-night mayhem
Willy Wonka eat your heart out. Two brothers have opened up a chocaholic's dream in North Yorkshire. 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
Shepperton Babylon (BBC 4) The clue lies in the title, hinting at a British version of Hollywood Babylon, the scurrilous and sordid account of Tinseltown's best-kept secrets and worst excesses. Sure enough, Matthew Sweet's expose was dirtier than a tramp's
COMPANY directors have said that regional development agencies have little impact on business at grass roots level - despite their £2.2bn annual budget. The comments are in a survey of members of the Institute of Directors, with business chiefs feeling
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. Job advisors will sit alongside GPs as they carry out consultations to persuade them to find ways
A TIMBER merchant's move to a £3m new premises has helped create 30 jobs and safeguarded a further 50. The Arnold Laver Group is relocating from its Timber World base at Tyne Dock to a former steel site at Hebburn, South Tyneside. The Timber World division
AN initiative aimed at highlighting the potential of the meetings and conference sector in County Durham will be launched next month. The City and Coast Conference aims to generate interest in the area. It will be held at Beamish Hall Hotel, next to Beamish
A memorial to a much-loved police officer has been unveiled. Friends, family and colleagues of PC Jonny Green gathered at Barnard Castle Police Station yesterday for the unveiling of a garden seat in his memory. PC Green, 23, was killed in November when
KITE designs from all over the world will be on show at a County Durham landmark this weekend. Some of the world's largest kites, including a 100-metre Chinese dragon kite, are on view at the third High Force Kite Festival in Upper Teesdale. The festival
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
HOPES that runaway mother Elaine Walker would return home to her teenage daughter were dashed yesterday when her belongings were emptied into a skip. Yesterday morning, workmen arrived at Miss Walker's rented house in Redmire, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire
POLICE are looking for a woman who has been missing since last weekend. Kathleen Wilkinson, 56, normally lives in Copper Chare, in Morpeth, Northumberland, but last Saturday was staying with her brother at his house in Lintz Lane, Burnopfield. She left
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. AFTER the holiday of a lifetime in sunny South Africa, John Paul Morrissey flew back elated to the North-East
TWO men have been jailed for six and four years respectively for their part in a cocaine and heroin conspiracy. Teesside Crown Court heard how Ubium Dibra was the bigger player in the conspiracy, involving cocaine with a street value of £25,000 and heroin
AN Argos depot that will create 700 jobs in Darlington started its first deliveries this week. The company's home delivery warehouse in Faverdale, Darlington, employs about 300 people. Once fully staffed, the 740,000 sq ft distribution warehouse is expected
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. After beginning his Durham career with 253 in the innings win at Grace Road in April, Hussey
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. Channel 4's Big Brother turned to a South Tyneside Internet shopping firm to help kit out its famous reality show house. Big
NO-ONE likes benefit cheats. They are parasites who feed off the endeavours of the vast majority of hard-working taxpayers. We therefore empathise with attempts by the Government to root out the scroungers and cut Britain's benefits bill which amounts
PENSIONER Gordon Ellerker is bringing the sound of music to the aisles of his supermarket - and gaining a growing fan club. The 79-year-old started a one-man sing-while-you-shop routine in a supermarket near his home in Starbeck, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former North-East academic who has died at the age of 61 after a long illness. Dr Mary Brennan, former co-director of Durham University's deaf studies unit, was a leading figure in the British Sign Language (BSL) movement.
A SUSPECTED burglar accused of threatening an off-duty police officer with a knife said he had been "stitched up". James Magson, 33, told a jury at Teesside Crown Court that he thought his arrest was a joke. The prosecution say Mr Magson produced a knife
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. IT was a fairly low-key ceremony. Wearing casual clothes and in a small conservatory
A WIFE watched in horror as her husband lay down in the road and was killed by a car. Michael Parkin, 29, of Gloucester Terrace, Haswell Plough, east Durham, suffered a fractured skull and severe brain injuries on the C60 between Haswell and Haswell Plough
A MOTORIST was killed when he pulled out in front of a tanker, an inquest heard. Alistair Parkin, 63, of Victoria Terrace, Lanchester, County Durham, was on the C10 near Burnhope - known locally as Jaw Blades bank - when he turned into the A691 - into
A COURSE is being organised in Teesdale to train fitness instructors. The Teesdale Village Halls Consortium and Teesdale Leisure Services are planning to run an accredited exercise to music (aerobics) course this autumn. It is hoped this will increase
A MEMORIAL to a much-loved police officer who was killed in a car crash has been unveiled. Friends, family and colleagues of PC Jonny Green gathered at Barnard Castle Police Station yesterday for the unveiling of a garden seat in his memory. PC Green,
A TRADERS' organisation hopes that Durham's Christmas decorations will be especially impressive this December. The Durham City Forum wants to give shoppers and visitors a colourful experience when they visit the city centre during the festive season.
STAFF at a Consett building society have helped to raise £165,000 for cancer research. Britannia Building Society employees chose Cancer Research UK as their corporate charity and initially intended to raise £100,000. But the 188-branch network went all
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. The parade will march from the rear of the Sunderland Civic Centre to
THIRTY bungalows are to be built in Marske as part of a multi-million pound regeneration project. Coast and Country Housing is looking for the best architects, developers and designers to work on the East Meadows estate.. The bungalows will replace ageing
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. The parade will march from the rear of the Sunderland Civic Centre to
A PLAY area in a Thornaby park was opened yesterday afternoon by local children. Regenerating the play area in Village Park, Thorntree Road, cost £110,000. The Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) provided £50,000 of the total, another £50,000 came from Landfill
TWO rundown sites in the centre of Darlington may be transformed by affordable homes. Should plans be approved by Darlington Borough Council, land in Hargreave Terrace, near Darlington Bank Top station, and Westbrook Terrace, off Northgate, will be transformed
CHILDREN were transformed into a menagerie of beasts at a mask-making workshop in Darlington yesterday. The kids designed, created, decorated and then modelled their masks, during the workshop at the Arts Centre Tutor Dee Blow said it had been a productive
YOUNGSTERS from Germany were given a warm welcome as they visited one of the area's oldest and best-known landmarks yesterday. About 40 youngsters from Bad Oeynhausen were treated to a reception at Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland, as part of a week-long
POLICE are looking for a woman who has been missing since last weekend. Kathleen Wilkinson, 56, normally lives in Copper Chare, in Morpeth, Northumberland, but last Saturday was staying with her brother at his house in Lintz Lane, Burnopfield. She left
CROW'S Fair has returned to South Park in Darlington after a two-year absence. The popular fair was cancelled last year after heavy rain left the ground water-logged. However, thanks to the refurbishment of the park, including work on draining the lake
YOUNGSTERS from a holiday club spent part of their summer break enjoying a safari adventure - in their local church. Trinity Methodist Church, in Spennymoor, was transformed into a jungle last week with a painted backdrop of exotic plants and toy monkeys
A VOLUNTEER has been rewarded for her outstanding contribution to motorcycle sport this week. Ann Cairns was presented with the Christopher Horn Award, a regional trophy presented by the North-East Autocycle Union to motorcycle riders or workers who contribute
FORMER workers at an engineering factory are to hold a reunion next month. Bursgreen Ltd, in Fence Houses, was one of the country's leading producers of woodworking machinery. The business was started by Fred Burroughs in 1948, trading as Houghton Engineers
A TEESDALE organisation is holding a series of events to give the voluntary and community sector a chance to influence local decision making. On September 20, Teesdale Community Network has organised workshops at Crook Business Centre about the Government's
A BOGUS workman kept a pensioner talking while his accomplice stole items worth more than £6,000 from the woman's South Hetton home. The home owner, believed to be in her 60s, was gardening when she was approached by a man who offered to do some work
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. The SureStart project at Easington Colliery has been operating its childcare and parenting support services
NEARLY £400,000 will be spent to prevent flooding in a remote North Yorkshire community. Yorkshire Water is to replace sewer pipes beneath Ainthorpe, near Danby, on the North York Moors. The firm says the work, which will cost about £385,000, will reduce
BIG Brother star Anthony Hutton could win the £50,000 prize tonight but he still faces eviction - from his football team. Before he went into the house the 23-year-old, who plays for Annfield Plain in the Wearside league, looked lean and mean. But after
VISITORS to a North-East tourist attraction will be able to enjoy a bizarre mixture of circus and science next week. Science giant Dr E Longated, who is 9ft, will be entertaining people at Newcastle's Life Science Centre from Monday to next Sunday. Visitors
PEOPLE using a council tip are being asked for their views on the service it offers. City councillors in Ripon, who are taking part in a study, say they are unhappy about the service offered at the Dallamires Lane tip. David Parnaby, chairman of the planning
INVESTIGATIONS were continuing last night to find the source of an odourless pollutant that has killed thousands of fish in a North-East river. The Environment Agency believes it knows where the pollution has come from and officials spent yesterday collecting
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. To
HOUSING in the North-East received a £179m boost yesterday with funds set aside for more affordable homes and to repair existing stock. The region's private developers and housing associations will bid for a share of £82m over two years from next April
AN army bomb disposal team was drafted in after police found chemicals stashed in the bedroom of a town house. Police were called after reports that a man had armed himself with a knife and was acting in a disturbing way . During a search of an end-terrace
'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. The tackling of binge drinking is currently dominating the news and new
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. Ed Dunlop's filly has won two of her last six outings over a distance of seven furlongs - victories
A DRUG addict impersonated an undercover police officer and fleeced hundreds of pounds from members of the public. Shelly Anne Hill, 27, approached a female student and a nightclub reveller in Stockton, and pretended to be working undercover. Teesside
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
MORE than 1,000 people from across the North-East are expected to get on their marks this weekend for an annual charity race. Preparations are well under way to make sure the Darlington 10k Road Run goes smoothly on Sunday. About 4,000 bottles of water
Passengers bound for British Airways flights from Newcastle International Airport today are being advised to stay at home. The airline has cancelled all flights into and out of London Heathrow until at least six pm due to unofficial industrial action
ROYAL & Sun Alliance said profits from its UK business were flowing faster than a year ago as its trading comeback gathered pace. The company said underwriting profits in the UK, where it owns the More Than brand and sells general insurance, were
MARTIN Scott believes Hartlepool United are now starting to see what Jon Daly is all about. The Pool boss gave the big striker a start at Bournemouth on Tuesday and Daly impressed at the Fitness First Stadium. Last season's top scorer Adam Boyd was sacrificed
BIKERS will be revving up to join a 10,000-strong crowd expected to descend on the North-East this weekend. Darlington and Durham police force's motorcycle section is staging its annual Bikewise event at its headquarters in Aykley Heads, Durham City,
