BUSINESS leaders are on a collision course with politicians over an economic strategy which they say will stifle growth and leave the North-East lagging behind the rest of the country. The North-East Chamber of Commerce and regional CBI say growth targets
KIT KAT and Rolo manufacturer Nestle Rowntree last night confirmed it was cutting 275 jobs in York and Newcastle, blaming energy costs and a competitive market. The York-based company, part of food group Nestle, will make 234 redundancies in York and
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Premiership rescue job will not be complete, even if they beat Birmingham City in tomorrow's must-win game, Aiyegbeni Yakubu has declared. The striker has 18 goals to his name so far this season and is well on his way to becoming the first
DETECTIVES hunting three men who fled a takeaway after the alleged rape of a teenage girl have confirmed they have made an arrest. Harjinder Singh, 32, was stopped in Birmingham on suspicion of assisting an offender accused of raping the 17-year-old.
DESPITE the bitterly cold weather, Newbury's meeting is primed to go ahead following the executive's ground-breaking initiative of protecting the entire track with a set of covers. Such enterprise benefits all and sundry, including Keith Reveley, who
BUS and train company Arriva last night warned of further price rises because of soaring fuel bills. The Sunderland-based operator said it saw operating profits fall 2.5 per cent to £123.1m after its diesel costs for bus services rose by £6m last year
Hours after completing a loan move to Leicester City, frustrated winger Andy Welsh declared he believes he possesses the ability that should have been rewarded with a longer run in Sunderland's Premiership team this season. Welsh completed a temporary
POLITICS will never be the new football, but it's good to see local people taking such a healthy interest in the way they are governed. In Redcar and Cleveland and in Darlington, a national trend is being reflected with calls for a referendum on whether
To save the lives of his fellow soldiers, on a dark night in 1971, Cliff Burrage shot and killed an IRA terrorist. Now 35 years on, in a remarkable encounter, he's come face to face with the dead man's sister. Jim McTaggart reports. AS Lieutenant Cliff
MICHAEL HUNTER has warmed Hartlepool up for a night of championship boxing by warning the unfamiliar challenger to his European crown to expect 'the works' at the town's Borough Hall tonight. Hunter was scheduled to open his defence as European super-bantamweight
A Very British Bollywood (BBC2) LOCATION manager Lee had mixed feelings about being given a part in a new movie. "They just told me I have to shave my buttocks," he said. His female co-star was more eager to please. "I don't mind showing my breasts if
A MOTHER who knew her schoolgirl daughter was having a sexual relationship with a paedophile told police: "She loves him. What can I do?" Twenty-six-year-old Derrick Scollick used to meet the girl off her schoolbus in a North Yorkshire market town. Teesside
FORMER Health Secretary Alan Milburn has handed over more than 600 protest letters to NHS officials as part of a campaign to save his local primary care trust. Mr Milburn passed the thick bundle of letters to David Flory, chief executive of County Durham
PAUL Collingwood went to India knowing that, despite his 96 and 80 in the final Test in Pakistan, he wouldn't retain his place if everyone were fit. Fat chance of that! By the time the current Test started he was a key member of the team, and how magnificently
Paul Collingwood's role as one-day finisher transformed itself on to the Test scene with his maiden hundred engineering a stunning tail-end fightback from England at Nagpur's VCA ground. Collingwood, whose calculated calm is employed between the muscular
A NEW-LOOK school has opened its doors to pupils. Skerne Park Primary School, in Darlington, welcomed children for the first time yesterday. The £4.5m complex provides a nursery, children's centre, adult learning facilities, health services and schemes
PEOPLE across Darlington are being invited on guided tours of a £37.3m school that is soon to open. The Education Village will bring together Haughton Community School, Beaumont Hill Technology College and Springfield Primary School. It will cater for
OWNERSHIP of a historic building in Sadberge has been transferred to the parish council to preserve its future. The parish council took ownership of the beacon on the old reservoir in the village after a planning application to demolish and landscape
A TEENAGER who crashed his car as he tried to avoid being arrested, then ran off and had to be tracked by a police dog, a court was told yesterday. Magistrates at Harrogate heard that Graham Peter Taylor was spotted at the wheel of a green Rover parked
SCHOOLCHILDREN are to be given the chance to select a healthy dish of the day. Middlesbrough Council is developing a range of meals that focus on dietary needs, and is calling on catering staff, children and parents to have an input into the school meals
A SUCCESSFUL strategy to tackle homelessness in Darlington could be shown to other councils in the region. Concerns were raised by Darlington borough councillors that the town was becoming a haven for homeless people across the region. They raised their
A former president of the National Farmers' Union's aim to create 11 work units on his farm have been backed by planners. Sir Ben Gill wants to convert existing farm buildings into 11 work spaces at Hawkhills Estate, Easingwold, creating up to 48 jobs
A PLAN is being considered for a "Da Vinci Code" town trail in Darlington. The trail, which would lead visitors round the town using a system of clues and riddles similar to those in the best-selling novel, is one of a raft of ideas to promote the town
YOUNGSTERS got their hands dirty as they helped transform an area of wilderness near their school. Children from Wolviston Primary School joined forces with Tees Valley Wildlife Trust to plant a hedgerow at Wolviston Wildlife Area, near Billingham. Jonathan
COUNCIL tax will rise by 4.57 per cent for Stockton residents - an increase of 87.6p per week for band D properties. Effective from April 1, the 2006-07 figure was agreed at a meeting of Stockton Borough Council on Wednesday evening. The figure includes
A FOOTBALL club's wall of fame has been saved and will today begin its journey to a new home. It was feared that the wall, erected in 1998 by Darlington club supporters who paid £25 each to have their names written on the bricks, had been lost as the
THE waiting room of a village doctors' surgery will become less stressful thanks to the fundraising efforts of Brownies. Fishburn Brownies raised almost £100 to buy a children's play cube to keep the youngest visitors amused while waiting for an appointment
A SCHOOL soul band will appear at a landmark hall for the first time in nearly three years. Teesdale School's Soul Band perform at The Witham Hall next Friday. The acclaimed ensemble will play a variety of songs, including hits by Ray Charles and Blondie
AN innocent pensioner shot dead in a pub had told his daughter days earlier that he was planning to find another local because the prices were getting too expensive for him. Fred Fowler died when two gunmen burst into the Tap and Barrel, in Hendon, Sunderland
VULNERABLE youngsters have been given a say in their care, thanks to an innovative social worker. Angela Davies, children's services viewpoint co-ordinator with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, implemented an interactive computer programme to allow
A MAJOR housing scheme is likely to be refused permission for the second time. Persimmon Homes wants to build 79 houses at Prospect Farm, on Thirsk Road, Easingwold. The company was refused permission for an 84-home estate last year. An appeal is to be
A campaign to raise £100,000 needed to restore a church organ has received a £5,000 donation. The Organ Restoration Appeal at St Mary's Church, in Thirsk, was handed the gift by trustees of the Thirsk Infants School Charity. Jan Marshall, mayor of Thirsk
A FOOTBALL fan who threw his season ticket at a manager in disgust has escaped a nationwide banning order. Mark Davison, 33, of Wheatley Hill, County Durham, appeared before Teesside Magistrates today after admitting entering the playing area during Middlesbrough's
MICHAEL Carrick has insisted he is the natural choice for England's holding midfield role but, despite impressing in Wednesday night's win over Uruguay, the North-Easterner has claimed his place in the World Cup squad is still far from certain. With Frank
Political correspondent Robert Merrick looks at which direction the Lib Dems will take with Sir Ming at the helm. EVERYONE agrees the new Liberal Democrat leader is honest, compassionate and a safe pair of hands, but there is no such consensus about where
FOR all their self-congratulation over a decent and thoughtful election campaign, the Liberal Democrats should be concerned that the campaign to elect a new leader failed to ignite much public interest. On the other hand, after the scandals which enveloped
A RURAL home delivery service has been given a boost by the Government, with a £26,000 grant. Crofter's Foods, based at Seamer, near Stokesley, North Yorkshire, was launched less than a year ago to take local produce to people's doorsteps. Demand for
Welcome to the world of the shrink-wrapped turnip. Not to mention the shrink wrapped coconut, cucumber and triple packed potato... If the Government ever brings in a rubbish tax, I shall send my bill on to Marks & Spencer or Morrisons, Currys, Sainsburys
PARENTS of young recruits who died at an Army barracks in the region are to carry out their own survey at the base to find out if bullying is still rife. A campaign group set up after the deaths of 27 trainee soldiers at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire
A MAN is facing jail for a string of cruelty charges after almost 30 dead animals were discovered at a run-down stables. Lee Howard today admitted causing unnecessary suffering to 13 horses, 11 hens, four dogs and a rabbit. Howard, 39, also denies abandoning
A TOP-PERFORMING school in Tony Blair's constituency has been blocked from expanding - in the same week the Labour Government set out plans to enlarge popular schools. The Education Bill, published on Tuesday, is a crucial plank of the Prime Minister's
A NEW board member has been appointed at regional development agency One NorthEast. Kate Welch is the chief executive of the Acumen Development Trust, which works to achieve social and economic regeneration in the east Durham area through learning, employment
SMOKING BAN THANK you for publishing information on how North-East Members of Parliament voted on the recent bill to ban smoking in public places. It certainly makes salutary reading. Could I remind readers that smoking is the major cause of premature
THIS is the husband who bludgeoned his wife to death with a paving hammer after discovering she was having an affair. Michael Luke admits killing mother-of-two Johanna Luke at the family home in Willington, County Durham, on August 28 last year. The exclusive
CONSERVATIVE Ian Galletley was elected as councillor to represent Darlington Borough Council's College ward last night. Councillor Galletley got 624 votes to secure the victory, closely followed by Liberal Democrat hopeful Garry Hinton, with 511 votes
COUNCIL tax payers are to see rises in their bills largely pegged back - despite claims from many local authorities that they are facing an increasing budget squeeze. Two separate surveys reveal that while council tax rises continue to run above the current
A MOTHER-OF-THREE has been missing for nearly two weeks. Siobhan Day-Preston, 38, was staying a a refuge in Darlington and has not been seen since February 21. She was last seen by a child at the refuge at about 5.30pm. None of her possessions is missing
IT'S crunch time for Middlesbrough tomorrow, when they entertain second-placed West Park St Helens in North One knowing they cannot afford another home defeat. "We need three wins from our last five games to stay up and this is probably the key one,"
IT'S crunch time for Middlesbrough tomorrow, when they entertain second-placed West Park St Helens in North One knowing they cannot afford another home defeat. "We need three wins from our last five games to stay up and this is probably the key one,"
VOUCHER supplier Choice has been forced into administration because savings club Family Hampers was unable to pay the £10m it owed, The Northern Echo learned yesterday. The Gateshead company, which distributed its own gift vouchers, collapsed on February
AFTER conceding just one goal in four games, Hartlepool United's upturn in fortunes can be put down to their defensive strength. But now, with Adam Boyd back in the team and Joel Porter not far away, boss Paul Stephenson is confident that a rise up the
PAUL Collingwood went to India knowing that, despite his 96 and 80 in the final Test in Pakistan, he wouldn't retain his place if everyone were fit. Fat chance of that! By the time the current Test started he was a key member of the team, and how magnificently
DRUGS company GlaxoSmithKline closed its factory in Scotland yesterday after an explosion that left four people injured. The blast occurred just before 7am at Glaxo's plant in Irvine, North Ayrshire. Glaxo, which employs more than 1,000 people at its
WATERCOOLER company Ebac is seeking voluntary redundancies as part of a business restructuring. The Bishop Auckland company is seeking nine redundancies as part of its review. A spokesman said: "The Ebac group is restructuring its business to support
Welcome to the world of the shrink-wrapped turnip. Not to mention the shrink wrapped coconut, cucumber and triple packed potato... If the Government ever brings in a rubbish tax, I shall send my bill on to Marks & Spencer or Morrisons, Currys, Sainsburys
Trevor Colquhoun was just a week away from death when a heart donor was found for him. He tells Health Editor Barry Nelson about how he was given a second chance. TREVOR Colquhoun knows he is one of the luckiest men in the world. The 62-year-old from
VOUCHER supplier Choice has been forced into administration because savings club Family Hampers was unable to pay the £10m it owed, The Northern Echo learned yesterday. The Gateshead company, which distributed its own gift vouchers, collapsed on February
AUSSIE absentee Craig Moore has delivered a riposte to the cynics who have claimed he has been at the centre of an intense club-versus-country row with Newcastle United by claiming: 'There isn't one!' Moore was forced to stay behind on Tyneside this week
YOUNGSTERS across Hartlepool have been taking part in a scheme that could see 12 million trees planted across the UK - one for every child under 16. More than 400 children from 14 Hartlepool schools have been helping spruce up the area. They hope to plant
PLANS for more developments in one of Darlington's parks are to go before councillors on Wednesday. The application is to extend an old potting shed at South Park to provide a training and workshop centre. The building is in the south-east corner of the
PLANS to deter doorstep criminals from three more North Yorkshire communities have been announced. "No cold calling" zones have already been created in Easingwold, Great Ayton, Pickering and Selby, Community safety bosses now want to launch similar schemes
CLASSICAL music being piped into a new bus station to deter anti-social behaviour from young people is not in tune with nearby residents. People who live opposite the £4.3m structure in Stanley, County Durham, are being kept awake at night by the round-the-clock
GOLDEN girl Kirsty Readman is sporting a top award after rubbing shoulders with royalty during a trip to London. The 26-year-old, from Kirk Merrington, received her gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award from Prince Philip at St James's Palace. A former pupil
A FORMER Army major who carried out bomb disposal work in many parts of the world before retiring to run a restaurant has died at the age of 75. Donald Mockford served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps for more than 30 years before opening the Tavern Restaurant
THE chairman of a troubled parish council and a former chairman have resigned complaining about the "appalling behaviour" of colleagues and an atmosphere of hate at meetings. The move by Stanhope parish council chairman Tom Martin and last year's chairman
PEOPLE who work in Stockton as a coach or part of a club could be rewarded at an awards ceremony. Stockton Borough Council is appealing for people to nominate clubs, coaches and volunteers for recognition at the town's 2006 Club and Coach Awards. The
A CERTIFICATE has been handed to a community post office for supporting fire safety. Norton Post Office, near Stockton, welcomed firefighters into its premises to chat to customers and encourage them to sign up for free home fire safety checks. Postmaster
A FIRM of quantity surveyors has come to the rescue of a grounded air ambulance helicopter. The Great North Air Ambulance has two helicopters on emergency work across the North, but a shortage of funds has meant the air ambulance covering Northumberland
A THRIVING theatre and arts centre in a North Yorkshire market town is set for a big expansion. Martin Van Der Weyer, director of the Old Meeting House, in Helmsley, said the facility is embarking on a scheme to cope with its growing popularity. The scheme
A GIANT teddy bear has been presented to a doctor and her eight-week-old daughter. Dr Nikki Taylor won the toy in a prize draw by the mental health department at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. Dr Taylor, a specialist registrar with Hambleton
A TRIPLE power failure could not halt democracy when the lights went out at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council. With the council chamber in darkness, Harrogate mayor Caroline Bayliss asked members if they wanted to carry on. They overwhelmingly voted
ONLY a baby boom can save a North-East maternity unit from closing. This fact emerged as a formal three-month consultation period on the future of the unit, at Guisborough Primary Care Hospital, east Cleveland, came to an end yesterday. A consultation
A DRIVING instructor is alleged to have groped a teenage pupil's bottom during an under-bonnet check, a court heard. Neil Hopper, 37, is said to have asked the 18-year-old student to pull up in a cul-de-sac on a secluded industrial estate where they got
DAVID Hodgson insists morale remains high in the Darlington camp, despite the recent poor run of form. Hopes of securing a play-off berth have been thrown into serious jeopardy following a slump which has seen Quakers fail to win any of their last five
A TEAM of Army mountaineers plan to become the first Britons to conquer Mount Everest by the most dangerous route. Twenty men and one woman will face blizzards, gale force winds and dizzying heights in their attempt to make it into the history books via
SMOKING BAN: THANK you for publishing information on how North-East Members of Parliament voted on the recent bill to ban smoking in public places. It certainly makes salutary reading. Could I remind readers that smoking is the major cause of premature
