Archive

  • Bad start for Quinn

    Sunderland 0, Birmingham City 1. IF this was meant to be a happy homecoming for Niall Quinn then Birmingham City, a team which also spent last season in the Premiership, simply forgot to read the script. For the first time since Quinn's Drumaville

  • Prison staff in pay dispute

    MAINTENANCE staff at North-East prisons could vote to take strike action in an ongoing row over pay, a regional union official warned today. The Amicus union in the North-East said it will request a national ballot unless the Prison Service reaches an

  • Reward to catch thugs who shot horse

    THE hunt for thugs who blinded a horse has gathered new impetuous thanks to a local businessman. A £2,000 reward to catch cruel thugs is being offered by the boss of a Saltburn hotel. Jim Brennan was shocked and angry when he read about the sickening

  • August 9, 2006

    Solutions ACROSS 1 Ample. A+MP+LE 4 Seen. (scene hom.) 7 Flag. (two meanings) 10 Accurate. AC+CURATE 11 At rest. AT + REST (TA rev.) 12 Edge. (two meanings) 13 Lethe. LET+HE 14 Tram. T+RAM 15 Imogen. IM+O+GEN 17 In the way

  • August 9, 2006

    Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 A politician meeting with the French is more than enough (5) 4 Watched part of play I hear (4) 7 Standard paving stone (4) 10 Exact bill set before clergyman (8) 11 Dead soldiers brought back with the others (2,4) 12 A poor

  • Terry named England skipper

    CHELSEA captain John Terry has been named England skipper. Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, is vice-captain. Terry, the bookies' favourite for the job, was widely expected to be given the nod. He replaces David Beckham, who stood down after England's

  • England know their Onions!

    DURHAM cricketer Graham Onions is one of four Riverside players named in the 30 man provisional England squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in October. The fast bowler joins Durham team-mates and England regulars Stephen Harmison, Paul Collingwood and

  • Weapons stolen in burglary

    POLICE on Teesside are concerned about the theft of two air rifles - one fitted with sights - during a burglary. The two guns together with an army combat jacket, shirt, trousers and socks were stolen from a shed on Marshall Avenue, Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough

  • Police step up security at NE airports

    POLICE patrols have also been stepped up at Newcastle Airport. However, a spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said: "There is nothing to suggest at this stage that there is any specific threat to Newcastle International Airport". Flights are continuing

  • Hairdresser murder: Man pleads not guilty

    A 44-YEAR-OLD man has denied the murder of a hairdresser who was found with stab wounds outside a Newcastle salon. Mother-of-three Sharon Bell, of Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, was found in the doorway outside the New York hair salon on May 23. The

  • August 10, 2006

    HUNTING CONVICTION: LAST Friday, Tony Wright, huntsman with the Exmoor Foxhounds, was the first person to be found guilty of contravening the Hunting Act 2004. He was filmed hunting illegally by members of the League Against Cruel Sports' hunt crime

  • Armed officers patrol airport

    DURHAM Police has stepped up patrols by armed and unarmed officers at Durham-Tees Valley Airport. A force spokesman said it was impossible to say how long extra security would stay in place, because action by the force would be determined by the national

  • Even the youngest affected

    EVEN little Joe Lockey's Thomas the Tank backpack was treated as a terror threat today. Joe, four, had planned to take his bag onto the plane packed with books and games for an eight-hour flight to Florida. But with the nation on critical alert, Thomas

  • Degree honour leads to job in teh City

    A LEADING student has graduated from Lancaster University with a first in business. Christopher Snow, of Front Street, Sowerby, gained a degree in finance. The former Thirsk School sixth former graduated from the university's management school. He said

  • Plastic frames can stay - ruling

    THE owners of two Dales cottages will not be forced to replace uPVC double glazing installed without permission. A retrospective planning application for the windows added to Town Foot Farm and attached Gable End Cottage, in Carlton, Coverdale, has been

  • Walk leader needed

    A WALKING group with more than 300 members is looking for a new co-ordinator. Hambleton Strollers needs someone to replace Marion Archer when she moves on. The group was set up four years ago to provide volunteer-led health walks on safe routes in Hambleton's

  • Hall link to TV winner

    A STATELY home has links with a Surrey gallery that won the South-East heat of BBC's Restoration Village. The Watts Gallery, in Compton, was built to house the work of Victorian artist George Frederic Watts, who had connections with Kiplin Hall, near

  • Acting classes offered

    A LITERARY classic is coming to Hambleton this month. Treasure Island will star local youngsters, who will choreograph and produce the show. They will be guided by professional dramatists Simon Gibson and Katie Jenkins during a two-day drama workshop.

  • Schools review delayed

    A FINAL decision on a controversial review of special education has been delayed by two months. A vote on the proposals was due to take place in October, but councillors have put it back to December. If approved, the number of special schools in the county

  • RAF base staff take on new aid mission

    STAFF at an RAF base are taking youngsters on a mission to read more books. Children aged four to 12 are signing up for a reading initiative at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Base staff are encouraging youngsters to read six books over the summer. Staff at the Children's

  • Charity lunch

    A FRIENDSHIP lunch will be held at the Friends Meeting House, in Kirkgate, Thirsk, from noon to 1.30pm on Friday, September 1. Soup, bread and coffee costs £2.50, with money going to charity.

  • Mission is to bring in more tourists

    COUNTY Durham's new tourism boss is still not much more than a visitor herself, after arriving from Brighton just a few weeks ago. Melanie Sensicle, chief executive of the county's newly created Tourism Partnership, is bringing a fresh eye to her patch

  • Launch of fund to help disadvantaged young people

    A CHARITY to support disadvantaged young people is being set up in Derwentside. The Shotley Park Children's Fund is being created to help youngsters with learning disabilities, autism and terminal illness. It is being formed by staff at Shotley Park Care

  • Schools scheme leads the way in recycling

    RECYCLING across County Durham has increased by 13 per cent, thanks to a Government scheme aimed at schools. The Recycling for Schools initiative worked by giving primary schoolchildren points for collecting pledges to recycle. Each school could then

  • New classes in martial arts

    A FOURTH Dan kick-boxer is launching a class in the martial art for people of all ages at Ushaw Moor's Deerness Leisure Centre. Richard Bevens, 35, of Gateshead, has been involved in the martial arts for 24 years and has been a black belt for 20 years

  • Town invites residents to turn tourist and explore heritage

    RESIDENTS are being encouraged to turn tourist and rediscover their town. Tours onboard a vintage bus to places of interest in Middlesbrough and boat trips are on offer, as well as visits to 20 buildings across the town. A heritage cycle ride has also

  • Warning: Collectors may not be charity

    HOUSEHOLDERS are being warned that doorstep clothing collections are not always what they seem. Stockton's trading standards department issued the caution following a number of inquiries from people who had received requests for old clothes and other

  • Music to spur on runners

    MUSICIANS are being challenged to create a carnival atmosphere by showcasing their talents at the 2006 Tees Pride 10k Road Race and Fun Run Organisers hope to attract a field of 3,000 runners, and are looking for bands to play at the warm-up stage, start

  • Funding for study into cafe extension

    A FEASIBILITY study is being carried out which could see a popular youth drop-in cafe extended. The Ferryhill E Cafe has been awarded £5,809 from Durham County Council's community development fund to pay for the study. It is hoped that plans to cover

  • Internet launch

    A website for a community radio station in Bishop Auckland has been launched. Although Bishop FM is not yet on air, a website will allow local bands to showcase their music on the Internet. The site also features a forum for contributions, as well as

  • Club flying high

    A CLUB is flying high after receiving thousands of pounds of Lottery cash. Middlestone Moor Homing Society, based near Spennymoor, has landed a £5,000 Awards for All grant to buy race timing clocks for some of its members, whose old clocks are becoming

  • Young boxers to take a trip Down Under

    BOXERS are on their way Down Under after raising more than £16,000 for an Australian tour. Ten fighters and five officials from Spennymoor Boxing Academy will make the trip in September to Queensland and the Gold Coast. This is the latest tour by the

  • Pledge of £200,000 likely to boost village's community

    PLANS to improve community facilities in Chilton will go ahead with more than £200,000 in grants pledged towards the scheme. With funding secured, Chilton Town Council can press ahead with a package of work to improve the physical landscape and sports

  • Cash boost to create garden for community

    PLANS for a community garden in a Teesdale village have been given a boost with a £5,000 grant. Evenwood and Ramshaw Community Centre Partnership hopes to design and build a garden at the newly refurbished Randolph Centre, in Evenwood. The money, which

  • Tourism chief makes a journey around her new patch

    COUNTY Durham's new tourism boss is still not much more than a visitor herself after arriving from Brighton only a few weeks ago. Melanie Sensicle, chief executive of the county's new Tourism Partnership, is bringing a fresh face to her patch as she visits

  • Village's charity day

    A CHARITY event on Saturday is bringing together residents of a small County Durham village. The event takes place on the green, outside the Punch Bowl pub, in Edmundbyers, from 2pm until midnight, and is raising money for cancer research. On the programme

  • Farmer's widow and former teacher dies

    ANNIE LUMLEY, the widow of a North Yorkshire farmer, has died aged 100. She was born at Carperby, in Wensleydale and, from the age of ten, helped her widowed mother scrub floors at The Friends' meeting house and chapel in the village. She left school

  • Office on the move

    A WELFARE rights service is moving into a new headquarters this month. Durham County Council's Welfare Rights service, which currently operates from four offices around the county, is moving into the Rivergreen Centre, at Aykley Heads, in Durham City,

  • Cathedral focus fir international festival

    ORCHESTRAL concerts at Ripon Cathedral will be the main attraction at the city's ninth annual international festival. The festival, from September 8 to 17, will see the return of Opera North and Northern Sinfonia. Artistic director Janusz Piotrowicz has

  • Plastic bottle fleece prize won

    A FLEECE made from recycled plastic bottles was the unusual prize collected by a competition winner. Benita Jacobs, from Thoralby, received the gift when she visited a new recycling centre at East Witton. She entered the contest in April, when residents

  • Decision looms for fishing lakes plan

    CONTROVERSIAL plans to build fishing lakes in the North York Moors will finally be decided on. The scheme by Mike Cowling to build at Mickbelong Farm, Urra, near Chop Gate, has suffered from several delays. Mr Cowling aims to build three ponds and a parking

  • League keeping boys on the pitch and off the streets

    A FOOTBALL league is scoring high with teenagers and steering them away from trouble. The under-18s Youth Football League in Hartlepool has been in development for more than a year. It is running at English Martyrs School in the town, aiming at youngsters

  • Rare honour for lifeguards who rescued 2 teenage boys

    TWO lifeguards have been honoured for rescuing a pair of teenagers who ignored repeated warnings not to enter the sea in inflatable rings. Kate Forrester, 19, and 23-year-old Claire McGee received commendation certificates from the Royal Life Saving Society

  • Fresh concerns as lorry tips over on route into village

    VILLAGERS yesterday said they had been waiting for an accident to happen after an articulated lorry toppled over and blocked a village for several hours. The accident took place at 7.30am in Newton-le-Willows, near Bedale, as the 40ft lorry was delivering

  • Church restoration reveals views not seen for 148 years

    A RESTORATION project at an historic church is almost complete - and has revealed some long-hidden views of Durham City. An team of eight specialist stonemasons has been working to restore the spire and tower of St Nicholas' Church, in the Market Place

  • Learning online

    MARGARET DAVIES, from Learning Links, will be at Delves Lane Village Hall, near Consett, to give free advice about online learning. She will be at the hall from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday, August 22. For further information call (01207) 583174.

  • Water sensation

    Bryce Dallas Howard is enjoying making a splash as an actress in M Night Shyamalan's latest flight of fantasy, Lady In The Water, but admits to Steve Pratt that she doesn't play the celebrity game. Likewise Paul Giamatti confesses he's rather startled

  • Expanding business blooms

    A BUSINESS is blooming after it opened its second premises in Barnard Castle. Sisters Julie-Ann and Caroline Jones have run Fabulous Flowers in Front Street, West Auckland, for four years, and have opened another florists in Galgate, Barnard Castle. The

  • Homing in a a monster

    Debut director Gil Kenan opted for animation when he was given the chance to turn the script of a house with an appetite for touble into a movie. Steve Pratt reports. IF you're going to make your feature film debut with an ambitious animated movie then

  • Claws are out for top musical

    EVEN a cat can look at a king and performer Nick Pound is no exception as he again inhabits the role of Old Deuteronomy, the majestic leading light of Cats the Musical. As the musical prepares to open at Sunderland's Empire Theatre, Pound takes on the

  • Monster tractor to star at vehicle rally

    THE most powerful tractor in Europe will be trudging through fields in the North-East this weekend in a vintage vehicle rally. Big Bud - the 27-tonne prairie monster - is owned by Mike Scaife, from Yearby, near Guisborough, east Cleveland, and is the

  • Icelandic visitors on rescue mission

    A GROUP of young people from Iceland have taken part in a ten-day exchange visit with a search-and-rescue team in the North-East. Eight youth team members, accompanied by two leaders from Isafjordur Search and Rescue Team in Iceland, travelled

  • Do's and don'ts

    PREPARE for Soapland's wedding of the year, another of those 'here comes the bride, whoops no there goes the bride' occasions with more will they, won't they make it to the altar suspense than a Hitchcock movie. Even the guests are playing hard to get

  • The Artful Lodger, Gala Theatre, Durham

    CURIOSITY got the better of me and I joined a largish audience at the 500-seater venue to cast an eye over Stockton-born playwright Tom Casling's brave decision to stage his own debut play for three performances at a top regional theatre. You certainly

  • Scott Wilson's Riga Diary

    FIVE or six years ago, it was Prague. Then Tallinn, capital of Estonia, became the 'new Prague'. Now Riga, capital of Latvia, is revelling in its reputation as the 'new Tallinn'. When it comes to Eastern Europe's cutting-edge city of choice, it is hard

  • Defeat again for Quinn as Blues spoil party

    Sunderland 0, Birmingham City 1. IF this was meant to be a happy homecoming for Niall Quinn then Birmingham City, a team which also spent last season in the Premiership, simply forgot to read the script. For the first time since Quinn's Drumaville consortium

  • Boss waits for Reid answer

    NIALL QUINN expects to learn today whether Andy Reid will be arriving at Sunderland after tabling another bid for the Tottenham left winger. Quinn insists he was left encouraged by the Black Cats' defeat to Birmingham City last night - his second reversal

  • Dismissals at farms agency is welcomed

    FARMERS' leaders last night welcomed the sacking of four civil servants over allegations of naked romps at a Government agency. Five others received warnings following an inquiry into antics at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) offices in Newcastle. A whistleblower's

  • A 'rough deal' for Pools

    DANNY Wilson believes Hartlepool United are being given a rough deal by the Football League. After relegation from League One last season, Pools now have to adhere to salary-capping rules which apply to League Two. The Football League's Salary Cost Management

  • Roeder turns to Latvia's two British heroes

    Glenn Roeder was forced to thumb through his contacts book when Newcastle drew FK Ventspils in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round. One of those he got in touch with was Paul Ashworth and Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson found out why. THEY say it helps

  • Moore relishing Euro glory

    LAST season, Craig Moore was forced to watch on enviously as fellow Australians Mark Viduka and Mark Schwarzer swept all before them during Middlesbrough's epic charge to the UEFA Cup final. Now, after a summer of listening to endless stories from his

  • Village is named as one of best in Britain

    MILES of beautiful rolling scenery to the south, west and east, centuries-old houses encircling a picturesque village green and a thriving community, it easy to see why Heighington has been singled out as a perfect village. No one knows when the foundations

  • Yorkshire let their advantage slip

    Yorkshire v Lancashire (County Championship) : Day Two Yorkshire were in control of the Old Trafford Roses match at lunchtime yesterday but then lost their grip as Mal Loye and Luke Sutton both plundered centuries for Lancashire, who closed the second

  • Tractor driver leads police on low-speed chase

    POLICE were led on a low-speed chase on country lanes and across fields by a stolen tractor travelling at up to 30mph. A helicopter was scrambled and patrol cars surrounded the tractor, but the driver continued to trundle on despite flashing blues lights

  • Farmer to fight charity in court over land wrangle

    A FARMER is taking on a leading charity in a legal battle that could put plans for a wildlife haven at risk. Jeff Horn has declared squatter's rights on land earmarked for a 1,000-acre bird reserve. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

  • Exotic fish taking the bait in North Sea environment

    GLOBAL warming could be responsible for driving sea creatures which have rarely been seen in British waters to the North-East coast. Already this week a rare 6ft swordfish has been caught off Northumberland and an unsuspecting fisherman netted a 250lb

  • Railway works resurrected decades after closure blow

    A RAILWAY wagon works is being resurrected in a conservation project more than 20 years after its closure. Shildon Wagon Works was known as the jewel in the crown of British Rail, employing thousands of people throughout the region and generations of

  • MP quits defence post in protest over Lebanon

    AN MP last night announced he was quitting his Government defence post over the Lebanon crisis. Jim Sheridan, Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said he was standing down as the parliamentary private secretary to the defence ministers. The

  • Survival of the fattest

    BURLY Bob Cox has told how his beer belly saved his life when he fell from a ladder on to a wooden spike. The 18-stone father crashed through a wooden rung and was impaled on one of the ladder's legs. Horrifying X-rays show 2ft of the 4ft leg inside him

  • Charity dinner tribute to charity wroker

    A CHARITY dinner is being held in honour of a leading charity worker. The dinner, this evening, is being attended by Dr Vikas Amte and his daughter, Dr Sheetal Amte. The Amtes represent the Indian charity Anandwan, which means Forest of Bliss. It was

  • Tentacle spectacle as octopus stirs marina

    FORGET the Loch Ness Monster and Moby Dick, a creature of the deep has reared its tentacles at a North-East marina. An octopus, which is increasing in size, has been spotted around Hartlepool's Marina. When it was last seen, the creature was reported

  • Museum visitors play their part in recreating Suffregette era

    VISITORS to a North-East museum are helping to recreate the turbulent times of the fight for female suffrage. The Suffragette Rallies are being held at Beamish Museum three times a week during the summer. People are able to dress up in clothes from 1913

  • Sheep breed expert dies at 83

    LAURIE Raine, who became known as the North's leading expert on Swaledale sheep, has died at the age of 83. He won titles so regularly at shows that he lost count of the scores of trophies he took home to the Coach and Horses Farm near Bowes, County Durham

  • Viva Cas Vegas

    Taking a look at one of the Uk's newest - and most unlikely - tourist traps where ski slopes have taken the place of coal mines. If The Guardian is to be believed, and who would dare gainsay it, Britain has a new table topper - nose to nose with the

  • Porn's place in history

    How Porn Conquered The World (five); Blizzard: Race To The Pole (BBC2); Turn Back Time (BBC2): Danni ASHE was described as being "way out in front by a mile" in the pornography industry. This wasn't a reference to the size of her natural attributes

  • Flight of fancy for Johnston at Yarmouth

    WINGED FLIGHT (2.30) appears to have a simple task in Yarmouth's opening EBF Maiden Stakes. Mark Johnston's colt made a pleasing introduction to his racing career by finishing third in a far hotter contest over six furlongs at Ascot 12 days ago. Crucially

  • Managers step in at strike-hit hospital

    A HOSPITAL chief executive has donned overalls and rubber gloves to help clean wards as a week-long strike started yesterday. More than 200 hospital cleaners at South Tyneside District Hospital have walked out this week in a dispute over pay. The seven-day

  • Cyclists opt for a greener route

    CYCLISTS are being invited to join a ride taking in the quieter roads and green lanes of Darlington this weekend. The Salters Circular ride, organised by Darlington Borough Council, takes place on Sunday, and will lead cyclists through some of the countryside

  • Junk and traffic cones dragged from river

    Traffic cones, shopping trolleys, and a cast-iron wheelbarrow were among the items dredged from the bottom of the River Skerne in Darlington yesterday. Darlington Borough Council's Street Scene team spent the day cleaning a stretch of river from Victoria

  • Sign a new toy every week

    FAMILIES are being encouraged to visit a new toy library at a children's centre. The library will be open every Wednesday, from 9.30am to 11.15am, at the Maidendale Children's Centre, in Firthmoor, Darlington. The library is free to join and gives children

  • Woman raises cash to help young earthquake victims

    A WOMAN who raised more than £3,000 to help victims of the Indonesian earthquake has travelled to the country to see how the money is being spent. Sasti Watson, who lives in Manfield, near Darlington, with her husband, Richard, held a charity lunch and

  • A challenge for a 60th birthday

    A MAN is planning to celebrate his 60th birthday by taking part in a coast-to-coast walk for charity. Alex Taylor - who took part in the Great North Run to celebrate his 50th birthday - will walk from St Bees, in Cumbria, to Robin Hood's Bay, in North

  • Cabbie escapes without injury after fire in his car

    A CABBIE had a lucky escape on Monday morning when his taxi burst into flames. Ronald Oyston had just got out of his car and was talking to a friend in Darlington's Market Place when a fire started below his dashboard. Shoppers watched as the flames cracked

  • Surgeon takes on run for charity

    A surgeon is taking part in the Great North Run to raise money for the RNLI. David Macafee, a trainee surgeon at Darlington Memorial Hospital, wants to complete the race and raise at least £700 for the lifeboat charity. He said: "I grew up in a fishing

  • Drinker fined

    A DRINKER barred from his local pub has been given a restraining order to keep him away from the landlord and premises. Mark Young, 34, was barred from the Turbinia pub, in Newton Aycliffe, in November 2003, magistrates heard. Rachel Masters, prosecuting

  • Concernover late night deliveries

    RESIDENTS worried about a controversial planning application say a planning notice informing them of proposed changes to a supermarket's delivery times is too vague. Sainsbury's, in Victoria Road, Darlington, wants to change its planning permission to

  • Thieves make light work of parked cars

    There were seven reported thefts or attempted thefts from cars in Darlington on Sunday and Monday. On Newton Lane, a man tried to steal the spare wheel from a Vauxhall Frontera at 12.43am on Sunday. The man was disturbed by a resident and drove towards

  • Thomas was more than just a bit part

    EVER since our eldest was a toddler, Thomas The Tank Engine has played a big part in our lives. He has been nothing short of a hero to our three boys - not to mention a big help to me. Many is the time I've relied on one of his videos to get me a bit

  • Justice at last for 'gentle' Damilola

    THE teenage killers of Damilola Taylor were facing jail last night - six years, £16m and three trials after the schoolboy was stabbed on a south London estate. Ricky and Danny Preddie were first arrested days after ten-year-old Damilola bled to death

  • Charges in Royal phone tap inquiry

    The News of the World's royal editor was last night charged in connection with the inquiry into alleged phone-tapping of staff in Prince Charles' household. Senior journalist Clive Goodman, 48, from Putney, and Glenn Mulcaire, 35, from Sutton, both London

  • Man faces jail over fake child porn images

    A MAN faces jail after failing in a bid to have child pornography charges against him thrown out of court in what would have been a landmark ruling. Sven Tudor-Miles said that images found on his computer were not of children as he had digitally-manipulated

  • Our boys deserve better

    IT is more than three years since British armed forces joined the allied mission to oust Saddam Hussein and the war in Iraq began. Yesterday, the all-party defence committee ordered essential military kit to be sent out to Iraq immediately because our

  • Search begins for growing companies

    BUSINESS advice firm Deloitte has started its annual search for the fastest-growing technology companies. The company has launched this year's Technology Fast 50 awards, which ranks the technology companies. David Wilkinson, partner at Deloitte's Newcastle

  • Hartlepool, my cruel mistress

    BEING a football supporter is no easy thing. As the great Bill Shankly once pointed out, the game isn't a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that. He was right, too. Already, and just one Saturday in, my many neuroses about being

  • Pensions pick-up

    Norwich Union owner Aviva has reported a rise of 27 per cent in half-year profits after benefiting from a pick-up in the UK pensions market. Aviva revealed that sales in UK long-term savings rose 43 per cent to £6.9bn, helped by an 86 per cent increase

  • Boro reject Pompey's £15m Yakubu bid

    Middlesbrough have turned down an amazing £15m bid to take Aiyegbeni Yakubu back to Fratton Park. The unbelievable offer was made earlier this week and was rejected by Boro chairman Steve Gibson. Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has been expected to

  • Bannatyne muscles in on another 24 health clubs

    MILLIONAIRE businessman Duncan Bannatyne has added 24 health clubs to his empire in a deal worth £90m. The entrepreneur's Bannatyne Fitness chain - which has its administrative headquarters in Darlington - outbid a number of rival groups to buy the LivingWell

  • Acquisition breaks new ground for software firm

    SOFTWARE group Sage last night announced its largest acquisition to date. The Newcastle company has agreed to acquire health software unit Emdeon Practice Services (EPS), which is based in Florida, for £297m from US parent company Emdeon Corporation.

  • £10m overhaul will boost station's efficiency

    A £10M overhaul at the Wilton power station on Teesside will boost its efficiency and involve 200 specialist contractors. The three-month overhaul on Number 5 Boiler will begin on Monday, August 21, and will be led by Amec, of Darlington. It will be

  • Work starts at industrial site

    WORK has started on a multi-million pound business complex designed to help meet demand for commercial space and create jobs. Thirsk development company Severfield-Reeve Projects (SRP) is developing a 1.7-acre site at the town's industrial park with a

  • Farmers learn of sugar deal

    FARMERS will next week learn details of a deal that has been struck over the closure of York sugar beet factory. The agreement, with British Sugar, will be explained at a National Farmers' Union (NFU) meeting in Strensall Village Hall, near York, on

  • Passengers safe after bus fire

    A BUS driver and his passengers escaped unhurt when fire ripped through the vehicle.The driver managed to park and safely get the seven passengers off the Arriva service 69 from Stockton to Bishop Auckland before the blaze took hold at about 2pm on Tuesday

  • Tapping into a load of trouble

    The latest royal phone-tapping allegations have brought back memories of Princess Diana and that 'Squidgygate' tape. But how easy is it to snoop on someone's phone calls? Lindsay Jennings reports.CYRIL REENAN twisted the dial on his £900 radio scanner

  • McClaren turns to Round

    Steve McClaren will call his former Middlesbrough assistant Steve Round into the England set-up to replace Sammy Lee. Round, 35, will work with the senior national team on a part-time basis around their matches. He will continue in his full-time job at