Stories for 16 January 2007

The Northern Echo News

Ferryhill Flyer returns to a hero's welcome

Ferryhill Flyer Phill Nixon returned home a hero last night after defying the odds to finish runner-up in the British Darts Organisation's world championship.Team Nixon - Phill, wife Suzanne, and best man Gary Taylor - arrived at the family home in Ferryhill, County Durham, at about 5.30pm. The 50-year-old finalist was met by friends and neighbours, and some of his eight children, who rushed to embrace him as he stepped out of the car."I'm shaking more now than I was when I was on the stage," said Mr Nixon, as he took a moment to take in the waiting TV crews, photographers and reporters.The Flyer's house was adorned with banners, on which was written "welcome home hero". He was also presented with a decorated trophy made by his children. His achievement comes despite being the 150/1 outsider at the beginning of the championship held in Frimley Green, Surrey. After battling his way to the finals the former factory worker, who was able to practise more after he was made redundant from Ebac, in Bishop Auckland, in 2005, went 6-0 down to England captain Martin Adams, during Sunday night's live televised final.But he clawed back six consecutive sets to almost pull off one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history, only to be beaten by the top seed in the deciding set.Mr Nixon, who plays for Ferryhill Workingmen's Club and the town's Eldon Arms, had tried for 20 years to qualify for the championship. On Sunday, he walked away with £30,000 in prize money.The Mayor of Ferryhill, Ron Greenwell, was among those waiting to greet him last night.He said: "Phill has done amazingly well and he has really put Ferryhill on the map. It was a fantastic match and he showed amazing spirit and determination."Durham County Council and Ferryhill Town Council are planning to host a civic reception in honour of Mr Nixon in the near future.   more...

Girls tell of lucky escape in dramatic rescue from cliffs

TWO schoolgirls last night told how they thought they would die when a leisurely stroll went drastically wrong.Kirby Churchill, Ashleigh Canwell, Faye Harrison and Poppy Hope, all pupils at Huntcliff School, in Saltburn, Cleveland, set off on Sunday afternoon for one of their regular strolls.Their walks would normally take them near Hunt Cliff, in Saltburn, but curiosity was to take them on a different, far more dangerous, route. "We were going to the old mine place in Brotton and we thought we would go for an adventure," said Kirby. "We saw a little footpath which led down the cliff so we decided to have a little walk."But half-an-hour into their walk, things took a dramatic turn for the worse, as the footpath suddenly ran out.With darkness closing in and the winds picking up, the girls found themselves in a dilemma. "As we walked down Ashleigh fell and slipped over," said Kirby. "Me and Poppy had to grab her and we noticed the footpath had stopped."We couldn't go down - there were lots of rocks at the bottom. We couldn't go up or down."Faye went back up to see whether there was a way out, but she ended up stuck on the rocks."We were shouting to her to stay there."We knew there were rocks at the bottom but we didn't dare move in case we slipped - we could have killed ourselves."Ashleigh added: "I was in shock. We didn't really know what to do."Poppy rang the coastguard who said the best thing to do was get a helicopter out."There was a man at the bottom of the beach and we were shouting 'help, help'."He said 'stay there', but Faye was hanging off the cliff."Luckily, all four girls were airlifted to safety and yesterday came to terms with what could have been."We could have died," said Kirby. "We are not going to do it again."Ashleigh added: "What we really want to say is thank you to everyone who saved our lives - we could have been dead.""Faye is okay - she was crying but fine - she was shaking like mad."Coastguard Eric Lorains, station officer at Skinningrove, said: "Cliffs are very dangerous and should be respected in every way."The outcome was 110 per cent but it could so easily have been the other way."  more...

Tories deserted the North, admits chairman

THE Conservative Party chairman has admitted he is shocked at how Tory activists have deserted across the North - leaving the party struggling to fight campaigns.Francis Maude said many local Tory associations were in such disarray they were unable to even communicate with the dwindling band of members they had left.The party chairman pledged to make rebuilding in the North "priority one" for the coming year and promised to unveil initiatives within weeks.But his stark admission of the lack of Tory footsoldiers is a blow to party leader David Cameron's hopes of big gains in the local elections in May.Elections will take place for nearly all district council seats in England, in polls that could determine how soon Tony Blair leaves Downing Street.Studies have repeatedly shown the importance of direct contact with voters - through canvassing or leafleting - in winning elections.Speaking on the Conservatives' own radio station, Mr Maude said: "The priority for me over the year is to get us seriously going again in the North."It took me a little time after becoming chairman to understand quite how far back we had gone in terms of organisation on the ground in much of the North and we need to build that."There is no alternative to getting more paid people on the ground to stimulate the growth, to stimulate finding new members and the building of new organisations with professional agents."Mr Maude said that, even in their target seats in the North, the Conservatives were struggling to do "absolutely basic administration"."So, for me, priority one is the North and we will have more to say about that over the next few weeks."Mr Maude's comments came as Mr Cameron sought to shore up his support with right-wing voters by insisting he is more the heir to Margaret Thatcher than to Tony Blair.The Tory leader pledged to roll back the state by handing a bigger role to businesses and charities, describing the policy as a "defining contrast" with Labour.  more...

Drivers get the message about staying off drink

FEWER drivers failed breath tests during recent drink-driving crackdowns across the region.The biggest improvement was in the County Durham and Darlington force area, where 1,481 breath tests were carried out during December - with only 28 (1.9 per cent) proving positive.This compares with the figures for December 2005 when 124 (7.7 per cent) failed from 1,605 tests.However, while the figures suggest most heeded the message, police warned that there was no room for complacency - with alcohol playing a part in a quarter of all fatal accidents.Cleveland Police reported that 94 (6.3 per cent) drivers had tested positive out of 1,501, compared with 99 (6.5 per cent) from 1,513 the previous year.In the Northumbria area, police carried out 2,495 tests with 296 (11.9 per cent) positive. In December 2005, the figures were 228 (13.9 per cent) positive from 1,639 tests.Officers in North Yorkshire have already welcomed a 2.7 per cent fall in the number of drink-drivers over the previous year.Last month, officers breath-tested 2,885 drivers with 175 (six per cent) failing. In 2005, 180 drivers proved positive. Chief Inspector Tim Wilson, Durham Police's deputy head of operational support, warned: "More than a quarter of all fatal road accidents are alcohol-related and it remains a year-round problem."Your chances of dying, or of causing someone else's death, massively increase if you get behind the wheel after having a drink."Despite the inconvenience caused, the vast majority of people who were stopped and asked to take a breath test understood the reasons behind the campaign and were very supportive."In Cleveland, 12 of the 94 drink drivers were caught after being involved in an accident.One of those arrested had been out to a party until 5am. He went home for a few hours sleep before driving to work and was stopped at a road check at 10.25pm that night on his way home - and still failed the test.Inspector Eric Robinson, of Cleveland's road policing unit, said: "It shows just how long alcohol can stay in your system - and impair your driving."Sadly, there are still too many people who ignore the warnings and get behind the wheel when they are unfit to drive."  more...

Turn off the telly and hear the roar of the crowd

A SPORTS enthusiast has chronicled his journey around 16 of the region's sport venues and the colourful characters he met along the way in his new book.Steven Chaytor, of Sedgefield, in County Durham, spent two-and-a-half years watching nine different sports in an attempt to prove it is better to watch an event live than on television.The events range from his eldest daughter Emily's swimming competition debut at Newcastle City Pool to watching Newcastle United against Marseille in the UEFA Cup semi-final. In Watching Sport Without TV, he wants to convince readers that the atmosphere surrounding a fixture can only be appreciated live. He said: "The sights, sounds, smells, the journey to the ground, finding something to eat, having a drink and the people you meet all add to the experience of a sports event."The difference at two football grounds was funny. At Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium, there was a girl who dressed in a short skirt and looked like Victoria Beckham, then at Hartlepool there was a Jim Royle doppelganger."Mr Chaytor has been passionate about sport since childhood. He was brought up in Lancaster as a Manchester United fan and is the son of Oldham Athletic footballer Ken Chaytor.He trained as a PE teacher and runs a sports and leisure management company.The book is the third he has published and is priced £6.99, from book stores and libraries in the North-East and Carlisle and online at www.amazon.com  more...

Al Fayed's anger at no jury for Di Inquest

Mohamed al Fayed last night branded the decision not to appoint a jury for the Diana, Princess of Wales inquest "shocking but predictable".Britain's most senior female judge, Baroness Butler-Sloss, is to sit alone on the high-profile case.Lawyers for Harrods owner Mr al Fayed, whose son, Dodi, was also killed in the 1997 Paris car crash, argued in favour of a jury of ordinary men and women during legal discussions at the High Court last week.But Lady Butler-Sloss said in her ruling yesterday that only a coroner could give the "careful and fully reasoned decision" Diana and Dodi's inquests needed.Mr al Fayed said he had instructed his lawyers to take all possible steps on the matter. They are currently reviewing her 34-page decision."For the past ten years I have fought to expose the truth about these murders - I do not intend to give up now," Mr Al Fayed said."The public, and in particular, a jury of ordinary people must hear all the evidence, in front of an independent and fair-minded coroner."I have instructed my lawyers to take all possible steps towards achieving this."Lady Butler-Sloss, who wants the full inquests to start in May, has appealed for any attempts to challenge her decision to be made promptly.The inquests are to be held jointly at a single hearing, most likely at the Royal Courts of Justice.In order to do this, Lady Butler-Sloss is to transfer Dodi's inquest, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Surrey coroner, to the jurisdiction of the Queen's household, which Diana's inquests falls under.A 3D model of the Pont de l'Alma tunnel crash site, created for the Metropolitan Police investigation, will be shown at the next preliminary hearing in March.The scope of the inquests and the witnesses will also be decided then.Lady Butler-Sloss said it would be an "opportunity for us all to see the virtual reality scene on computer".Groundbreaking technology with data from 186 million points was used to put together the 3D model of the scene in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel to an accuracy of within one centimetre.Lord Stevens, who was in charge of the investigation, into Diana's death, said his team had carried out the largest and most comprehensive survey and reconstruction of the scene of an incident yet. Mr al Fayed said the ruling was part of the "cover-up" and described the decision to treat Dodi's inquest as if had been a member of the Royal Household as bizarre."Even Princess Diana had been thrown out of the Royal Household before her death," he said."Now they treat them both as if they were part of the Royal Household, just to stop the truth emerging."He added: "I am sure her next step will be to prevent most of the relevant evidence even being heard at the inquests."Asked if Mr al Fayed wanted Lady Butler-Sloss to be replaced, a spokesman for the tycoon said: "What he wants is a coroner who also sits with a jury to hear all the evidence."Lord Stevens dismissed the many conspiracy theories surrounding the crash. He concluded that it was nothing more than an accident, and that driver Henri Paul was drunk and driving too fast.  more...

£1.8m extra for flood defences

A FURTHER £1.8m will help to protect households in the North-East from the risk of flooding.The Northumbria Regional Flood Defence Committee agreed the package of measures - a ten per cent increase on last year - to fund projects that might not be eligible for national funding.The local levy, which will be used to fund more than 20 small projects around the region, comes on top of the £10m allocated for major projects in the region in 2007-8 by the Environment Agency.Peter Kerr, from the Northumbria Flood Defence Committee, said: "Many of the projects will bring environmental and recreational benefits, as well as reduce the risk of flooding."Due to climate change, the likelihood of flooding will increase in our region and we need to look at innovative ways of managing the problem locally."It is not feasible or effective to build flood defences for every community but thanks to the local levy, we have the scope to find an alternative which is tailor-made to the needs of the area and its environment."Schemes include installing CCTV cameras on waterways to check for blockages at critical points, using habitats to help manage tidal flooding at Alnmouth and Beal, in Northumberland, and looking at the best way of managing urban drainage to reduce flooding in North Gosforth.  more...

Family rescued from house fire

A MOTHER and her two young children have been rescued after a fire swept through their County Durham home this morning.   more...

Photographer catches rare glimpse of comet

A PHOTOGRAPHER from the region has captured rare images of a comet.Mike Vasey, 61, a retired teacher from Stockton, snapped Comet McNaught last Wednesday.He said: "I heard about it on the TV and decided to have a look for it myself."On Wednesday evening, it was clear to the horizon and I spotted it again on Thursday, just above rooftop height."Mr Vasey taught A-level physics at Stockton Sixth Form College from 1973 until he took early retirement in 1998.Since then, he has worked as a supply teacher in schools across the region.He said travel was his first love, followed by photography, but he also has an interest in astronomy.He said: "I get the occasional astronomy magazine and I sometimes call at the Wynyard Planetarium. I was lucky with this comet. It is all about being in the right place at the right time and capturing the moment. I went to Hungary in 1999 for the total eclipse and I have seen Haley's Comet, but this is the clearest and most spectacular I have ever seen."Comet McNaught, which was discovered by Australian astronomer Robert H McNaught in August, is now heading towards the southern hemisphere and will no longer be visible within a few days.  more...

Anger over suicide payment

A MOTHER whose son killed himself in jail has spoken of her anger at a huge compensation pay-out to a suicidal prisoner.Kath Wright, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, said if the £575,000 out-of-court settlement had instead been used to train specialist counsellors for vulnerable prisoners, her son might still be alive.An unnamed prisoner was given the compensation after a suicide attempt at Northallerton Young Offenders' Institution. He was saved by prison officers.It is believed that his claim centred on an alleged breach of human rights.Ms Wright's son, 19-year-old Robert Longworth, hanged himself in his cell at Moorland Prison, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on October 6, 2002, only two days after being transferred there from Hull Prison. He was serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for theft and burglary. The Prison Service offered to pay for his funeral, which cost about £2,000.Ms Wright said: "It didn't even enter my head to claim compensation when Robert died. "I was just grateful for them paying for the funeral."I have spent four years battling depression because of this and it is not just me - what about all the other families who have lost children in this way?"To me, it is giving everybody carte blanche to walk into a prison, cry whatever and then get away with a load of money. It is all wrong."The Prison Service has repeatedly refused to give details of the incident that resulted in the £575,000 payment, leading to claims of a cover-up by Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis.The Northern Echo has submitted a request for the Prison Service to release the full details of the compensation payout under the Freedom of Information Act.Ms Wright said: "I remember in one of the last letters I got off Robert, he was saying how sorry he was and how he was going to go straight. "He was going to resit his GCSEs as soon as he got out and he seemed really optimistic."He was a very vulnerable young lad and he always took up with the wrong people, that was his problem."That money would be better used being given to the Prison Service to train counsellors to spot vulnerable prisoners and help them. "If it had been, Robert might still be alive today."  more...

Artistic Auction

AN artist spent six months crafting a colourful tapestry to raise funds for a North-East hospice.Eileen Mackenzie, who has exhibited work in galleries across the North-East and in London, is to sell the hanging in aid of St Teresa's Hospice, based in Darlington. Mrs Mackenzie, of Darlington, said: "When I look around St Teresa's, there are so many awful cases there."I think they really deserve people's help. "I'm hoping people will get in touch with me to bid for the tapestry. The highest bid wins, and all the money will go to St Teresa's." To join the charity auction for the wool and canvas tapestry, call Mrs Mackenzie on 01325-462715.  more...

Burning car death - police name woman

A WOMAN who died after being discovered with serious injuries next to her burning car has been named.   more...

Staff cleared in killing spree inquiry

AN inquiry has concluded that mental health care staff could not have predicted or prevented a patients killing spree which left two young men dead.   more...

Rebels fire on North soldiers

SOLDIERS from the region snatched alleged members of an Iraqi death squad in a daring night-time operation.Members of the 1st Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, found a chief suspect and several of his associates when they stormed houses in Basra City earlier this month. The operation was led by C Company, from the 1st Battalion, along with other units from 19 Light Brigade, based at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.No British casualties were reported, despite the ferocity of the resistance.Major Ian Crowley, company commander, said: "We came under small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenade attack on several occasions and it is of considerable credit to my soldiers how well they reacted."They understand the rules of engagement and remained calm and deliberate when returning fire to deal with these situations. I'm very proud of them."Signaller Private Andrew Wood took part in the operation.He said "On the route in I was thinking about what could happen and was hoping that we would all make it back okay."On the radio I could hear some of our men under contact up ahead."At first I was relieved as it wasn't me, but I was worried for my friends. When we came under contact from gunmen ourselves my heart was racing."However, when my mates started to return rounds the firing stopped."Lieutenant Corporal Martin Lowthorpe was commander of one of the strike teams.He said: "Out of the darkness came a burst of automatic fire - the tracer was whizzing over our heads."After that I saw a big red flash as the Warrior in front of me was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade."The Warrior wasn't damaged at all and continued to move off; even though rounds were pinging off it."Search teams found weapons, ammunition, military clothing, digital cameras, computers and mobile phones during the operation.Surveillance photos and documents, and large amounts of Iraqi money, were also discovered.After questioning, the detainees were handed over to the Iraqi government.* A serviceman from 45 Commando Royal Marines was killed yesterday during a mission to oust Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.His death comes days after Royal Marine Thomas Curry, 21,from east London, was killed during a battle to clear Taliban positions.  more...

Cliff drama teenager 'minutes from death'

A VOLUNTEER coastguard told last night how he pulled a terrified girl to safety as she clung to the edge of a 300ft cliff.Battered by gale force winds, Faye Harrison, 13, hung on to the crumbling cliff edge while her three friends watched in horror from where they were stranded further down the cliff.The girls said if it had not been for coastguards Paul Waugh, Eric Lorains and Gordon Hogg, Faye would have plunged to her death.The men managed to pull her onto firm ground before she was airlifted to safety by an RAF rescue helicopter.Mr Waugh, 43, a volunteer coastguard at Skinningrove, east Cleveland, for 11 years, said last night: "She was minutes away from falling. The cliff was coming away. There was lots of shale crumbling, which was making it worse. "I just held onto her and lifted her up. If we hadn't got there on time she would have fallen. She literally only had minutes."The drama began when the four friends were taking a stroll along the clifftop near the old Fanhouse mine shaft, in Brotton, east Cleveland, late on Sunday afternoon.They began to follow a footpath winding down the cliff face when it suddenly stopped.Because it was dark they became disorientated and too frightened to go back along the trail.After one of the girls slipped over, Faye decided to try to find a route off the cliff.She began the trek back up the cliff, leaving Kirby Churchill, Ashleigh Canwell and Poppy Hope, all 12, huddled together on a section of stable ground. But Faye soon found herself in difficulties and became stranded. The girls began screaming and Poppy rang 999 from her mobile phone.The friends, from Saltburn and Brotton, saw a man on the beach below them. He also phoned 999 and told them to stay where they were.Within minutes an RAF helicopter based at Leconfield was scrambled, as was the Cleveland Police helicopter.The Skinningrove Coastguard Rescue Cliff Team was also alerted.Station Officer Lorains, 58, a coastguard for more than 40 years, said: "When we got there we found a little girl about 120ft down from the top. It was dark and she was stuck on a shale ledge. Our first priority was to get her secure. That is what we did."Mr Waugh took part in a controlled descent to reach Faye and tie her securely. He was followed by Mr Lorains, who kept the coastguard radio control room up-to-date."We probably could have brought her back up but she was trembling that much - her legs were like jelly," said Mr Lorains.Faye was winched to safety followed by Kirby and Ashleigh, who were lifted off the cliff together.Poppy, who began to have an asthma attack, was the last to be pulled to safety. All four were taken to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough. Although extremely shaken, none of the girls was hurt.Kirby said: "I think we cheated death. It was so scary and I don't think we will be going walking on the cliffs ever again. The wind was so strong I thought we would get blown away."Ashleigh added: "What we really want to say is thank you for saving our lives."The girls hope the incident will act as a warning to others who may walk along the cliffs."Don't do it," said Kirby. "It is really scary and you don't want to risk your life. We are not going to do it again." Lucky escape - Page 7  more...

Ferryhill Flyer returns to a hero's welcome

Ferryhill Flyer Phill Nixon returned home a hero last night after defying the odds to finish runner-up in the British Darts Organisation's world championship.Team Nixon - Phill, wife Suzanne, and best man Gary Taylor - arrived at the family home in Ferryhill, County Durham, at about 5.30pm. The 50-year-old finalist was met by friends and neighbours, and some of his eight children, who rushed to embrace him as he stepped out of the car."I'm shaking more now than I was when I was on the stage," said Mr Nixon, as he took a moment to take in the waiting TV crews, photographers and reporters.The Flyer's house was adorned with banners, on which was written "welcome home hero". He was also presented with a decorated trophy made by his children. His achievement comes despite being the 150/1 outsider at the beginning of the championship held in Frimley Green, Surrey. After battling his way to the finals the former factory worker, who was able to practise more after he was made redundant from Ebac, in Bishop Auckland, in 2005, went 6-0 down to England captain Martin Adams, during Sunday night's live televised final.But he clawed back six consecutive sets to almost pull off one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history, only to be beaten by the top seed in the deciding set.Mr Nixon, who plays for Ferryhill Workingmen's Club and the town's Eldon Arms, had tried for 20 years to qualify for the championship. On Sunday, he walked away with £30,000 in prize money.The Mayor of Ferryhill, Ron Greenwell, was among those waiting to greet him last night.He said: "Phill has done amazingly well and he has really put Ferryhill on the map. It was a fantastic match and he showed amazing spirit and determination."Durham County Council and Ferryhill Town Council are planning to host a civic reception in honour of Mr Nixon in the near future. Interview - Page 5  more...

Future of maternity and children's services to be revealed

A CRUCIAL report to decide the future of maternity and children's services on Teesside will be published on Friday, the government has revealed.   more...