Stories for 3 October 2007

The Northern Echo News

Northern Rock handed Freedom of City by council

CRISIS-hit North-East bank, Northern Rock, has been handed the Freedom of the City of Newcastle by councillors.   more...

Councillors give green light to asbestos inquiry

COUNCILLORS who gave the go-ahead for an inquiry into why an asbestos report into a North-East leisure centre was ignored for five years, putting workers health at risk, have been told lessons must be learned.   more...

Call centre job fears

UNIONS were this afternoon hoping that a deal can be struck to secure the future of a rail firms call centre and its 200 plus staff.   more...

Tyre slashing spree in North-East towns

DRIVERS are thousands of pounds out of pocket after a tyre slashing spree in two North-East towns.   more...

Firefighters rescue unconscious man

A MAN has been rescued after being found unconscious by firefighters in a flat on Teesside.   more...

Councillors defend 15.8 per cent allowance rise

COUNCILLORS have defended their decision to grant themselves a whopping 15.8 per cent rise in their basic allowance - despite the advice of an independent panel to raise it by only 5.8 per cent.   more...

Mum's false benefit claims netted £44,000, court told

A MOTHER-OF-FOUR claimed more than £40,000 in benefits she was not entitled to, a court has heard.   more...

Public meeting over Howden-le-Wear homes plan

A PUBLIC meeting will be held tonight to discuss plans to build a major new housing development in Howden-le-Wear, near Crook.   more...

Man and woman trapped in cars after accident

A MAN and woman were left trapped in their vehicles after their cars collided this morning.   more...

Poison probe into red kites death

POLICE have launched a joint investigation with the RSPB into the suspicious death of a pair of red kites.   more...

Asbestos inquiry plans to be settled

COUNCILLORS meet tonight to confirm plans for an inquiry into the asbestos scandal at a North-East sports centre.Staff at a swimming pool in Bishop Auckland were allowed to work unprotected for five years with the dangerous materials after their bosses ignored an official warning from asbestos inspectors.MPs and MEPs from across the region have joined calls for a full investigation to be held in public to establish exactly what happened - and who was responsible.Wear Valley District Council, owner of the Woodhouse Close Leisure Complex, was fined £18,000 after an investigation by the Government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE).At a public meeting tonight, the authority is expected to approve plans to set up a team of officers to lead an inquiry.Helen Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, said: "This is a very serious matter and I am extremely concerned, particularly if employees or the public have been put at risk in any way."We are hoping that the inquiry will be thorough and will get to the bottom of this. We need to find out as much as possible, as quickly as possible."Richard Bishop, the HSE inspector who brought the case to court, described the health and safety breaches - which concerned the sports centre's boiler room - as the worst he had seen.In an official statement, leader of the council, Councillor Neil Stonehouse, and chief executive Michael Laing, later apologised to the staff affected.Martin Callanan, the region's Conservative MEP, said yesterday: "It seems to me that this was staggering incompetence. Clearly, the people who have been placed in danger have the right to know the reasons for this and a full public inquiry must take place."The last thing we want is for this to be brushed under the carpet in some cosy council confab."Stephen Hughes, Labour MEP for the North-East, said: "What happened was totally unacceptable and I'm pleased Wear Valley has recognised that by setting up an inquiry to fully establish the facts to make sure it never happens again."It saddens me to think of the daily anxiety those who worked in the boiler room must go through. No other workers should be put in that position."In papers prepared for tonight's meeting, Mr Laing writes: "The overall objective of this report is not only to satisfy our legal duties - it is to exceed those duties and give councillors, customers and staff the re-assurance that they are safe and that we take health and safety seriously."The public meeting takes place at 6pm, at the Civic Centre, in Crook.  more...

Bus driver 'braked too late' in fatal crash with bin lorry

A BUS driver braked too late, swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a bin wagon, killing its driver, a court heard yesterday.Stewart Wallace, a 52-year-old Arriva driver, did not stop in time when a car and a van in front of him stopped sharply.Mr Wallace's bus clipped the back of the van and he swerved "instinctively" into the oncoming traffic.His bus collided head-on with a bin wagon and its driver, James Dominic O'Hara, 41, of Coniston Streetm,Darlington, was thrown from his cab.Mr Wallace was pulled from the wrecked front of the bus by its passengers. He has not fully recovered and appeared at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday on crutches.Mr Wallace, of Borough Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. He was fined £300, made to pay £100 costs, and given three penalty points.James Backhouse, mitigating, said: "He made one misjudgment on one day and two people's lives fell apart because of it."The court heard Mr Wallace was an experienced driver with a clean licence. He had not been speeding and passengers said the bus had been driven safely before the accident.Mr Wallace's bosses said he was a "nine-and-a-half out of ten driver".Peter Smith, prosecuting, said a Ford Capri had braked suddenly to turn right into a drive on the A167, outside Darlington.The Capri had been declared off-road, had no insurance and no test certificate. Its driver was subsequently fined for the offences and disqualified under the "totting-up" system.A Mercedes Sprinter van, following the Capri, also braked suddenly.Mr Smith said: "Unfortunately, Mr Wallace did not see what happened in front of him, or did, but could not register it in time, so he did not apply the brakes in time."The Highway Code counsels all drivers to leave sufficient space so they can react safely."But the statements make it abundantly clear, as does the CCTV, that the bus was being driven entirely properly and at an appropriate speed."Mr Backhouse said Mr Wallace could not remember the accident, which happened on Tuesday, January 30, just its aftermath. He has been driving since 1974 and driving buses since 1997. He also passed his Large Goods Vehicle test last year."He is a person who knows about safe driving," Mr Backhouse said. "He is a good driver - a very good driver. He accepts, though, that when you have a rear shunt your driving has fallen below the required standard."Apart from that, his driving appears to be entirely satisfactory - it's a momentary misjudgement with horrific consequences for the other driver and for Mr Wallace himself."Mr Wallace's injuries forced him to surrender his driving licence. John Fozzard, from Arriva, said: "We have acknowledged the outcome of today's court case. This was a tragic accident and our thoughts remain very much with the bereaved family."  more...

Bewildered at news after lifetime of caring

POTTO Carr Farm sits in rich agricultural land near the small village of Potto, on the edge of the North York Moors.Valued at £1.5m, the rolling fields and fertile soil will prove an attractive investment, even with the current depression surrounding the farming industry.For Dr Christine Gill, it is not only about the monetary value, it is about keeping the arable farm in the family.From the age of 13, she helped to drive tractors and pick potatoes on the farm.Even after she left for university, she would return at weekends and in the holidays to help.In 1986, Dr Gill and her husband, Andrew, bought White House Farm, a property adjoining Potto Carr, with the help of her parents so they could be closer to the farm, combining their jobs at Leeds University with farm work.With the birth of their son, Christopher, in 1997, and the declining health of her parents, Dr Gill began to dedicate more hours to the farm.When her father, John, died in 1999, she also began to spend more time looking after her mother, Joyce, who suffered from a range of phobias and did not like to leave the house.Mr Gill had left everything to his wife, and Dr Gill did not take up the issue with her mother.She said: "I felt that parents had a right to enjoy their property without children snapping at their heels."I never had a reason to suppose I would not inherit the property eventually."Only days after her mother's death, in August last year, the contents of her will were discovered. The news was a terrible shock.Not only had the farm been left to someone else, it had been left to the RSPCA, a charity that Dr Gill had never heard either of her parents express any support for.She said: "My parents never wrote a cheque to the RSPCA."My father used to allow the local hunt to send their dogs onto Potto Carr land. My mother used to criticise the RSPCA for their stance against hunting."There was no evidence in my mother's behaviour towards me that she wanted me to have nothing, and nothing in my father's behaviour towards me when he was alive."The clause in the will excluding her stated: "I declare that no provision is hereby made for my daughter Christine Angela Baczkowski because I feel that she has been well provided for by me over a long period of time."Dr Gill said: "The use of my husband's surname was strange as I never changed my name on my marriage."Perhaps they did not like my husband being half-Polish or perhaps they did not like him, and yet they were happy to have him helping them do jobs in their house or on the farm."We were working on the farm because it was a family farm. We worked there because we were part of the family and were helping the farm to survive and because one day we expected we would pass the farm on to the next generation."I am left feeling that, as a girl, I have been used as a dogsbody on the farm. I find it hard to believe I would have been disinherited if I had been a boy. My parents had plenty of scope to make a substantial donation to charity without disinheriting me so completely that nothing was to be left to me, not even any family mementos."Neighbours and contractors who have worked on the farm over the past 20 years have voiced their shock at the bequest.Steve Dawson, who farms at nearby Thorn Hill Farm, said: "She must have been devastated when she found out. It must be terrible, especially with the increase in land values in the past 12 months."Many people have written letters to support a legal challenge to the will, including Phil Armstrong, from Yarm, near Stockton, who carried out vermin control work at the farm for 20 years. Last night, he recalled a conversation with Mr Gill before his grandson was born.He said: "Mr Gill said if he did not have any grandchildren to leave the farm to, he would leave it to a dogs' home or cats' home."A few years later, Christopher was born and I thought everything was okay."He had a lot of ill health and he must have forgotten all about it."Mr Armstrong, who knows Dr Gill by her middle name, Angela, said: "In summer, Angela and Andrew were always there working on the farm. This must have come as a big shock, especially for Christopher."  more...

Left out of will - as animals get £1.5m

A WOMAN who helped run her parents' farm for 40 years and cared for them in old age has been written out of their will - with the entire £1.5m estate left to the RSPCA.Dr Christine Gill said she was "deeply hurt and bewildered" when she discovered Potto Carr Farm, near Potto, Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, had been bequeathed to the charity.She has been completely disinherited, despite moving to an adjoining property 20 years ago so she and her husband, Andrew, could be on hand to help at all times.Dr Gill, who is an only child, also went part-time in her job as a lecturer at the University of Leeds so she could care for her parents and, in later years, run the farm.Her father, John Gill, died in 1999, and her mother, Joyce, died in August last year. It was only then that Dr Gill, 56, found out that, in 1993, her parents had made a mirror will, leaving everything to each other and, on the death of the last survivor, bequeathing everything to the RSPCA.Dr Gill, who has a ten-year-old son, Christopher, said there had never been any family disagreements and was baffled as to the reasons behind the will."All my life has revolved around the farm, affecting my choice of college and job," she said."To lose the farm is like having my heart and soul ripped out."Dr Gill is having court papers drawn up to challenge the will under the 1975 Inheritance Act, and has until October 15 to lodge them. She has also been trying to negotiate with the RSPCA.Charity spokeswoman Leanne Goacher said: "We can confirm that the RSPCA has been bequeathed a very generous legacy under the will of Mrs Gill, who died on August 21, 2006."Mrs Gill's will contains her last wishes, which were that her entire estate should pass to the charity."The RSPCA is aware of the claim by Mrs Gill's daughter. The charity is unable to comment on the details of the case, but hopes that it can be resolved without the need for legal proceedings."  more...

Teenager dies after 35ft fall in Finland

A NORTH-EAST teenager has died in Finland after he fell 35ft down a manhole at a nuclear power plant.Kevin Horner, 19, from Hartlepool, was working on the construction site in Olkiluoto when he fell on Monday, September 18.He had been working on the site for only seven days.He was taken to a hospital 30 miles away, in the city of Pori, where he was treated for head injuries.Doctors spent five days trying to save him as a machine kept him alive, but he died on September 23.His uncle, Paul Jarrington, 43, from Suffolk, was his foreman on the Rimec Group building site, where Mr Horner fell through boards that were covering a manhole.Mr Jarrington said: "He was such a likeable lad and people from all over the world have been in touch to say how much they will miss him. "I am devastated. I took him over there and I had to bring him back. He had only been over for a week."I had been working with him about a year, so we were very close. I had taken him to Wales to work and he was fully trained up with safety."He had such a promising future and was on line to make good money and he wanted to see a bit of the world, but now he will not get that chance."It was not his fault. It was not something he was working on."His parents, Jill and Kevin Horner, were too upset to speak to the media.Mr Horner was one of five children, being brother to Kirsty, Chelsea, Jason and Jade.The Foreign Office has been in contact with his family and has been providing assistance.A funeral service of thanksgiving will be held at 10.20am on Friday in Stranton Grange Cemetery Chapel, Hartlepool  more...

Relief as £22m A66 upgrade completed

A £22M scheme to upgrade two sections of road, which claimed 22 lives in 13 years, has been completed.Nearly seven miles of the A66 on the North Yorkshire and County Durham border have been turned into dual carriageway, 15 months after work began.The sections between Scotch Corner and Carkin Moor, and Greta Bridge and Stephen Bank, both between Richmond and Barnard Castle, were opened to traffic at the weekend.But lack of funding leaves single carriageway on a four-mile section between the two, and for nearly a mile from Greta Bridge to Cross Lanes, prompting campaigners to continue to press for the entire Scotch Corner to Penrith route to be dualled.The two sections of road, which carry 15,000 vehicles a day, saw 96 accidents, resulting in 22 deaths and 91 serious injuries, between 1992 and 2005. Many were caused when motorists overtook slow-moving lorries and farm vehicles.The Northern Echo launched its Fix the A66 campaign in 1995, backing the A66 Completion Group, which urged the Government to dual the whole route.Funding was eventually allocated for the two sections and contractor Balfour Beatty began work in July last year.Both schemes include safety measures for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, including designated crossings with traffic lights. Announcing the completion, Tom Harris, Transport Minister for National Networks, said: "I am delighted that these two major road schemes have been completed in just over a year. "The A66 is a vital route for drivers crossing Northern England between the A1 at Scotch Corner and the M6 at Penrith. "These two schemes, together with the new A66 bypass at Temple Sowerby (in Cumbria), which is due to open next month, represent an important investment in improved transport links for the North."Lynne Biddles, Highways Agency project leader, said: "We thank road users on the A66 for their patience during the work. Working on both schemes at the same time helped to reduce the overall impact of the construction on road users, and we were able to complete the upgrades in just over a year.  more...

Pensioners use savings to keep gym dream alive

PENSIONERS have poured their savings into what could become Britain's biggest boxing gym to take youngsters off the streets - and hopefully into the 2012 Olympics. The Phil Thomas School of Boxing has already trained Olympic and Commonwealth Games medal winners.But with 50 boys training and a further 40 waiting to sign up, the former Joe Walton's Boys Club is being forced to quit its small gym above a Middlesbrough pub and move into bigger premises in the town.The club has taken over two derelict floors of a now defunct skin and hide business in a run-down area of St Hilda's, in Middlesbrough.The sheer size of the floor space could make it the biggest boxing gym in England - one day.But with six loyal volunteers - two of them pensioners - having to put their own money into the project and no sign of any grants, that goal could take years to achieve."We have put money in ourselves," said club secretary and Amateur Boxing Association coach Ron Cave, 67, who has been with the club for all its 37 years. "We have lads we hope to get into the 2012 Olympics - lads with a lot of potential. "We have always fought and always been successful, but we just cannot seem to get any recognition."This is about taking kids off the streets and we could do that for a lot more. You have street wardens and community support officers who are all paid, but we have no money."So, if we have to do this ourselves, we will do it ourselves. We will just have to take our time, although it might take a number of years. "It's a massive project and we'll have to do a little bit at a time."The volunteers have paid thousands of pounds out of their own pockets to rewire one room and lay a new floor.Local businesses are helping out, with donations ranging between £200 and £500.But club chairman and assistant coach Harry Middleton, 73, said: "Financially, we have come to a stop. We have run out of cash after putting what money we had into the new building. We are down working at the new premises every day of the week."Peter Richards, a graduate of the boxing club, beat former welterweight world champion Vernon Forrest at the Sydney Olympic Games, in 2000. He also won gold at the Commonwealth Games, in Canada.Andrew Green, also from the club, boxed at the Canada Games too, but missed out on a medal.James Donaghue, ABA England Champion Stephen Swales and Gary Grounds have all fought for England in international bouts, as have Andrew and Peter, while junior ABA champion James Pollock has fought three times for England.Boxers coached by the club have won half a dozen national titles in various weights in the past 14 years  more...

Cameron softens vow to slash benefits bill

TORY plans to slash £3bn off the benefits bill were in trouble last night, after David Cameron hinted at spending more - rather than less - money on getting the jobless back to work.In an interview with The Northern Echo, the Conservative leader softened his eve-of-conference pledge to strip benefit from the long-term jobless who refuse to work.The tough policy would have a big impact in the North-East, where 74,000 people claim incapacity benefit (IB), a legacy of the huge loss of manufacturing jobs in the 1980s.Easington, in County Durham, where 11,100 people - 20 per cent of the working population - claim the benefit has long been recognised as the "IB capital" of England.In the interview, Mr Cameron insisted his intention was to give more intensive help to IB claimants, adding: "This is not an 'On Your Bike' message."He said: "I'm quite convinced that, if you take people on incapacity benefit, often they need that help and support and advice to help them get into work."That deep, personal connection, at the moment, with the current system, just isn't there."But the comments were seized on by Labour as another example of the Tory leader using his Blackpool conference to make uncosted spending pledges.The Government has spent £360m on Pathways to Work, its own programme to help IB claimants find work, with each getting a personal adviser and a £40 a week back-to-work reward.Peter Hain, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "David Cameron's tax and benefit plans are unravelling."He has outlined no clear measures to achieve any savings and not a penny of extra investment in the necessary welfare to work programmes. The Tory sums simply don't add up."On Sunday, Mr Cameron pledged to get 600,000 of the 2.7 million IB claimants back to work, saving £3bn to fund £1,600-a-year tax breaks for couples bringing up children.In yesterday's interview, the Conservative leader also, for the first time, ditched a controversial proposal to deregulate mortgage services, following the Northern Rock crisis.The suggestion, by rightwinger John Redwood, who chaired the competitiveness policy review, is the latest of many scrapped by Mr Cameron, some of which he branded "barmy".The Tory leader said: "We certainly won't be going ahead with ideas of deregulating mortgages - that is absolutely clear. Sensible regulation is needed."Meanwhile, in his make-or-break speech today, Mr Cameron will insist the blaze of tax-cutting announced this week do not amount to a "lurch to the right".And he will pour scorn on Gordon Brown's promise of a spin-free "new politics", accusing him of using his own conference speech to make "rehashed and reannounced" pledges.However, aides played down suggestions that Mr Cameron would follow Sir John Major in attacking the Prime Minister for failing to tell parliament first about the latest troop withdrawals from Iraq.Instead, the Tory leader will expand on this week's three key themes - giving people more power, making families stronger and making Britain safer and greener.He will say: "There's been a lot of talk about lurching. So let me make it clear - no lurch to the right, no lurch to the left. There's only one direction for me and that's forward to the future. A clear, balanced programme of change for the long-term." Troops coming home - Page   more...

Hardline drug policy promised

HEROIN addicts would be forced to kick all drugs instead of being prescribed methadone, under new hardline Tory plans.Shadow Home Secretary David Davis pledged to introduce "abstinence-based" treatment programmes, condemning Government attempts to "manage" addiction.In his conference speech, Mr David poured scorn on Labour's claim to be tough on the causes of crime, saying: "In reality they gave up, especially on drugs."Spiralling drug abuse isn't inevitable. It's not a sign of the times, it's a sign of a failed policy."Take Labour's approach to drug rehabilitation. They spend taxpayers' money trying to manage addiction. That means keeping addicts on drugs. We want to get addicts off drugs. And we will introduce a major abstinence-based drugs rehabilitation program, a program that gets addicts off drugs, all drugs - for good."Mr Davis' aides were quick to insist the policy was not "cold turkey", because addicts would be offered a limited period of detoxification.In particular, the Shadow Home Secretary turned his fire on drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs), Labour's flagship scheme to break the link between drugs and crime.Two years ago, a parliamentary committee warned that many offenders saw the programme - an alternative to a prison term - as a "Get out of jail free" card.Only 13 per cent of orders were completed in North Yorkshire, 27 per cent in Teesside and 28 per cent in Northumbria. In Durham, the figure was 40 per cent.The speech was peppered with a raft of initiatives similarly designed to appeal to traditional Conservative supporters.A Tory government would cut immigration, establish zero-tolerance policing, increase prison places and create a new force to police Britain's borders, said Mr Davis.He repeated pledges to scrap identity cards and end the early release scheme, which will free 25,000 prisoners this year to ease prison overcrowding. With net immigration running at 200,000 every year, Mr Davis said the Conservatives would introduce an annual limit on economic migrants.  more...

Traffic comes to a standstill as Owen debunks lollipop myths

The Northern Echo reported last week that Darlington has a shortage of crossing wardens - partly caused by rude, speeding drivers. Owen Amos dons the yellow jacket and gives it a go.I HAVE spent an afternoon as a lollipop man. My Things To Do Before I Die list has one more tick. What a thrill to march onto a road and stop busy traffic with nothing more than a high-visibility jacket and a big stick.Without the uniform, I would have been sworn at and, probably, run over.With it, I was nodded at by drivers, and thanked by pedestrians. If lollipop men were full-time, I'd ditch this journalism lark. And I don't think I'm joking.Darlington has a shortage of lollipop men and women. People don't want the job, apparently, because of rude drivers and snotty pupils.On Monday afternoon, I was shown the ropes by Albert Carter, 72, a crossing warden for several years. It was like being taught sonnets by Shakespeare.After 15 minutes watching, it was my turn. I clutched my sign like a five-year-old holds a balloon.The traffic sped past noisily, barely yards between the cars. A group of primary school children wait for me, the lollipop man, to act.As I stand on the pavement, Albert's words rang in my head: hold your sign upright, try to catch a driver's eye. After two or three whizz past, I caught the eye of a lady in a black Ford, and she stopped.I strode out half-way, sign aloft. The traffic on the other side stopped instantly.I turned to the pavement, and beckoned the children across. They all said thank-you as they passed.In my 15 months as a journalist, I have stuck all my letters of thanks to the wall by my desk. There are two. The gratitude I received on Monday made me glad to be alive.When the children reached the other side, I turned to check there were no more waiting. I thanked both drivers, they thanked me, and I floated back to my spot.Mr Carter said: "The kids make the job easy. I haven't had a bad word in five years."I would recommend this job without a doubt. There must be a lot of lonely people, and if you do the lollipop, you are never lonely."Everyone says good morning; drivers give you a wave. I hope to be doing this for a few years yet."Denise Caley, Darlington Borough Council's assistant road safety officer, said people avoided becoming lollipop men and women for several reasons.She said: "It is a good hourly rate, but there's not many hours a week -the average is seven-and-a-half. People are frightened of the traffic and worried about the kids."But there are far more good days than bad. Everybody is cheerful, and people get to know each other -you get plenty of Quality Street at Christmas."It is quicker to cross the road with a lollipop than a puffin crossing. And puffin crossings don't smile at you, either."Darlington council has five vacancies, for wardens in Haughton Road, Yarm Road, Longfield Road and two mobile patrols. Pay starts at £6.61 an hour and applicants must be 18 or over. Call 01325-388783.  more...

Lives 'put at risk' by illegal fire displays

A STARK message warning of the dangers of fireworks went out yesterday at the launch of a five-week campaign in the run-up to November 5.Hard-hitting publicity alerting the public to the fact that "Fireworks and bonfires ruin lives in a flash" is being led by Tyne and Wear and Northumberland Fire and Rescue Services and Northumbria Police in partnership with local authorities, the ambulance service and the NHS.The campaign is targeted at parents and young people and is designed to remind everyone about the dangers of illegal bonfires and fireworks misuse.The public is also being urged to attend organised fireworks displays instead of building their own bonfires, and parents and shopkeepers are being asked to be vigilant and makes sure that under-18s do not get hold of fireworks.Ian Bathgate, chief fire officer designate for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: "We are asking the public to play their part in helping us keep everyone safe this Bonfire Night."We all know bonfires and fireworks can hurt and kill people so we urge everyone to attend professionally organised displays and report any illegal bonfires that have been built in their locality."It costs fire and rescue services across the region £2,000 to put out every illegal bonfire started deliberately as well as putting many lives at risk.Mike Craik, Chief Constable at Northumbria Police said: "We want people to enjoy Bonfire Night, but we will come down hard on people who misuse fireworks and cause injury or distress to others."This year, we want people to remember Bonfire Night for all the right reasons, not because they were injured or frightened."Dougie McDougall, assistant operations manager for the North-East Ambulance Service, said yesterday: "We receive the most calls from people who have had private bonfire and firework events in their own back gardens."We tend to respond to a lot of very severe hand and face injuries and burns in both children and adults which can be devastating and in the worst case can kill."A Durham Police spokesman said that while the force and the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service were not running a specific campaign it would be continuing local initiatives to combat the misuse of fireworks and the setting alight of unauthorised bonfires.He confirmed that Durham Police would once again be staging what has become one of the most popular Bonfire Night displays in the region at Aykley Heads police headquarters on November 5 beginning at 7pm.He said: "We would encourage everyone wherever possible to opt for the safest option and attend an organised display.  more...

Holiday lodges offer for flocks of sheep

A GREEN holiday village on the tranquil outskirts of a town is also providing a retreat for sheep needing to get away from it all.Natural Retreats, which has eco-friendly lodges at Aislabeck, North Yorkshire, is giving free grazing to a local sheep sanctuary.A flock of about 30 Wensleydale sheep have moved into some of the meadows on the 54-acre site and are earning their keep by keeping the grass short.The sheep come from the nearby Farmaround sanctuary, which was founded by Isobel Davies, who runs an organic produce delivery company from Richmond.She has so far rescued 500 sheep, mainly Wensleydales and Swaledales, which would have been slaughtered because they were male or had defects such as missing a pregnancy or having black spots on a white fleece.Their fleeces are used to make the Izzy Lane range of organic clothing, launched last year.Natural Retreats manager Ian Winstanley said: "It is lovely to see the sheep in our fields. These animals have long been a major part of the Dales landscape, and Aislabeck is all about fitting into that environment."We have several acres of natural meadowland as part of the site, which needs to be grazed to retain its condition."The fact that we can do this while giving a home to some animals needing a new start in life is particularly rewarding. The sheep have also proved very popular with holidaymakers."The holiday company donates a percentage of its profits to community and environmental causes. Recent donations included £1,500 to the accommodation section of the community website Richmond Online, and sponsorship of the town's shopping and eating guide  more...

Research could end 'Baghdad boils' curse

BRITISH soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan could be spared the dreaded Baghdad boils, thanks to researchers at a university in the region.Hundreds of Coalition troops have suffered from the potentially deadly disease - officially called Leishmaniasis - which causes skin sores that can burst years after the original infection, causing fever, and liver and spleen damage.Also known as orient boils, black fever and dum-dum fever, it affects 12 million people worldwide each year.Many drugs used as treatment have toxic side effects, killing one in ten patients who turn to them.In some regions, the parasite has become resistant.However, Durham University academics have invented a new method of screening, raising the prospect of new, safer drugs.Dr Paul Denny, who led the study, said: "There's a large number of British and American troops with infections and it's a real problem for them."Dr Denny and his team, including Dr Patrick Steel and PhD student John Mina, have identified an enzyme which helps produce a part of the parasite - called a complex sphingolipid - and an inhibitor which acts against this enzyme.They have filed a patent for the system and, if they find a funding partner to continue their work, they could quickly test thousands of compounds to see if they work against the enzyme.Dr Denny said: "It provides a much quicker means of identifying inhibitors with the potential for drug development than is currently used."Professor Nigel Brown, from the Science Council, which funded the work already done, said: "Leishmaniasis is an extremely damaging disease which threatens 350 million people in 88 countries around the world. This research demonstrates how important bioscience research is to developing life-saving pharmaceuticals, and should provide hope to people in affected regions."The disease is spread by the sandfly and is endemic in India and the Middle East. It has spread to southern Europe and the southern US. Experts fear climate change may encourage it to move towards the UK.The research is unveiled in this month's issue of Business, the magazine of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council  more...

Ploughing a lonely furrow for fairer sex

DEBBIE Watson aims to create many a furrowed brow in the male-dominated world of ploughing.The 17-year-old farmer's daughter is the only female competing in the forthcoming British National Ploughing Championships, near York.It is Debbie's second time in the event - last year she was fifth out of 13 in her section.She said: "There were two of us last year, the other woman was in the horse ploughing classes, but this year I'm the only female."Debbie has been ploughing since she was 13 and has won ten first certificates, including one when she beat a former European champion.She said: "The men were a bit iffy at first - especially in Scotland - but I have beaten quite a few of them since then and they now treat me like one of them."Debbie, who works on her parents Bingfield Farm, at Hallington, near Newcastle, competes using her own vintage MF35 tractor, which she bought from a family friend for £1,100.Her family's farm has cattle, sheep and 60 acres of arable land, so most of her ploughing practice is done during weekend competitions both here and in Scotland.She said she seems to have a natural eye for the skill, adding: "Ploughing straight furrows is the most important thing. Bad ploughing straight is better than good ploughing wonky." She will compete in the trailed plough section in the championships, which are expected to attract 15,000 spectators to Crockey Hill, south of York, on the weekend of October 13 and 14.Debbie, who normally finds competitors have much larger, more powerful tractors and ploughs, is one of 26 battling it out for the title of British Young Farmer's Champion Ploughman on the first day.If successful, she will join other top qualifiers on the second day competing to represent England at the 2008 World Ploughing Contest to be held in Austria.She said: "I nearly fainted last year I was so nervous, but I am looking forward to competing."The competition includes modern tractors and ploughs, as well as vintage and horse-drawn equipment, and there will be working demonstrations, trade stands, and rural arts and crafts.The event takes place at Wheldrake Lane, off the A19 York to Selby road, and will be signposted from major roads in the area. Gates open at 9am each day  more...

Ask the jury or ask the audience at crime event

POPULAR gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? will be given a new twist next month when an audience will be asked to pass virtual sentences on criminals.Members of the public are invited to take part in the event, run by the North Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board.They will be given handsets similar to those used on the ITV show. After hearing the details of cases that have been heard in a crown court, they will be given sentencing options and will use the handset to vote for the one they feel is the most appropriate.The results will appear on screens almost immediately in the style of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?The sentence given in the original case will then be revealed. The Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman will give his view on the factors that influenced the decision. Defence and Crown Prosecution Service lawyers will also be on hand.It is the first time an event of this kind has been held in North Yorkshire. The offences that will be used were all heard at crown court, but have been made anonymous, with any sensitive details removed. Crimes will include grievous bodily harm and rape.The free event is held as part of Inside Justice Week, a national initiative aimed at making the criminal justice system more accessible to the public.Anne Taylor, from the Criminal Justice Board, said: "Similar events have been held in other areas and been really successful in raising awareness."We just want to give people the information to make informed decisions. There are times when judges and magistrates are perhaps restricted in what sentence they can give."At the same time, what is reported in the press may be one part of what can be a week-long in-depth trial."It is often interesting for people to see both sides, and we are giving people that chance. Hopefully, when we reveal the actual sentence, people will be quite surprised about what was given."The event will be held in the Merchant Taylors' Hall, Aldwark, York, from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on Thursday, November 8.Places can be reserved by calling 01904-731880 before Friday, October 19  more...

Man's body found in river

A MAN'S body was recovered from River Tees at Middlesbrough today.   more...

Northern Rock scraps mortgage deals

THE Northern Rock is tonight axing two-thirds of its mortgage range in the first product shake-up since it applied to the Bank of England for emergency funding.   more...