Stories for 19 December 2007

The Northern Echo News

B&B deny eyeing up Northern Rock assets

BRADFORD & Bingley this morning issued a statement after it was linked to a possible move to buy assets from troubled lender Northern Rock.   more...

Brown: economy sound despite Rock crisis

GORDON Brown insisted today that the economy remained fundamentally sound despite global financial turbulence and the Northern Rock crisis.   more...

Man rescued from icy river

A MAN was rescued from the icy waters of the River Tyne at 10.45pm on Tuesday night.   more...

£7.99 shoplifting case goes to crown court

A MAN cost taxpayers thousand of pounds by choosing to take his £7.99 shoplifting case to the crown court.   more...

Man shot in back in respectable street

TWO men have been arrested after a man was shot in the back outside his home in a quiet residential street.   more...

Police swoop in alleged fraud scam

DETECTIVES investigating an alleged major fraud in which £650,000 of EU funding was siphoned off today swooped to arrest eight people in a series of co-ordinated raids.   more...

Woman dies after being struck by truck

A PEDESTRIAN has died after she was hit by a tipper truck and trapped between its wheels.   more...

Businessman gets Carter's coat

A COAT worn by Michael Caine in the iconic North-East-set gangster film Get Carter is returning to the region.   more...

Warning over Christmas tree fires

FIRE safety bosses in the region have urged residents to take steps to ensure their Christmas trees do not become lethal fire hazards during the festive period.   more...

Police stations in £27m shake-up

OUTDATED police stations will be sold off and officers relocated to libraries and health centres under a £27m shake-up.   more...

Classic motocross bike stolen

POLICE are appealing for information on the theft of a classic motocross bike.   more...

Woman hurt in wagon smash

AN ELDERLY woman has been seriously injured after being hit by a wagon on Teesside.   more...

Tributes to RAF veteran

TRIBUTES have been paid to a former airman who devoted many years to a veterans' association.   more...

Shoplifting fight costs a fortune

A SERIAL pest cost taxpayers thousand of pounds by choosing to take his £7.99 shoplifting case to the crown court.   more...

Star bailed over rape claim

A 19-YEAR-old man arrested in connection with an alleged rape at Manchester United's Christmas party has been released on bail, Greater Manchester Police said today.   more...

Troubled Darlington pub closed for festive period

A TOWN centre pub where a woman needed 50 stitches after being slashed with a bottle will be closed over the busy Christmas and New Year period.   more...

Sunderland target questioned over alleged rape claim

FORMER Sunderland loan star Jonny Evans was being questioned today over the alleged rape of a woman at Manchester United's Christmas party, sources said.   more...

Have a jolly Geordie Christmas

GEORDIES are going to have a great time this Christmas - but Yorkshire folk are more likely to be miserable, according to a new survey.   more...

'PCTs still refusing to presribe new drug'

HOPES that the decision by North-East health bosses to fund a new cancer drug would help patients all over the country have proved ill-founded, according to a leading campaigner.When the North-East and Cumbria Cancer Drug Approvals Group performed a U-turn in August and agreed to fund the revolutionary kidney cancer drug Sutent, campaigners hoped it was the breakthrough they were waiting for.Despite being capable of extending the lives of kidney cancer patients and its wide availability in Europe the £23,000-a-year drug is not generally funded by the NHS because it not been approved by the drugs watchdog, Nice.Rose Woodward, who runs a support group that helps patients with their applications for funding for Sutent, said four months after the North-East cancer drug group decision, there was no sign that other primary care trusts were changing their minds. Attitudes in the NHS across England appear to be hardening, with every recent request for funding by patients being rejected by PCTs."We hoped that the decision in the North-East would have a domino effect on the rest of England, but so far that hasn't happened," said Ms Woodward, who has supported North-East patients, including Kathleen Devonport, 64, from Chilton, County Durham, and Barbara Selby, also 64, from Richmond, North Yorkshire.The decision in August to fund Sutent for anyone in the region who needs it was greeted with joy by Mrs Devonport, who had begun paying thousands of pounds for a similar new drug called Nexavar.But despite Mrs Selby only having one kidney, North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust recently rejected a request from her consultant - backed by Rose Woodward's group - to be given funding for Sutent because of her exceptional circumstances.Miss Woodward, who has been co-ordinating a national campaign from her home in Cornwall, said that after winning appeals for patients in more than 50 areas, PCTs were now taking a hard line."They are digging in their heels," she said." It seems that the PCTs are adopting a blanket veto of funding for drugs unless they have been approved by Nice."Recently, the daughter of Mrs Selby told The Northern Echo that she was considering taking legal action against the North Yorkshire and York PCT for allegedly withholding treatment from her mother  more...

Egyptian obelisk begins journey to the Far East

AN Egyptian obelisk has completed the first stage of its journey to Japan after being removed from its North-East home of the past 47 years.Specialists were called in to help ease the 3,000-year-old artefact from its concrete base at the Oriental Museum, in Elvet Hill Road, Durham City.The structure, which is about 7ft high and weighs about 400kg, was lifted out of the building with a gantry and placed on the back of a truck.It was driven to a storage depot in the South where it will stay until it is shipped to Japan where it will go on a year-long tour.The obelisk dates from the reign of Amenhotep II in about 1420BC and arrived at the museum, which is run by Durham University, in 1960, having belonged to the Duke of Northumberland and been displayed at Alnwick Castle.Museum curator Craig Barclay said it had been expected that the operation would take three days, but had only taken one."It has gone very well,'' he said last night. "We got the obelisk safely loaded on to the wagon and it started its journey."We had a substantial gantry and we had the benefit of two experts from Constantine Fine Art Shipping."It is not the sort of job you want to rush, which is why we originally allowed a few days for it."The obelisk was set in a concrete base at the museum and we were uncertain whether we would have to remove a large or small amount of concrete."It was held in position with a metal dowel and it was a much simpler job to lift it than we had anticipated.'' Made of red granite, the obelisk was one of a pair that stood on the island of Elephantine, at Aswan. Its twin is in the Cairo Museum. It depicts Pharaoh Amenhotep II kneeling before the god KhnumRe.Mr Barclay said the obelisk's Japanese tour would give the museum a chance to refurbish its Egyptian section.  more...

Medics' call-out to bet prompts 999 warning

PARAMEDICS called to a house to treat a collapsed man got the shock of their lives when he jumped up and shouted "I'm only joking" before telling his wife she had lost a £5 bet.That call and several others has prompted the North-East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to appeal to the public to think twice before dialling 999 during the festive period.The emergency services believed they had a genuine call-out when they arrived at the house, in Stockton, Teesside, and were met at the door by a distressed woman.She took the paramedics upstairs, where they found a man lying face down on the floor in what she believed to be an attack brought on by diabetes.But just as a paramedic was about to inject the man with a glucose-based drug, he jumped to his feet and then told his wife she had lost the bet.The paramedics spoke to the man about wasting paramedics' time and resources, including a £30 injection. Exact details of the bet were not clear.During the festive season, the number of 999 calls rise - but not all of them are emergencies.NEAS has also taken 999 calls from a man who said his smelly feet were making him feel sick, someone who wanted paramedics to change his TV channel, a woman who wanted an ambulance to pick up prescription glasses for her son and people stuck in long taxi queues and wanted a lift home. Control room manager Graham Robinson said: "We certainly don't want to deter anyone from calling 999 for life-threatening situations, but we want the public to think before calling for an ambulance."We have received 999 calls in the past for minor problems, such as sore throats, cut fingers and coughs and colds, when they clearly don't need assistance from our emergency service."Inappropriate calls cost NEAS more than £8,000 last year.Paul Liversidge, director of ambulance operations at the NEAS, said: "Please don't hesitate to call us if you or someone find themselves with a life-threatening medical emergency."But for every inappropriate call, you could be putting someone else's life in danger."  more...

'Mate's gift of kidney was music to my ears'

WHEN Andy Williamson comes home to County Durham in the New Year, he will be a changed man.On the outside, the 40-year-old rock musician, who grew up in Bishop Auckland, looks the same as he did a year ago.But instead of suffering from the effects of kidney failure, Mr Williamson is feeling 20 years younger - after undergoing a kidney transplant.Remarkably, his kidney came from long-term friend and fellow musician Matthew "Maff" Potts and not a family member.Now their funk and boogie band, The Organ Grinders, are looking for gigs around the UK to promote their message that more people should consider donating a healthy kidney to save a stranger's life. Mr Williamson wants the North-East to take the lead by offering venues.When Mr Potts was told that his university friend would have regular dialysis sessions to stay alive, after being diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, he volunteered to be a potential donor.One of Mr Williamson's three sisters, Kirstie, was tested to see if she could donate one of her kidneys but failed to meet standards demanded by the transplant team. But Mr Potts, 35, turned out to be a suitable donor and, on August 7, two teams of surgeons at Guy's Hospital, in London, carried out simultaneous operations, removing a healthy kidney from Mr Potts - by keyhole surgery - and giving the new kidney to Mr Williamson.Both donor and recipient were doing so well that they performed an impromptu concert in the atrium of Guy's Hospital within a couple of days of having surgery.Now the friends, who met at Oxford University and live in London, are on a mission to promote unrelated organ donation.Thanks to recent changes in the law, it is now much easier to donate a kidney to a stranger."I feel almost 20 years younger," said Mr Williamson, whose parents, Avis and Ron, both retired teachers, still live in Bishop Auckland."I started getting really, really tired. I just thought it was getting old. "It was actually my illness," said Andy, whose mother also had a kidney transplant 14 years ago.A single, called Live Life Then Give Live is available via their website, www.haveoneofmine. com  more...

Millions more gambled on shoring bank support

THE Government gambled billions more on the Northern Rock bank last night, as Bank of England Governor Mervyn King warned of more gloom for banks across the world.Chancellor Alistair Darling gave the go-ahead to extended taxpayer guarantees across nearly all of the the bank's balance sheet.Although the exact figure is unknown, the Government guarantees are believed to be worth an £60bn -twice the annual UK defence budget.Northern Rock has borrowed about £25bn from the Bank of England since the run on the bank in September, while the Treasury has also fully assured an estimated £16bn in savers' deposits.But the latest guarantee adds billions more to the total in an attempt to shore up confidence in the bank as negotiations continue to find a buyer.Bank Governor Mervyn King issued his alert in an appearance before the Treasury Select Committee as the fall-out from the US sub-prime mortgage crisis which has shaken the financial system intensified.Mr King told MPs: "A painful adjustment faces the global banking sector over the next few months, as losses are revealed and new capital is raised to repair bank balance sheets."He said Northern Rock was paying an "appropriate fee" for the extended guarantees, which it requested to protect its credit ratings ahead of a potential sale.The guarantee does not cover the estimated £50bn in mortgages held in the Granite off-shore trust Northern Rock uses to raise funding.The Bank's deputy governor, Sir John Gieve, said: "Essentially, this does widen the scope of the guarantee to pretty much the whole balance sheet."The move prompted speculation that the Government was preparing to nationalise the stricken firm.Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond, called it "a desperate move by a desperate Chancellor", while Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said the Government was "effectively nationalising" the group, based in Newcastle.Mr King declined to rule out nationalisation when quizzed by MPs. If the move occurred, Mr King said he anticipated the lender passing quickly onto new management and then new ownership.Two private sector bidders -a consortium led by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin and the Olivant investment group -are vying to take control of Northern Rock, which was hit by soaring borrowing costs in August.Newcastle North MP Doug Henderson welcomed the extension, saying: "Hopefully, this will help to reassure potential bidders to allow a change of ownership and management to get the bank back on a strong footing."The lender was at the centre of the UK's first bank run for nearly 150 years when the money markets where it borrowed its cash for lending seized up amid fears over bank losses on high-risk US mortgages.The Bank of England, in tandem with four other central banks across the world, announced plans to inject billions into the financial system last week in an attempt to restore confidence.Mr King called again for a legislative overhaul to improve the UK's handling of any future crisis following the run on Northern Rock, because, under current rules, depositors could wait for up to a year to gain savings if a bank fell into administration.He said there was a strong incentive for customers to join a bank run and said credible deposit insurance arrangements were needed to reassure savers.The Bank is also backing a drive from the Financial Services Authority watchdog to make sure banks have enough money to cope with the severe credit conditions that struck Northern Rock.Chancellor Alistair Darling extended the protection scheme to fully guarantee the first £35,000 of savers' cash in UK banks after customers realised that only the first £2,000 in savings were fully secured.Northern Rock's depositors were insured for their entire savings in an attempt to stem the exodus of cash from the lender.Mr King said: "A model for deposit insurance that draws on international experience would have permanent 100 per cent coverage up to a limit, with transparent and widely understood prompt payout commitments."Sir John -in charge of financial stability -came in for more criticism from the committee after he admitted that authorities did not do enough to reassure savers when the crisis struck in September.Asked by Cornish Lib Dem MP Colin Breed why he was still in a job, Sir John said: "There are lessons to be learnt from the last six months, but I do think I have done a reasonable job.  more...

Tests at RAF weapons site

TESTS are to be carried out on land in and around a wartime RAF chemical weapons depot, which has been sealed off for years.Signs are still in place, pictured right, warning people not to go on to the site on the edge of moorland, at Bowes, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.Mustard gas and other chemicals were used at the site, and it was claimed that when the camp closed in 1946, some of the material was poured into holes in the ground then set on fire, contaminating the ground for many years.But the Ministry of Defence has announced that a survey is to be carried out early in the new year to assess what is needed to make the land completely safe.This was welcomed last night, as it could lead to old buildings on the land being cleared away and the land being thoroughly cleaned.Councillor Phil Hughes, who represents the area on Teesdale District Council, said: "We have been calling for years for this dreadful area to be cleared and, at long last, it seems this may happen."It will be a good thing for the village if the eyesores are removed and the land restored to its natural state." A public meeting is to be held in Bowes village hall, on Monday, January 14, so that residents can hear the full proposals before work begins.A Ministry of Defence statement said a team from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory will work with experts from an independent environmental consultancy to take samples of soil and surface water.The survey is due begin at the end of next month and is expected to take up to six weeks. Builder Peter Coverdale, who lives near the site, said: "A lot of people have been concerned for a long time and everyone will be delighted if it is put in order."Farmer Dick Addison, who has land nearby, said: "It will be a good thing if it is made safe. But my fear is that if they start digging into the soil, they will release dangerous poisons which are dormant at the moment. They will have to take great care."  more...

Rock shareholders blamed for blocking buyout at 11th hour

THE Bank of England's governor has criticised Northern Rock shareholders for blocking a "desperately-needed" buyout of the stricken bank.In evidence to MPs, Mervyn King said yesterday that "sensible" proposals to restructure Northern Rock had been obstructed.He said nationalisation was not inevitable, despite the growing difficulties of potential buyers who were trying to raise the necessary funds in tightening financial markets.His comments came only hours after the Treasury surprisingly extended its total guarantee to the bank to £60bn.The move, to protect loans to Northern Rock by other financial institutions, was seen as an attempt to shore up the confidence of potential buyers, rather than a step closer to nationalisation.Speaking to the treasury select committee, Mr King suggested financial conditions might ease in the new year, allowing a new management team to put together a successful bid.He said: "The difficulty in reaching a reorganisation of Northern Rock, which is absolutely, desperately needed, is made much more difficult by the fact that shareholders can block what seems to be a sensible discussion on reorganisation by the people who are financing the vast bulk of the balance sheet."Mr King was asked if, should nationalisation become necessary, he could imagine it as a short-term measure, allowing the bank to be "prepared for sale". He said: "I certainly can."Ministers have not denied that a nationalisation Bill is being drawn up.Asked if Parliament could pass such legislation quickly, Mr King said yes.Yesterday, it was reported that Government advisors were drawing up a secret plan to divide up Northern Rock among Britain's high street banks within days of an emergency nationalisation.The plan would allow the Government to reduce its role almost immediately if the bank was nationalised.Mr King fiercely denied reports that he had criticised the Treasury for being paralysed by low morale.He told MPs: "None of the comments in the article I recognise and they are certainly not my views. I do not believe that anyone in the Bank would make comments like that."Mr King told MPs the key to preventing a repeat of the Northern Rock crisis was giving authorities the power to intervene early enough to deal with a failing bank.However, he insisted he was not -contrary to reports - engaged in a "turf battle" as to whether the Bank of England or the Treasury should have those powers.And he denied the Treasury had dithered over introducing those changes. The need for them was recognised as long ago as 2005, but Mr King said it was important that legislation was not rushed.Roger Lawson, chairman of the Northern Rock Shareholders' Association, said he was appalled at Mr King's comments.He said: "I find his comments astonishing, what is he saying is absolute garbage."All the shareholders are doing is standing up for their rights as owners of the business. It is not owned by the Government or by the Bank of England. Just because you loan money it does not, therefore, mean you own the company.  more...

Anger after internet and TV problems

VIRGIN Media has apologised to its customers across the region after a fault left many without internet and television services for several hours.Sir Richard Branson's firm - which replaced cable group NTL after a buy-out - said an error during a "routine maintenance process" had affected customers' modems and set-top boxes.The fault hit householders in areas including Darlington, Middlesbrough and Stockton. Virgin Media said customers in Yorkshire, the North-West and the Midlands were also affected.Last night, it said there were very few customers still waiting to be reconnected to its broadband and video on-demand services.The company claimed the majority were back on shortly after midnight on Tuesday.Julie Burbage, from Acklam, in Middlesbrough, said her internet and television services had "been on the blink".She said: "It all went off last night. With the television, I have not had a picture at all."Mrs Burbage said she had suffered repeated problems in the past with Virgin Media and had waited months for faults to be fixed. She said she once waited in her home for an engineer who did not arrive.Mrs Burbage said: "This is not the first time something like this has happened. With Virgin, once you get to speak to someone in authority, it is all right. "But it is actually getting through to them in the first place that is the problem. It is quite frustrating."Virgin Media customer Michael Atkinson, from Darlington, said: "The internet went off at about 9pm on Monday and it was still not back on at 1.30am."It was very annoying. When you are talking about a whole evening like this, it is pretty poor."Virgin has a free fault line customers can call for "live service news", which includes details of ongoing works and maintenance.But anyone wanting technical support for broadband links, and to speak to a person, must call a premium rate number, costing 25p a minute.In a statement, a Virgin Media spokeswoman said: "At 9.20pm on Monday night, customers in a number of regions temporarily lost connectivity to their broadband and video on demand services. "This occurred as a result of an error during a routine maintenance process which affected some customers' modems and set top boxes."Our engineers have been working to restore the few remaining connections as quickly as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused."  more...

Drinking water is declared safe following bug infection

DRINKING water has been declared safe - more than a week after a contagious parasite, which can cause diarrhoea and stomach cramps was found in a town's supply.Four schools were closed for two days, thousands of householders were told to boil their tap water and gallons of bottled water were delivered after cryptosporidium was discovered at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. The scare also affected all of the military personnel at the Army base, as well as businesses in the town.The warning to boil water was lifted yesterday after the repair and recommissioning of a filter at Lownethwaite water treatment works, near Catterick, and consultation between treatment company C2C, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the area health authority. Health officials said that no incidents of illness linked to the water supply had been reported.The North Yorkshire health protection unit confirmed that tap water in the area was now safe to drink and the likelihood of anyone having been infected through the contamination was slight.A statement from the unit said that no cases of cryptosporidiosis had been detected, but urged anyone who suffered from diarrhoea over the next week to visit their doctor and contact the unit on 01904-567675.C2C, which looks after the water treatment works on behalf of the MoD, worked around the clock to remedy the problem since the presence of the cryptosporidium bug was confirmed on December 10.Water quality sampling has been carried out since, and there has been no further evidence of the bug detected.C2C general manager Wayne Earp said: "We are delighted to be able to lift the boil water notice. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused and would like to thank everyone for their patience and co-operation."Householders and water users that were affected will receive official notification from C2C through their doors, that their water is again safe for all uses.The C2C telephone helpline - 0121-722-6200 - which was set up to deal with inquiries following the incident - will remain open until Friday, from 8am to 5pm daily.  more...

Ban threat to teacher over lewd comments

A TEACHER who received repeated warnings at one North-East school for being "over familiar" with students and was then sacked from another less than 18 months later is facing a classroom ban.Former English teacher Ian Graham appeared before a General Teaching Council (GTC) hearing yesterday facing allegations that he had used inappropriate sexual terms when teaching sixth form students - including asking one class whether he should draw a penis on the blackboard.He also told shocked pupils that one female student had "been with everyone in the class".Mr Graham, from Durham City, could be struck from the teaching register after admitting using language of a sexual nature and making comments about students.He is also facing allegations of being over-familiar with students, showing a lack of punctuality, failing to send work in when absent, and failing to manage pupil behaviour adequately.The teacher, who put his "unorthodox" teaching style down to nerves, was sacked from Durham Gilesgate Sports College and Sixth Form Centre last year.The committee at yesterday's GTC hearing in Birmingham heard Mr Graham walked out of a lesson ten minutes early because he was extremely frustrated at his class and wanted to shock them.While Mr Graham was a teacher at Houghton Kepier Sports College, near Sunderland, the hearing heard, he had announced to a full classroom that one female student had "been with everyone in the class".Sue Hyland, headteacher of Houghton Kepier, told the hearing: "I had very serious concerns about his professionalism on more than one occasion."He didn't seem to understand the boundaries between teacher and pupil."His high-achieving pupils were left feeling uncomfortable and apprehensive."Mrs Hyland added: "I found it difficult to get through to him when I was explaining the things he had done which were inappropriate. I don't think the penny had dropped with him."I don't think he saw these instances as a professional, which is why he kept on doing them."He saw himself as a mate who could engage in banter with the children, and that it was just his style of teaching."Mr Graham, who joined Houghton Kepier in 2002, was called to a disciplinary meeting in February 2005, where his Continued - Page 2  more...